Ali Ombargi — A Daheshist Martyr.

[Mario]

In December of 1975, my mom, dad, and myself, were still stranded in a hotel located in the village of Faraya. Situated high in Mount Lebanon, this village was a veritable oasis for the wealthy who owned ski chalets sprawling along the mountain road that would eventually lead to the ski slopes.

That December, tragedy struck the Daheshist community. One of its own, a brother by the name of Ali Ombargi would be killed in the line of duty.

What I am about to share with you is a composite of several conversations I've had with first hand witnesses and it complements what you might have read in Salim Ombargi's book: "Born Again with Doctor Dahesh." Therefore, I will not duplicate the late Salim Ombargi's words, as he already paid a wonderful tribute to his own brother Ali in the book.

It all started when we were finally able to contact the Doctor's house in Beirut. I remember my brother "C" telling me "Today, it's as if we were granted a whole new life..."

Later, much later, I would learn that soldiers would knock upon the Doctor's house and barge inside. In 1975, the interior of the whole house had been transformed into a packing company. Everywhere boxes... artifacts of all kinds were being carefully packaged to be sent to Daheshism's new home, the new land of promise: The United States of America.

In fact, a couple of years before that, my brother C came back from the Doctor's house and announced "we're all going to the USA."
And, had my father agreed, I would have travelled to the USA as early as 1975. But, being that I was minor, I was made to remain in Lebanon 4 more years. But that's another story for another time. I will simply say that I had an opportunity (in those days) to visit the "Dahesh Salon" and see the "exodus" in the making. It was unbelievable... Everybody working together... Brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers... There was laughter and the occasional card game!

When the war came knocking, Dahesh's old enemies took every opportunity to throw mortar and rocket fire at the house. I've heard my own brothers (who were THERE) tell the stories of how rockets would break through walls and not explode... How one my brother, as we was getting up, ducked a fraction of a second, and bullet buzzed right over his head...

In Salim's book, for example, you'll read about the explosive device that was placed under the car.

In fact, a brother (M. M.) told me the following: The night before, as that brother (who along with other Daheshists) was guarding the house situated in the center of the Civil War, the Doctor shows up and walks towards one the big windows. Now, you have to have seen the Doctor's mannerisms to appreciate the subtlety here. Also, these mannerisms were courtesy of the spirit of Brother Ali... In any case, the Doctor (according to M.M.) smiles at him and points (or makes a pointing gesture) to something outside the window.

M. M. was intrigued but (as was often with the Doctor) "God" only knew what sort of signal that was suppose to mean...

The day after, of course, they discover that "someone" in a deliberate attempt to (quite literally) obliterate (once and for all...) the Dahesh residence, had (quietly) jacked up the back side of a car (I don't remember if it was M.M's) and lowered one of the wheels on a MINE designed to blow up big moving objects... Technically speaking the detonator was pushed in. All was needed for the mine to go off was for someone to try to remove the car.

In other words, the MINE detonation would occur AFTER the button was RELEASED. And when you think that there is practically now way to reach the detonator button once the wheel has been lowered upon it—hence totally covering it... You're talking a miracle...

Now, according to Salim's book, the bomb was neutralized.

According to MM, the criminals, while moving the mine around, actually dropped the detonator and never noticed that... In fact, the Mine had no detonator...and that is how that tragedy was averted.

Back to the soldiers that would demand to enter the house.

Once inside, they saw the treasures that it housed.

They rounded up the men (except for one who volunteered to stay behind to "protect the women"... according to how the legend goes...) and took them for "Questioning." The men who were taken were my brothers "C" , "J" and "G", plus (if I am not mistaken) two others. One, the grandson of Marie Haddad, and the other "S.M." (I apologize for not releasing the full names... I will gladly do so if and when these individuals give me their blessing. However, this is a story that has to be told...)

According to what I was told, my brother J was even pushed down the stairs at some point.

The plan of the soldiers was to kill them and come back to rob the house.

I don't know exactly how their lives was spared. I do remember my brother J saying "We felt it was the end, but somehow, we didn't care nor were we afraid."

I believe, once at the military headquarters, someone recognized one of the brothers and freaked out and yelled at the soldiers "What are you doing? I know these people!"

So, their lives were spared and the brothers returned home.

I don't remember if Ali's death occurred on the same day. What I do know (from what an eyewitness told me) that my brother C was returning to the Doctor's house and that Ali was there already, so was the Doctor.

As my brother was in close vicinity (and I suppose within sight from the house) a rain of fire dropped from the sky and my brother was caught in the middle.

Ali Ombargi, rushed down to see if C was OK. No sooner had he crossed the threshold, another explosion takes place and he is hit with a piece of shrapnel in the head. The Doctor, who witnessed the tragedy, was thrown back from the force of the shock wave and screamed from the pain he felt in his ears... (I personally was within several meters a RPG explosion and I can tell you it makes your heart stop and you go deaf for a while... imagine heavy mortar or rocket fire...)

Ali was immediately brought up and all the Daheshists were frantically trying to do something... but alas, he was not responsive... And the Doctor witnessed that terrible event, most probably thinking of the revelation made to Ali the night before... (Continues in the "Members Only" section, in the "Archives" section)

[Y.S.]

Thanks so much for this great article, that portrays the true spirit of the Daheshism.

May the the spiritual fluids of our brother Ali Ombarji be in the loftiest degrees of heaven, and may God help us to walk on his blessed path of spiritual glory in all righteousness;The path of every faithful Daheshist. Amen.