by Ibrahim Essa
“Are you all right, Mawlana?” he said, patting him on the shoulder.
The only response was the ghost of a smile that flitted across Hatem’s lips and a slight nod that made Hatem wince, though it was hardly visible.
Bishop Mousa continued: “We have to move quickly. There are young Christians who are furious, as you’ve seen for yourself. And it’s not just the Copts in Egypt, but all over the world. With this attack they’ve reached the stage where they can’t take any more. Some of them have got hold of these pictures and other evidence, and for them it’s a clear-cut case and they’re making threats, even to us in the church, that if Hassan doesn’t hand himself in within seventy-two hours they’ll show these pictures all over the world and publicize the fact that people related to the president are personally involved in killing Copts and blowing up churches. Unfortunately, Mawlana, they’ve collected all the information there is about Hassan, including your role and the fact that you’ve spent time with him. Some people claim there’s a suspicion that you are in complicity with Hassan, though we in the church fully believe you’re the last person to be an extremist and that you’ve been fighting against bigotry toward Copts in particular.”
Bishop Mousa pressed a button and the picture moved again. Dozens of people were running around in panic outside the church. Some of them had lost arms or legs, some had mangled flesh, missing eyes, burns, or faces covered in blood. Hassan stood watching them from the pavement opposite. He pressed a button on his remote key. His car alarm began to wail and then the car itself exploded. The body of the car rose off the ground and flew over some of the neighboring cars, which themselves caught fire and exploded from the heat and the flames. Balls of fire, shards of glass, sharp pieces of metal flew through the air and more bodies fell to the ground. In the distance, through the smoke, Hassan could be seen, still standing, still watching the scene of devastation.
Bishop Mousa leaned over and whispered in Hatem’s ear. “You have to find him, Mawlana,” he said, “and persuade him to hand himself in.”
Translator’s Notes
1 This is a reference to the Quran (4:34).
2 ‘Dhimmi’ is the historical term for a non-Muslim living in a Muslim-dominated state, with a protected status but with some legal and fiscal disadvantages.
3 The name Mutanassir means ‘a convert to Christianity,’ but it is similar to more common names, such as Muntassir.
4 This is a reference to a hadith. The full text reads: “Two rak‘at that a married man prays are better than a bachelor man rising up (in) his night and fasting (in) his day.”
5 Yazid ibn Muawiya was the Umayyad caliph famous for ordering the attack on the Prophet’s grandson Hussein at Karbala, a crucial event in Shi’ite history.
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