A common Language.

Layla Anwar, An Arab Woman Blues

In difficult circumstances, we gathered today. There was around twenty of us. Men and women. From different nationalities and different religions and denominations. We were muslims and christians. Sunnis and shias. "Middle easterners" and "North Africans."... (can't say more-the walls have ears. What brought us together on this dark cold evening? Just a memory of our Hero Saddam Hussein. Some of us loved him, some of us liked him, some of us disliked him and some of us were critical of him and some of us used to hate him... But we gathered nonetheless in his memory. How come? I asked myself. Here we were: "Mesopotamians, canaanites,pheonicians, carthagians,pharaonic..." yet we still managed to assemble. No questions asked. The meeting was nothing grandiose in view of the current situation. Just a simple, sober gathering around a cup of coffee. The conversation was equally simple and down to earth. And it went like this: "I am no baathist, but...." I am no Saddam supporter, but...",I am no Iraqi, but..." I am a palestinian and ...", I am a shia and I have to tell you...", "I am a christian and I must say that...","I am a north african and..."," I love Saddam and will always...."," He made mistakes but ..." and I could go on and on till tomorrow. Suffice to say, he managed to gather us together in his absence by his presence. By his thoughts, his vision, his ultimate sacrifice...We may have not agreed on much, but one thing we agreed upon: There is no leader, or any man in history that accepted to walk to the gallows and refuse a compromise like he did...

continua / continued