#MakeItViral
"Are you OK walking home alone?"
"Yeah. I'm OK. Plus, Lily and Hana are already waiting for me at the bus stop. Bye."
"Betul ni?"
"See you tomorrow Dylan", Alia tersenyum kepada Dylan dan berjalan ke arah bertentangan.
Alia berjalan kaki pulang. Berjalan sambil membaca berita yang dipaparkan dalam laman web melalui telefonnya. Harini, berita tentang Paris tersebar meluas di media social. Di twitter, di facebook dan di Instagram. Alia mengeluh. Seluruh dunia menyalahkan Islam. Sedangkan Isis tidak mewakili mana-mana suara seorang Islam. Kerana nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga. Masalahnya, orang Barat bukannya faham. Kalau ada seorang orang Islam yang extreme sikit, habis Muslim satu dunia disalahkan. Good lord, Nabi sendiri tak mengajarkan kekasaran.
Alia berjalan dan berjalan. Dia ternampak Lily dan Hana. Dia melambai dan berjalan ke arah mereka.
"Hey you!"
Alia menoleh.
Belum sempat dia mengenal pasti siapa yang memanggilnya, dia terasa sakit di kepala. Dia merasakan cecair mengalir dari dahi. Dia dibaling batu. Tidak sempat dia berlari, dia rebah kerana batu dibaling bertubi-tubi dan terkena di matanya. Tiba-tiba dia berasa dia terlindung dengan sesuatu. Alia merasa dunia gelap. Dan dia pengsan.
_____________
"New York. 2015 - A student from Malaysia got attacked by a pair of locals when walking home...."
Alia mencampak surat khabar yang baru dibaca. Bengang dia dibuatnya. Kalaulah 'pair of locals' tu orang Islam, pasti berita semalam masuk paparan utama dengan tajuk Muslims Attacking another Muslim. Tak habis-habis dengan Muslim itu, Muslim ini.
"Marah nampak?"
"Of course I am mad Hana! They attacked me and got away with it! Look at this newspaper. My story only got a freaking small column. Like, if the locals were Muslims, the news reporters would be going crazy to write about this story. This is freaking sick. I want to curse so badly but that would be a sin. I'm holding my anger now. Thank god I'm in a hospital now, if I got blood pressure, there's a doctor"
"Fuh, sabar Alia. Sorry aku tak dapat nak tolong kau. Aku dengan Lily pun takut gila semalam sampai terpaksa call police. Nasib baik Dylan shield kau semalam. Aku sorry sangat tau.", Hana meminta maaf.
"Aku rasa, you gotta give up that hijab lah. You see what's happening, you see me and Hana. Didn't get attack. We are safe. That Hijab, I know it's a sin for saying this, but people here can't accept it. We have to be like one of them in order to finish our studies here. I don't want my mom and dad's money going to waste if I don't finish my studies." Lily memberi cadangan.
"You shouldn't say that Lily. You and I are different. And Alia is different. We don't have the guts to put on our hijabs, doesn't mean that we should advise someone else to do so. It's a sin. Dah dosa tak pakai tudung, lagi nak suruh orang tak pakai tudung?" Hana membantah.
"I was just suggesting"
"You guys, where's Dylan?" Alia bertanya bagi mengelakkan ketegangan.
"On the way here kot. Semalam lepas police datang, berdesup dua mat salleh tu lari. Dylan angkat kau, masuk kereta police and terus hantar kau pergi hospital. Tak sempat kitorang nak ikut. Dia text yang kau kat hospital ni and bila kami sampai sini, dia dah balik. Pagi tadi aku nak lawat kau ni, dia text aku dia nak jenguk kau tengah hari ni." Hana menjawab.
