Locked In

A Friend

There was a knock on the door. I glanced up and tried to wipe the dirt off my Jilbab before going answering. A lot had happened during the last seven weeks of their imprisonment. The camp had filled up with more Muslims so now there were two families to a house. Every couple of days there was a new shipment of 'traitors'. My eyes had taken on the haunted look of so many other prisoners. Without our American citizenship, my family and the few hundred other Muslim families in the camp were subjected to unspeakable treatment. They were treated worse than dogs.

"Hello?" I asked as I opened the door. There was no one there. Puzzled I began to shut the door when a foot shot out of the darkness and blocked the door from swinging shut.

"Let me in," a husky voice said. "I'm a friend."

"Private Collins?" I asked.

"Yes it's me. Please let me in before we are caught."

I hesitated and then pulled the door open wider, allowing Private Collins to enter. The other family was sleeping along with their children. The two women took turns sweeping the dirt from their sleeping areas. Each family had a small space against a wall.

"As you should know, I'm not allowed to be around men who are not related to me."

"Well I forced you to open the door didn't I?" He held up a small flashlight and shined it around the room. He sighed and shook his head at the sight. "It's horrible what my country, my government, is doing to the Muslims. Anyway I know who is behind the attacks on Muslims."

"Who? And why did you come to me?"

"Because the girl I fell in love with was Muslim. But we couldn't get married because of her religion and her parents would never have accepted me anyway. She died on her way to Egypt to meet a man her parents had set her up with at birth.

"As to the people behind the Muslim hatred, it's a secret society known as the Devil's Thorn. They are responsible for putting America's presidents into power. I'm not sure why but they have a personal agenda against Muslims. They've been trying to rid the world of Islam ever since September 11th 2001."

"How do you know this?"

"Because President Fitzgerald's son is a Muslim convert and he is here. He told me what he knew of the Devil's Thorn."

"And how does he know about this?"

"He overheard a conversation between his father and a young teenager several weeks before the President sent military personnel to bring back all the American Muslims."

"Can you tell me something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you help me? Why do you care so much for Muslims? I thought all Americans hated Islam."

"My fourteen year old brother became Muslim two weeks after September 11th 2001. I had to watch my father beat him every day for his faith. No matter how much my father hit my brother he never wavered in his religion. I was only ten years old at the time so I couldn't do anything to help him. He left at eighteen and got married. Two months ago I visited him and watched my brother, his wife, and my niece and nephew get slaughtered in front of me for their faith. Since then I have been secretly studying Islam."

"I'm sorry that happened."

"They were a strong conservative Muslim family who placed their faith above all other things in this world. I admired my brother for staying strong after September 11th. I just wish I could have protected them somehow."

It was getting close to sunrise so Private Collins excused himself and left. I didn't know what to make of our conversation. Was it only seven weeks since we had been locked away here? It seemed like forever. And if a secret society was behind the hate crimes against Muslims, then what power did they have over the rest of the world?