Short Story: The Apartment. I arrived late that evening. I knocked on the door and I politely left my shoes outside next to theirs. Hassan, Salman, and Akeem all greeted me very warmly. As I entered, the large Palestinian flag on the wall and the beautiful rug in the middle of the living room floor caught my attention. Even more noticeable was that the apartment smelled wonderful as I realized they had just finished iftar. My graduate school friend who had arranged for my stay with them for the summer had reminded me that it was Ramadan and that Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during this time. Iftar is the term that refers to the evening meal at sunset in which Muslims break their daylight fast. They immediately offered me some food. I said no but they insisted. They first gave me 3 dates to eat which I later found out is the traditional way to break one’s fast. Then I had a bowl of lentil soup with a Lebanese flat bread called meshtah and some mint flavored water. It was fantastic. I learned very quickly that these guys were excellent cooks. I didn’t have to cook one meal while I was there.
They indicated that I would share a room with Hassan and he helped me move my suitcases into the large bedroom. Rather than watch television, we chatted that evening trying to get to know each other. I indicated that I had just finished all my classwork and was beginning to write my dissertation for my Ph.D. Hassan’s English was excellent while Akeem and Salman were still learning. I laughed out loud when I heard that Salman liked to watch the Benny Hill Show to improve his English. They were all engineering students and very bright and seemed to come from somewhat wealthy families. Hassan had been born in Lebanon and his family lived just outside of Beirut. His family had fled their Palestinian village of Lydda during the Nakba, the Palestinian term for the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1947 to 1949. Their small shop and home was confiscated by the Israelis and his parents have never been able to return. Salman and Akeem had similar stories with the properties of their parents in the villages of Ramla and Yibna. They showed me some black and white photos of their parents in front of their homes in Palestine prior to the Nakba. Despite being born in Lebanon, they considered themselves to be Palestinians. After a couple of hours of fascinating talk, I indicated that I was tired and went on to bed. Before they went to bed they pulled out their prayer rugs and recited their evening prayer together in the living room.
Just before sunrise I heard all of them reciting their morning prayer. I walked into the kitchen after they had finished and was given some very strong and sweet Turkish coffee, some dates, and a piece of meshtah with some cheese on it. This would be their last food and drink until iftar tonight. I asked them the purpose of fasting. Akeem said, “Its purpose is to teach patience and compassion. During the fast all Muslims are equal because none can eat or drink. It is to remind wealthy Muslims that many suffer from hunger and poverty and the act of fasting is to encourage them to help the poor.” I immediately realized that this summer was going to be quite an educational experience for me.
I got to my office and called my wife. She had taken a position at the University of Texas in Austin, so we were in the process of moving. I had agreed to teach in the summer so I remained in Denton. I told her all about my first evening with the Palestinian students. She laughed and said that I was going to learn to eat something besides meat and potatoes. That morning I spent some time writing the introduction to my Ph.D. dissertation, taught a class, and then met with a few students. I decided to go to lunch but thought that perhaps I would fast like my new roommates. I barely made it through the day. Fasting was more difficult than I anticipated and I was so looking forward to evening dinner. I was not disappointed. Dates, fresh vegetables, a beans and lamb stew, meshtah, fresh lemonade, and knafa for dessert. I learned that this type of knafa was typically made in Gaza and it was a sugar soaked pastry with nuts, nutmeg, and cinnamon in it. I continued the daytime fasting for the remainder of Ramadan which ended early the next week. They were very pleased that I was fasting with them and I believe the fasting helped me to develop a trusting relationship with my new friends.
The next day was Friday and that was the day that TWA Flight 847 was hijacked. For the next 17 days there was almost round the clock coverage of it on the television. Adding to the drama during the TWA hijacking were several other terrorist bombings in Germany, El Salvador, Kathmandu, Tokyo, and Spain. An Air India flight from Toronto to London was blown up just off the coast of Ireland. All on board were killed. Discussion of the TWA hijacking and these other terrorist events never stopped in the apartment while we watched CNN.
Hassan, Salman, and Akeem all opposed using violence against innocent people but they offered great insight into how terrorism works. One evening after iftar I asked, “So what do you think is the purpose of these acts of violence being used against innocent people?”
Hassan responded sounding like a text book, “Simply put, it is a method to get what they want. Terrorism is a political act designed to change the policy of a country like the US. It is designed to influence public opinion and decision makers in democracies. The targets of terrorism are not those that are killed but rather the public and decision makers, those that are witnesses to the seemingly random violence against innocent people.”
"Do you think it works?" I asked.
“Look at the US. The 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut proved that terrorism works. Reagan pulled the Marines out a few months later. Hezbollah got exactly what it wanted,” insisted Akeem. He was sure that eventually Israel would turn over at least some of the Shiite Muslims demanded by the TWA hijackers.
“The images of innocent people being killed unexpectedly creates a fear in the public, a fear that they may be next. This eventually leads to a change in policy in a democratic country like the US or Great Britain. Look at the changing policies of Great Britain in Northern Ireland because of the terrorist actions of the Provisional Irish Republican Army,” Salman pointed out.
“So, without the media coverage, terrorism probably would not work.” I observed.
“Yes, take away the 24 hour media coverage of the TWA hijackers and they will fail. Just simply don’t give them an audience.” suggested Salman.
“But, that will never happen and terrorists know that. A free press, modern media, and instantaneous communications technology work to their advantage,” I added. I noted that I had studied the terrorism tactics used early in the Nicaraguan and Cuban revolutions and by the FARC in Colombia.
We talked about other topics as well such as Islam and Christianity, Palestinian refugees, Israel’s seizure of Palestinian land, and the legacy of British colonialism in the Middle East. These were the types of discussions that took place every evening that memorable summer. As I left to join my wife in early August, they gave me a Palestinian kufiya (traditional headdress) that I still treasure today.
Over time I lost contact with Hassan, Salman, and Akeem. I often thought of them as I taught my very popular class on terrorism and yes, I still love to eat Palestinian and Lebanese food.
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