The big market

Salaam aleikum va rahmatu Llahi va barakatuh (n.n. May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah Almighty be upon you), my dear Muslim Sisters. I will dedicate today’s story to some things I have just recently found out about from my daughter, and that prove just how Great the Mercy of Allah is and what a wonderful Protector He is for those who truly believe in Him.
There was a time when we were allowed to go to the big market outside the camp. Mind you, this was a quite a long time ago, shortly after he had just arrived in the camp and, from what I know, things are quite different now. But I digress… Going back to my story: women were allowed to go to the “big market” only by appointment and only while being accompanied by a soldier, “for their own protection”. The women were also checked and searched in order to prevent them from purchasing or owning “prohibited items”, the sort of which I have mentioned in some of my previous posts (e.g mobile phones). Children, on the other hand, were allowed to go to the market freely, without appointment, without waiting in line, and without being checked or supervised by soldiers.
My daughter has always been a quite a curious, dynamic and sometimes, a little mischievous as child; she could never stand still in one place, she was often wondering around the camp to explore, and sometimes, she would exit the camp’s perimeter to go to “the big market”. One day, she existed the tent, without saying where she is going, with whom and to what intent. I must confess that I, for my part, did not use to question her about such things, I never wanted to control her very strictly so, as a result, my daughter often went outside wherever she wanted inside the camp. But that day, my heart could not be at peace, it was like my motherly instincts were trying to tell me something was not right. I had a very strong feeling that something bad was about to happen. That day, while she was returning from the market, my daughter bought a SIM card for her friend inside the camp. My daughter took the card, she carefully wrapped it in a bag and placed it under her tongue, in order to manage to pass unnoticed through the security check while she was re-entering the camp perimeter. Because children were not usually checked by the soldiers, my daughter was very sure of herself and was not at all worried that the soldiers will discover the SIM card. But, as it happens, just as my daughter war returning from the market with the SIM card hidden insider her mouth, the soldiers found out one of the children was bringing “prohibited items” inside the camp and, as a results, started to thoroughly search everyone that was returning from the market that day. During those searches, the soldiers also did bodily searches, including the face, as well as checking the clothes, pockets and bags, so it was quite impossible to sneak something inside the camp. But the little girls proved to be more cunning than the guards, and those that already passed the soldiers’ checks quickly went to my daughter and secretly took the SIM card from her and passed it around from one girl to another without any of the soldiers noticing anything, until they all managed to pass safely through the security checks and get back to the camp.
I still shudder to think what would have happened to my daughter if the soldiers had found the SIM card hidden in her mouth. Surely, they would have not taken into consideration the fact that she was merely a child, they would have beaten her severely and they would have taken her to prison, where she would have spent Allah knows what amount of time being detained and questioned.
I have to tell you that the whole episode was not without its thrills. While the girls were still being checked and did not manage yet to pass safely through the gates and return to the camp, they heard several shots being fired. All of the girls became extremely frightened, as the soldiers were not letting them pass any further. The guards, all men, closed the gates from both sides, first – the entrance / exit to the camp, and secondly – those from the security area where they conducted the searches, a small, enclosed surface of 15 m by 8 m. The soldiers held the girls captive inside this tiny area, as one of the guards started to scream angrily and to fire shots from his machine gun in the air. It seemed that something made the soldier extremely furious, and he forcefully hit a little boy that was standing close to him, while continuing to shout very loudly and to fire his weapon. The boy started bleeding, the women there entered a state of desperation and panic, as the rest of the soldiers were petrified with fear, as they understood they might be punished as well by their superiors for this incident. Blessed be Allah that one of the soldiers had the courage to call one of their commanders, who ordered that the soldiers let everyone go freely. From what I later heard, the guard that lost his temper, was fired.
However, this was not a singular incident and it was not the only time when the guards proved to be completely inhumane and eager to kill without any remorse any resident of the camp, no matter how young. Simply imagine, my dear readers, a 13 year old teenager being sent to a prison where even the adults had a hard time to endure the harsh conditions, the ill treatment and the horrific abuse, the constant shootings, the beatings, the offenses, the killings… you will surely say, all these are the atrocities of war. But they were, all of them, part of our daily life inside the camp for several years. We have witnessed them, we have seen them, and we have lived them. Yet, they did not manage to destroy us. On the contrary, they have made us so much stronger.
In conclusion, my dear Muslim Sisters, I wish you all to endure and persevere. Do not let the hardships of life bring you down, rise about them all, because it is in these moments of great pain and suffering that our character is being forged and our Faith in Allah is being tested. And Allah will reward those who are strong and keep Believing in Him and his Infinite Grace.
Asira