Holyhead
Mustapha sat in his caravan watching football on the television when the telephone rang. There was quiet on the line and a tingle ran down his spine, and he knew it was them immediately. Mustapha had been entrusted into the care of Yasser Ahmed`s supporters, in the North West of England, when he first arrived from Iraq. He had never met the people that had been given the responsibility to care for him and his sister, but they had called him many times to check on his safety. They were placed into the care of a small Islamic community where their day-to-day needs were taken care of by surrogate Muslim families. The men that called Mustapha to check on their financial well-being were always very secretive and cautious. When Axe called Mustapha, they were always silent until he spoke a sentence containing the word `Egypt` then they would speak. He knew that his brother was wanted by the authorities in many countries including his own. He could only assume from the secretive behaviour they used, that the Iraqi men that contacted him were also fugitives.
“Just because my brother is a lunatic doesn’t mean that I live in Egypt!” Mustapha said as sarcastically as he could. He hated the way these men, whoever they were, had to use all these cloak and dagger tactics. It was because of Yasser and his antics that he had to leave his family and his friends behind in Iraq. He hated his brother and his followers for the turmoil they had caused him and his sister. He did not share their religious convictions but he did understand them. The Iraqi people had been invaded and conquered many times through history. The armies of modern day Iran, then called Persia, to the east of Iraq were strong, as were the armies of the Turks to the north of the country. The huge Turkish Ottoman Empire which was inspired and sustained by Islamic institutions had taken Iraq under its military umbrella from the 1400`s until the end of the First World War in 1918.
The British Army defeated what was left of the Ottoman Empire and colonized modern Iraq. France took Syria and Lebanon. Under British mandate, Iraqi King Faisal ruled over a smouldering religious time bomb. British rule was hampered by the minority Sunnis who were both influential and well educated but were violently anti-imperialist and believed that they should rule the country. The Shiite majority were equally determined that they would not be ruled by the Sunnis or the British government. Thrown into the mix was the fact that the Kurds who lived in the north of Iraq would not accept either Turkish or Arabian domination.
The British failed to control this religious and cultural nightmare and left the new nation of Iraq to its own devices in 1932. The new nation of Iraq in 1932 does not seem too dissimilar to the one we see today. Mustapha could understand his country`s anger and frustration with the West, especially Britain. What made them think they could achieve by the invasion in 2003, what they had failed to do in 15 years of rule? Mustapha could understand his Muslim brothers’ anger, but he did not agree with their methods.
“You are foolish and flippant, Mustapha Ahmed, and your words will be shared with those that should be told of your behaviour,” the heavy Iraqi accent on the line chastised him.
Mustapha was five years younger than his brother Yasser was. Yasser had smuggled him out of the Middle East by sending him to Ireland, via a container boat from Libya. Oil tankers from Libya had long been used by the Irish Republican Army to smuggle guns and ammunition in to Ireland, to fight the British. The Libyan leaders had sympathy for the Republican Army and supported their struggle with money and arms. Finding Mustapha and Yasmine safe passage out of Iraq had been reasonably simple.
Mustapha hardly knew the man that was his brother, and he resented the fact that he could still dominate his life from the other side of the world. He didn`t even know where his brother was and he didn`t really care. What he did know about him he hated. At school in Iraq his friends often spoke of Yasser and the other men in the local militia, as if they were hero`s. He had seen the video clip, which showed sportsmen being beheaded, by his brother and his affiliates. It had been part of a longer tape that glorified Islamic terrorism and included messages from Osama Bin Laden. It had given him nightmares for years. The Mullah that had arranged the sick viewing made the mistake of assuming that all who watched it would be impressed and given inspiration from it.
The men that Yasser had entrusted with his siblings` education and safekeeping had taken a bizarre social lift within their small community, from the fact that they were asked to do so, by such an infamous man. His brother was infamous for killing people. Mustapha was not impressed by this infamy. As Mustapha grew older in his adopted Islamic community he had become so unruly and troublesome that they had sent him to Wales, to the Island of Anglesey, out of the way. His constant running away and refusal to worship had drawn unwanted attention from the Muslim community so this was the simple answer. Ordinarily the boy would have been disciplined into submission, but no one wanted to beat on the little brother of Yasser Ahmed.
“Your brother has bestowed his glorious presence upon us. He is here on these heathen shores. He requires that you be brought to meet with him, your exile appears to be ending, young Ahmed. You will be picked up tomorrow morning at 5.30am.” The phone went dead.
“What is Yasser doing here in this country? He surely hasn`t just popped over here to say hello,” Mustapha thought as he put down the handset. Mustapha lived near to the town of Holyhead, which is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the north west of Wales. The town is not actually on the island of Anglesey but is instead located on Holy Island, which is connected to Anglesey only by a man made causeway. Holyhead is probably best known for its busy port, which sees more than 2 million passengers pass through each year. Europe`s biggest ferry companies operate from the port sailing to Dublin and Dun Laoghaire in Ireland. The town is the principle link for surface transport between Ireland, Wales and the rest of Europe. The passenger ferries that sail across the Irish Sea were the main source of industry for the island, apart from tourism.
The beaches that surround the island of Anglesey were famous for their breath taking beauty, and they attracted tourists from all over the United Kingdom and Europe. Mustapha had made his home in one of the thousands of holiday caravan sites that peppered the coastline.
He turned off the football and threw the remote control across the room. Now he was annoyed. His greatest passion was Liverpool Football Club, but even watching the remainder of the game on the television would not be able to settle him. He had too many questions going through his mind.
`What was his brother doing here? Why can`t he go and blow something up in Iraq? More to the point why can`t he just go and get blown up himself and do everyone a favour? ` Mustapha thought. Mustapha pulled on his jacket and opened the trailer door. He stepped out onto the grass immediately feeling the sea breeze. He really needed to speak to his girlfriend, Sian. The caravan that he rented overlooked the Porthdafarc beach, and was perched high up on the headland overlooking the stunning sea cliffs that encircled the bay. He looked across the golden semi-circle of sandy beach to the dark cliffs opposite. A huge wave crashed up the rocks foaming white before it returned to the ocean.
The day was overcast and the gloom matched his mood as it started to rain. Mustapha did not know why his brother was here or why he would want to send his followers to pick him up at five thirty, the next morning, but he knew that he wasn’t going to be there when they came for him. He had to speak to Sian, she was at work but he needed to see her. Mustapha pulled up his hood and walked toward the path that would take him to the road. The path hugged the cliff edge and he watched the surf pounding the dark rocks below him as he walked.