Mustapha
In the seventh century AD, the Prophet Muhammad established Islam. He was believed to be the last prophet in the line that included Moses and Abraham. Within a century, Islam had conquered and spread across an area greater than the Roman Empire had been at its height. Now it remains the primary religion of the Middle East and most of North Africa, also spreading into huge parts of Asia. Major groups within Islam include the Sunnis, who constitute about ninety percent of today’s Muslims. Iraq and Iran are the homelands of the Shia Muslims, where it is the majority faith. History tells us that the two groups formed because of disputes about who the next Caliph would be early in the religions formation.
Mustapha was born and raised as a Sunnis Muslim. This meant that because they lived in Iraq, he and his family were in the minority. His brother Yasser had become involved with a small group of Sunnis militia whose primary aim was to protect the Sunnis community from the Shia. Tribal conflicts had raged for centuries, the violence and mistrust had been passed from one generation to the next. Saddam Hussein and his ruling party mostly belonged to the Sunnis Muslims. Any poor policy decisions that favoured Saddam`s own people, and added to their strength and wealth, was met by a backlash from the Shia majority in the streets and towns of Iraq. Small militia groups were set up to protect individual communities from religious sectarian violence. Saddam was a ruthless leader with an appalling human rights record, especially relating to the Kurdish people of the North. The Kurds themselves are the largest population of people on the planet that don’t actually have their own country. The tribal tensions that were part of everyday life in Iraq began to boil over as the threat of an invasion loomed. The British and American forces along with a 50,000 strong army of Iraqi Kurdish militia, invaded on March 20th 2003. Mustapha saw his brother less and less as the young political activist turned into a terrorist psychopath. Yasser`s popularity and fame became legendary in his small community but his antics also angered the Shia militias. Mustapha and his family were in grave danger within 18 months of the invasion. Rule of law had ceased to exist.
Mustapha`s uncle was a schoolteacher before the invasion, but the schools had closed down soon after Baghdad fell. He had gained employment with the coalition armed forces as an interpreter. In the first three years after the invasion of Iraq, over 250 Iraqi interpreters were kidnapped tortured and killed by their own compatriots. When Mustapha`s uncle was found he had had holes drilled into his hands and knees. His legs had been broken and he had acid poured over his face, before he was finally shot in the head. Anyone who collaborated with the invading Western forces could meet a similar fate.
The days in Iraq all seemed so far away now as Mustapha sat in an interview room on the top floor of a police station in Liverpool. He stood up and walked to the window taking in the view of the river. He had been questioned for hours it seemed, his interrogators pressing him for as much information about Yasser and his supporters as they could. He didn’t think he had been much help really. He knew nothing of his brother’s evil plans and even less about his associates.
The door opened and the fat controller, David Bell walked in. He had a suit jacket over his white shirt and his blue tie was loosened at the collar. He carried a thick white file of papers, which he placed onto the table.
“Sit down, Mustapha, please. This will not take long now. We need to put you somewhere safe for the time being. We have a safe house where you will be staying that is not far away from here. You will have two agents with you at all times. There is another thing that I need to ask you. We want your help to bring Yasser and his associates in.” The fat controller took his glasses off and cleaned them with his tie. He didn’t look at Mustapha; he left the question hanging in the air.
“How can I help you to bring him in? I don’t know where he is or what he is planning to do. I don’t agree with his methods but my brother thinks he is fighting a war, Jihad. It is the policies of the American government and its lapdog allies like the British that have caused people like my brother to retaliate. He thinks that he is a freedom fighter, a soldier of god, he is very wrong in what he has chosen to do but you need to understand the reasons why he chooses that path. I may not agree with his actions, all life is precious to me, but I will not help you. I don’t know anything.” Mustapha stood and walked to the window again. A tall wooden sailing ship was moving slowly through the water to his left, making its way to the Albert Docks.
Mustapha thought about what he had been asked to do. He didn’t hold with the use of violence especially when it was directed against innocent civilians. His brother was a lunatic he knew that, but he had his beliefs. It was not that long ago when Muslims from all over the world went to Afghanistan to help the Taliban fight against Soviet invasion. The Western alliances, including Britain and the USA had armed and trained the Muslim Taliban in their struggle against the evil of communism. Now they fought against them.
France and the West had armed and backed Saddam when he fought against Iran, again the table had turned and these so called freedom fighters were now terrorists. One man`s freedom fighter is another man`s terrorist. His brother and people like him would not be eradicated until the causes of Islamic anger at the West’s perceived crusades into Muslim lands were removed. He hated his brother’s actions but he did not want to be involved in betraying him.
“Mustapha we think that Yasser is with your sister Yasmine. She hasn’t been seen for a year now but we think that she is here. I don’t know how she feels about your brother`s campaign but he is a very persuasive man.” The fat controller walked to the window and stood next to Mustapha. He spoke to the reflection in the window.
“I understand that this is difficult for you but we think he is here to kill people. He is in possession of a large amount of Semtex explosive. We know he has been involved in the deaths of at least two men in Ireland, that we are sure of. He is planning something big Mustapha and it will involve the deaths of innocent people who don’t know anything about his Jihad, al-Qaeda, the Mujahidin, the Axe group or anybody else for that matter. Quite frankly most people don’t really give a toss, but that doesn’t mean they need to be blown to bits. Help us stop him, Mustapha, and I give you my word we will try to bring him and your sister in alive.”
Mustapha thought about what the fat man had said. He was right. He was involved in this whether he liked it or not. “Yasser is a lunatic and he must be stopped”, Bell said.
“What do you need me to do?” Mustapha asked with a sigh.