8/8/03
Dear Friends,
About our family in the "New Free Iraq"...
My in-laws house is right in front of the Jordanian embassy.
After the huge explosion of the Jordanian embassy yesterday, all the windows in their house were shattered.
We are so grateful that no one of our family was injured.
Today, my youngest sister has finally gave in and told me why my mother, who is so independent, decided to move in with my eldest sister.
As my Mom was sleeping in her bed, on the last night for her in her house, she said she saw the door to her room open slowly .. thinking that it was her 15 -year-old grandson who was with her at the time, she kept looking, but in came the head of a kelashnakov.
Three armed
men have scared the armed guard that my family has out side, broke a
window and got in the house, after
All three armed men were in my mother's bedroom.
My 15 year old nephew woke up and saw the armed men, he got his riffle and stood behind the door to see whether his grandma will be able to handle the situation or will he have to shoot.
A 15-year-old.
My 13 year old nephew ( His brother) pretended that he was asleep.
My mother, being with three armed men, started praying.
They were looking in all closets.
She showed them were she kept her money.
She gave them the 1 million Iraqi dinnars that she had ( $1000 ) in a closet.
They also took my mother's car keys and my father's car keys too.
They could not move my father's car , as it hasn't been used after he passed away tow months ago.
The armed men finally left the house with the money and my mom's car.
We are so
grateful to God who protected her from being raped or killed as well, because
this is the norm in
We are so grateful that they did not harm my nephews nor did they have to shoot.
We are so grateful that my niece was not sleeping at her grandma's, as she usually does.
Since then, my mother fell sick and she is in her bed, can't even go to the rest room.
She feels dizzy all the time and has yet to go to a hospital because of the hospitals condition.
Doctors, who are relatives of ours, came to see her.
They think she is going to be OK.
Before my youngest told about this, she made me promise not to tell anyone.
After the shock I said; please allow me to share this, people here have to know what the Iraqis are going through.
She said "OK, but don't tell Mom or "our eldest sister" that I told you. They did not want you to worry".
I said OK.
My mom of 68 has never harmed anyone in her life.
She is a devoted mother and a scientist who worked on "human tissue", during the 80's.
She made
the first lab for testing tissues, in
A lab for tests which are required for organ transplantation.
They named the lab after her when she retired.
I hung up with my sister and called Mom.
I talked to her, as If I didn't know.
Aching to hold her in my arms, to tell I know that she's been violated.
That she does not need to keep a courageous face for me...
That it's ok , we can cry together for her being robbed of every sense of security, and for our homeland gone so cheap.
But I promised that I wouldn't.
So I just kept on listening to her gentle voice, saying that they are OK.
Crying without letting her feel it.
Trying to keep a courageous face just like she is doing for me.
In peace.
Yasmin