I DON'T OWN THE BIBLE. BTW, BECAUSE I FORGOT TO CLARIFY IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER, AB MEANS PAPA IN ARABIC.
It was about a week and a half later that everything changed for the Al-Maleki family. The day that it happened started off like any other day. Uzma and Suma had stayed home, done their chores, prepared the meals. Uzma had watched her sister, leaving her alone only for a short period so she could buy the groceries. It was there that she'd gotten a taste of the storm that was coming her way. She was paying for the groceries as she always did on the day of the week. As she was getting ready to make the walk home, she heard a loud commotion. Uzma went over into the city where she got a front row seat to a horrifying sight. A group of angry looking Muslim men were marching through the streets, waving banners and shouting slogans. Uzma watched in horror as they shouted the worst kinds of things that you could say about Christians. They mocked the sacrifice that Christ had made on the cross for everyone's sins. It was deeply traumatizing, if you were a Christian. Or if you were a decent human being, for that matter. For the first hour, it was simply verbal abuse that was being hurled at the Coptic Christians, but all of that changed when one Christian man out of pure anger spat on a Muslim man.
"Why can't you leave us be?" he shouted as over a hundred angry Islamic eyes turned his way.
"You bastard!" one of the men shouted.
"We'll show him." Another said as they all gathered around the man and began to promptly beat the living crap out of him. Once he was broken, bleeding, and near death, he was asked the question.
"Will you admit that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger?" one man asked as the Christina stared at him through a pair of swollen eyes.
"Never!" he shouted with all his strength as he was beaten to death. After this murder, the mob began attacking Christian businesses and looting them of all their valuables. It was horrible and Uzma had to turn away. She couldn't handle seeing any more. As she quickly made her way home, she began to hear the sounds of Christians being torn from their homes, having horrible slurs being tossed at them from the unkindest of mouths, and being beaten in the streets of Cairo. As Uzma ran to her home, she heard men shouting.
"We will turn out the infidels for the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him!" One man shouted as the others cheered. Uzma had always wondered why Muslims said "peace be upon him" after they invoked the name of Muhammad, but she figured that now was most certainly not the time to be questioning religious customs. Finally, after dodging several angry men, Uzma ran into her house and shut the door. There she found a terrified Suma cowering in the corner.
"Oh Uzma!" Suma cried out as she fiercely held her sister. Uzma held her equally as tight. "I was so afraid that they killed you!" she cried as Uzma stroked her hair and shushed her.
"I'm right here Suma." Uzma assured her scared sister. "I would never leave you and Ab, never." As the horrible sounds outside grew even more horrible and even more louder, The Al-Maleki sisters hunkered down and held each other as they prayed their father would make it home safe. Uzma asked Jesus to watch over him so that he wouldn't become another statistic of Islamic violence against Copts. As the sun fell and the moon rose upon a Cairo in turmoil. Uzma and Suma suddenly heard a knock at the door. They cried and prayed as the knocking grew louder. Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal Basil. The girls cried as they ran up to hug their father.
"Oh Ab, we were so afraid." Uzma said as Basil hugged and kissed both his daughters.
"Don't be afraid my darlings, the Lord is with us." Basil replied as he and Uzma comforted Suma. As they huddled together, they the mob was getting bigger and angrier. "We have to leave." Basil finally said. "If we stay here, we will be trapped."
"But father, it is too dangerous." Suma cried.
"We have to risk it." Basil insisted as they began to gather their things. Once they had packed some clothes and other belongings, the Al-Maleki family left their home. At that moment, Uzma prayed to God that he might guide her family, so that they may not be attacked by those that wished to do them harm. As they ducked into an alleyway, they tried to stay quiet. They had to get out of Cairo. It was no longer safe for them there. As they hid, Suma suddenly jumped in fright. Uzma turned to look and she saw that Hosni had joined them.
"Hosni? What are you doing here?" Uzma whispered.
"My home was raided by police." Hosni said. "The news is that two Muslim women were killed and they're blaming it on the Copts." Uzma's heart sank at the sounds of this news. Now, she knew that the Muslims were out for blood. If a Christian died, it was no big news, but if a Muslim died, it was like the world stopped. Meanwhile, the angry mob grew closer and closer and the anti-Christian chants grew louder and louder.
"We have to run." Suma cried.
"There're too close, they'll catch us." Basil argued. "We just have to stay here and pray that they pass us by." Suddenly, Hosni stood up.
"You all have to run, I'll distract them." He said as Suma tried to stop him.
"You can't, they'll kill you!" She cried as Hosni embraced her.
"Suma, you must go! Promise me that you will run." He demanded as Suma sadly agreed. Hosni dashed out and got the mob's attention.
"JESUS CHRIST IS THE LORD! ALLAH IS NOT GOD!" he shouted as the mob turned on him.
"KILL THE CHRISTIAN!" Some men shouted as the mob went for him. Hosni tried to run, but he was surrounded before he could even move one foot. Suma wanted to help him, but Uzma pulled her along as the family began to run as far as they could from the mob of angry men and women. As they ran, tears streamed down both the girls faces as they knew that their lives would never be the same again.
NEXT TIME, THE AL-MALEKIS ARE FORCED TO FLEE EGYPT. REVIEWS NEEDED.
