They will pass by like you don’t exist

They will stereotype you and call you sexist

She will be one of them

Her soul warring within against itself

Or will it?

She was once a butterfly

Who brightly fluttered by

Is she now by ideology busted

Or is her soul rusted?

She once meant the world to you, didn’t she?

Learn to live without her, and feel the time.

And remember, love isn’t a crime.

I understand your pain Akhoya

I too was like you once, and now you are with me.

Let me help you dear friend

Soothe your hurting heart and heal the pain within

Chaotic insanity is upon us

And brotherhood the only solution.

Accept the fact that she is gone forever

Yes Sadiqi, forever….

Forever…

You will never see her again.

I cry for you because

You lie here dead.

This is a poem written by Aslam Mutazir from Lebanon. He wrote it only a few hours ago and immediately mailed it to me on my myspace account. I have been deeply touched by it.

Aslam’s Coptic Christian friend from Aswan in Egypt, Nimrod Aguilar, was madly in love with a Muslim girl called Ayesha Abeedah. He considered her to be the purpose of his living and the meaning of his existence. He was insane about her. He was, however, afraid to declare his flowering love to her on account of their different and conflicting religions and also because she was close friends with a group of people who hated him from the bigoted tendencies arising from their sadistic instint. 

He hung around for hours after college, just so that he could catch a glimpse of her returning from theatre workshop.

To cut a long story short, Nimrod is no more. He died three days ago, shot by a pro-Mobarak sniper in the pro-democracy demonstrations that are rocking Egypt. He never got to confess his love to Ayesha. May you rest in peace friend! I wonder how many millions there are like you in the world, held to ransom by unnecessary religious strife!