A Similar Story

This story happened about 1600 years ago, life was simple and people didn’t have to worry about fortune or to disagree about oil.
There was no religion to be blamed or a sector to be followed; there wasn’t a regime which oppressed people for a long time, there was no super power which tried to find a foot place for itself inside that desert, no militias and no foreign fighters.

But there was the human nature, the selfishness and the recklessness, there was the ignorance and the hate, and of course when the fire started; no was able to put the fire out, and as the bloodshed started; it never stopped easily.

It’s the story of a tribe, whose families were living together, supporting each other, and trying to be stronger, yet, the ended weaker, it’s the story of Arabs when they think about revenge and pride rather than life, it’s the story which frighten me as it might happen again and again as long as we don’t learn from our history and we consider wisdom as a type of cowardice.

The war of Al-Basoos is a very famous Arabic story, it’s about two families belong to one Arabic tribe (Ma’ad), the two families; (Bakr and Taghlub) were living together, in the same area, sharing everything and married to each other; in fact they were one family of two names and one origin

As “Wa’el” who later became known as “Kulaib”, was a very strong knight from “Taghlub” and had all the attributes of the leader; they chose him to be their king, he was married to Al-Jalila ; the daughter of “Murra” the head of “Bakr”.

Everything was good and their kingdom became stronger, they were able to fight against Yemen and they didn’t have to pay tributes to another kingdom, while most the Arabic tribes used to do.
However, the king forgot that he was one of them; he insisted on ignoring the others, no one should be compared to him and everyone should obey his commands, the land was his, so as the water and everything.
Away from this life, there were two friends, “Hemmam” the brother of “Al-Jalia” who was married to the sister of the king, and “Salim” the brother of the king who was known as (the womanizer), they were close to each other and they used to enjoy their life drinking heavily and having fun.

One day, the aunt of “Al-Jalila”, whose name “Besoos” became related to that war, was visiting her relatives there, she left her camel, and as he saw that camel in his lands, he killed it by his arrow.
That was an insult to everyone from “Bakr”, yet, they decided not to give it a great importance as the family and the kingdom were priorities, so they compensate the aunt and decided not to make a fuss with the king.

“Jessas” was another brother of “Al-Jalila” who couldn’t tolerate the behavior of the king so he went to talk to him while his brother in law while he was doing his tour away from his land, after being ignored; “Jessas” took his spear and stabbed the king, a stab which changed the life of that tribe forever.
It was a shock for everyone, no one could justify killing the king for a camel, and no one knew what would be the next.
As soon as “Salim” heard about what happened to his brother, he decided to revenge, and to kill everyone belongs to “Bakr” and never stop killing them till he kill them all.

The war started and went on; no one could convince “the womanizer” to stop as he insisted on getting his revenge. He started killing, he killed everyone he could find, he killed his nephews, he killed “Hemmam” the dearest friend, and he killed many others.

Many years went and the war didn’t stop, they killed “Jessas”, so many people thought that; this should be the end of that war, but “Salim” insisted on going on.
Everyone in “Bakr” didn’t know what to do, they just wanted it to end, but their cousins insisted on going on.

Al-Harith Ibn Obad was a strong and wise man who decided to avoid this war since it started, he kept his big family and his followers away from that war as he considered it a shame.

When Bakris became exhausted and after “Jessas” was killed, they went to “Al-Harith” asking him for his help to stop that war, he sent his only son to “Salim” asking him either to stop his war as “Jessas” was killed or to kill his son for his brother and end this war.
Instead of doing so, “Salim” killed the guy saying( you for the belt of the Kulai’s slipper).

After that; there was no place for wisdom, “Al-Harith” couldn’t tolerate losing his son in such horrible way and without any respect. He joined Bakris and kept killing Taghlubis for awhile till he injured “Salim” and took him as prisoner.

This war took 40 years, people were born and grew up while it was going on, the one family never existed anymore and everyone ended with losing one or more of his relatives.
Al-Jalila was the most affected by this war as she lost the man she loved as well as her brothers, furthermore her position as a queen.

While thinking how many “Jalilas” will be in my country, I phoned “Aseen”, my lovely friend who I really admire and miss.

She had her sad story; her Shiit’s relatives who are living in “Dura” were attacked at night by Sunnis insurgents who killed the only son in that family, the other day her Sunni uncle went with that family to the court in “Baya’a” to get the death certificate, while standing near the main entrance of the court, Al-Mahdi army came and kidnapped him, after a week, the family found the corpse thrown somewhere!

Her uncles are shocked now, everyone in her family is in pain.
Isn’t it possible that Al-Mahdi army were revenging for the killed guy the night before?
Isn’t it possible that those Sunni insurgents were trying to kill the members of Al-Mahdi army? Aren’t they going to revenge for that man?
It’s a fact that there are many tyrants like “Kulaib” or desperados like “Jesas” but the disaster happens when we force loose people like Al-Haith to lose their wisdom and that what really frighten me.

Everyday I ask myself, is it the history repeats itself in my country? Will our war take such a long time? Is there anything worthy behind it?

Whenever we stretch our hands to hurt our enemies; we just cut our fingers.

This war will stop, sooner or later it will, but the question is when? Should we wait for 40 years? Isn’t easier to forgive each other now and to stop it soon? Where is our brotherhood? Why should we behave like those who lived in te stone ages? Should I live to face all that sorrow for the rest of my life? Should we keep feeling sorry as we lose the ones we love? Should we keep suffering that pain?

I’m dishearten, I’m sad and I really need to scream, loudly; very loudly, yet, I’m quiet, I feel helpless, I feel lost, I can’t help at all, I can’t do anything worthy, and I can’t just ignore everything, I feel like someone who has to live the death everyday.
I really don’t like to live so.

Waiting to write about another victim, another sorrow and another destroyed family