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11/05/2009, 12:55 PM
Who is the donkey?
By :Dr. Mohsen Saffar
Translated by : Karima Maash
Abu Ahmed, a poor working man, a porter of agricultural harvest. He earns his daily living, with the help of his donkey, transporting the crops from the village to the market.
He does not have a family because he could not afford to get married and all his relatives passed away.
Gradually, his donkey became over the time, everything in his life: “his colleague, he is companion and he does not imagine his life without it”!!
Abu Ahmed entered the humble Hopper Hut made of tin after he tied his donkey to the post. In this horrid summer heat, he sat in the scorching temperature of the hut to rest a little before going back to work. He looked through the crack, which is supposed to be a window to the towers and luxury skyscrapers on the horizon and sighed pitying himself for his bad luck, which did not give him anything in his life. Not even the house to lodge him in his old age.
- Hi .. Hello .. Hello
Abu Ahmed was surprised to hear the voice of foreign woman calling behind the piece of cloth, which is supposed to be the door! Did not believe his ears, he thought he was hallucinating because of the heat. So he listened carefully this time.
- Hi .. Hello .. Hello?
Abu Ahmed, rushed out and saw this stylish, beautiful, foreign lady accompanied by a translator and a journalist who was taking pictures of everything, getting-off the car.
The translator asked:
- Are you Abu Ahmed?
- Yes, I am. Can I help you Sir?
- This is Mrs. Jacqueline She represent a humanitarian organization.
- Oh hello! It’s a pleasure meeting you. Please forgive me for not inviting you inside. I am afraid the place is not to your standards.
-
- No it’s OK! We are coming to talk to you and we are going soon!
Abu Ahmed’s mind started to work quickly! God Abu Ahmed it seems to be that the mercy has now been granted to you by humanitarian organizations to take you from the misery where you are now.
“O Lord is great”!
The interpreter interrupted his thought and said:
-For some time now, we have carefully studying the situation in this region to allocate who is in need of a helping hand and support.
- May God bless you, protect you and everyone dear to your heart and give you happiness in your life.
- After a long and “in-depth” study of cases, we have chosen you
- thank you, Lord! Million thank you.
- The Association has decided to provide you with a shelter..
Abu Ahmed interrupted him and started hugging and kissing the translator who was trying to get rid of him:
- I swear to God that you are the best people and the nicest people. Seriously only Europeans and Americans are good hearted. Our own people no one cares about the poor. They live in villas and towers and we live in the slums, ruins, and cemeteries.
And when they decide to do something good, they donate their money to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in America! As if we didn’t have anyone in need in this country. Anyway, thank to God the mercy has come from you.
- Can I carry on what I was saying, please!
- But I hope with God’s will it’s a house and not an apartment because I can’t abandon my donkey. It is my companion and we have been together for very long time sharing the good and the bad throughout these years.
- This is what I want to get to.
- What do you mean? Abu Ahmed.
- Means that the humanitarian organization that Madam represents is for animals rights.
- I still did not understand.
-We have noticed that you are tying your donkey under the sun without anything to protect him from it.
-So?
-Because of that they decided to build a shelter for the donkey from the sun and the cold.
-How about me?
-what about you?
- “ Where should I go? Haven’t you seen the ruin where I live: It doesn’t have a door, a window, not even a roof”!
- This is not our problem, not even our field! We only care about animal rights. We don’t have anything to do with humans!!
Abu Ahmed, was stunned and shocked and said:
- You are worried about the Well-being of the donkey. This delegation, the press and a translator!
And you are not concerned about me the human-being who own it? Meaning that in our lives we did not even equal the donkeys ?
Abu Ahmed turned around and found the foreign lady taking a picture with the donkey and then got inside the car and left.
Abu Ahmed returned back to his hut disappointed. He put on his Jelabya(1). Then, he went out again, untied his donkey, and said:” Go donkey, or do you prefer me to call you Sir?” I don’t know anymore who is the donkey, me or you?
* With apologies to all the poor in the Arab world, the great
.................................................. ..........
(1)The traditional long dress worn in the Middle-east by both men and women, usually for men it’s white, brown or grey colour)
By :Dr. Mohsen Saffar
Translated by : Karima Maash
Abu Ahmed, a poor working man, a porter of agricultural harvest. He earns his daily living, with the help of his donkey, transporting the crops from the village to the market.
He does not have a family because he could not afford to get married and all his relatives passed away.
Gradually, his donkey became over the time, everything in his life: “his colleague, he is companion and he does not imagine his life without it”!!
Abu Ahmed entered the humble Hopper Hut made of tin after he tied his donkey to the post. In this horrid summer heat, he sat in the scorching temperature of the hut to rest a little before going back to work. He looked through the crack, which is supposed to be a window to the towers and luxury skyscrapers on the horizon and sighed pitying himself for his bad luck, which did not give him anything in his life. Not even the house to lodge him in his old age.
- Hi .. Hello .. Hello
Abu Ahmed was surprised to hear the voice of foreign woman calling behind the piece of cloth, which is supposed to be the door! Did not believe his ears, he thought he was hallucinating because of the heat. So he listened carefully this time.
- Hi .. Hello .. Hello?
Abu Ahmed, rushed out and saw this stylish, beautiful, foreign lady accompanied by a translator and a journalist who was taking pictures of everything, getting-off the car.
The translator asked:
- Are you Abu Ahmed?
- Yes, I am. Can I help you Sir?
- This is Mrs. Jacqueline She represent a humanitarian organization.
- Oh hello! It’s a pleasure meeting you. Please forgive me for not inviting you inside. I am afraid the place is not to your standards.
-
- No it’s OK! We are coming to talk to you and we are going soon!
Abu Ahmed’s mind started to work quickly! God Abu Ahmed it seems to be that the mercy has now been granted to you by humanitarian organizations to take you from the misery where you are now.
“O Lord is great”!
The interpreter interrupted his thought and said:
-For some time now, we have carefully studying the situation in this region to allocate who is in need of a helping hand and support.
- May God bless you, protect you and everyone dear to your heart and give you happiness in your life.
- After a long and “in-depth” study of cases, we have chosen you
- thank you, Lord! Million thank you.
- The Association has decided to provide you with a shelter..
Abu Ahmed interrupted him and started hugging and kissing the translator who was trying to get rid of him:
- I swear to God that you are the best people and the nicest people. Seriously only Europeans and Americans are good hearted. Our own people no one cares about the poor. They live in villas and towers and we live in the slums, ruins, and cemeteries.
And when they decide to do something good, they donate their money to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in America! As if we didn’t have anyone in need in this country. Anyway, thank to God the mercy has come from you.
- Can I carry on what I was saying, please!
- But I hope with God’s will it’s a house and not an apartment because I can’t abandon my donkey. It is my companion and we have been together for very long time sharing the good and the bad throughout these years.
- This is what I want to get to.
- What do you mean? Abu Ahmed.
- Means that the humanitarian organization that Madam represents is for animals rights.
- I still did not understand.
-We have noticed that you are tying your donkey under the sun without anything to protect him from it.
-So?
-Because of that they decided to build a shelter for the donkey from the sun and the cold.
-How about me?
-what about you?
- “ Where should I go? Haven’t you seen the ruin where I live: It doesn’t have a door, a window, not even a roof”!
- This is not our problem, not even our field! We only care about animal rights. We don’t have anything to do with humans!!
Abu Ahmed, was stunned and shocked and said:
- You are worried about the Well-being of the donkey. This delegation, the press and a translator!
And you are not concerned about me the human-being who own it? Meaning that in our lives we did not even equal the donkeys ?
Abu Ahmed turned around and found the foreign lady taking a picture with the donkey and then got inside the car and left.
Abu Ahmed returned back to his hut disappointed. He put on his Jelabya(1). Then, he went out again, untied his donkey, and said:” Go donkey, or do you prefer me to call you Sir?” I don’t know anymore who is the donkey, me or you?
* With apologies to all the poor in the Arab world, the great
.................................................. ..........
(1)The traditional long dress worn in the Middle-east by both men and women, usually for men it’s white, brown or grey colour)