THE BIRTH OF A JIHADI

THE BIRTH OF A JIHADI


Mom, where is dad, when will he
Come back home from his journey
To the dreaded land, distant,
Known as Guantanamo Bay?

I don’t remember him but
His picture on the wall says:
He is the bravest of all.
I would one day grow like him.

**

Son, you are right about dad.
He is the bravest of all.
I must tell you, however,
He was not vanquished in fight.

He was a civilian guard,
Who was taken prisoner,
Since he served Saddam Hussein,
The President of Iraq.

**
Mom, why was a President
So hateful of another
That he bombed his country and
Killed him and his people too?


**

Son, US Prez invented,
In his dream, WMD.
He said they were hidden up
In Iraq by our Saddam.

It was a white lie, in fact.
The real reason was this:
US wanted Iraq oil
For dollars and not Euro.


**
Mom, what’s wrong with the dollars?
Why this fondness for Euro?
How can a buyer demand
That goods be sold on his terms?


**

Son, the dollar was falling,
But Euro was going strong.
If Saddam could have his way
Then the dollar would collapse.

The buyer can’t dictate terms.
Bush decided to be smart.
He coined the WMD,
And falsely attacked Iraq.

**

Mom, US is treacherous
A bully and lawbreaker
It’s the real terrorist
And not our Saddam Hussein.

Mom, if liar US has
Dad in Guantanamo Bay
I vow that I’ll avenge him
I’ll become a jihadi.



• Written in 7-7-7-7 format

• Jihadi= A muslim fighting for a cause. He is often viewed as a freedom fighter by the country for whose cause he is fighting, but as a terrorist by others. Muslim jihadis fight in the name of Islam and believe in having a cause wherever they perceive injustice or threat or insult to Islam.

* The research article detailing the Dollar-Euro background as the real reason for the Iraq war can be viewed at "Invalid Entry" 

• Initially written as entry 410574 in the book WAR POETRY "WAR POETRY--award winner" . Posted as independent item on 21 January 2008.


M C Gupta
4 March 2006