“Light a candle instead of cursing the darkness.”
Work beckoned, and Phil knew he could not spend all day reliving his memories and getting more depressed by the minute.
Zeina, a colleague, stood facing Phil in the middle of the class as a discussion ensued.
“The burka does keep women safe in their environment. They feel protected and respected; it’s part of their traditional dress. What’s the harm in wearing it?” asked Phil.
“I don’t know the basis for your comments! Wearing a burka shouldn’t be a matter of force. Picture yourself in the hot sun, being shrouded from head to foot with a veil over your eyes to peer through!” Zeina said heatedly. “How can women function in such a restrictive dress code?”
“But you wear this only in public; at home, you’re free to dress in normal clothes, aren’t you?” Phil questioned, repeating what he had heard from another colleague.
“As long as there are no unrelated men about!” Zeina clarified, glaring at Phil. “Is this any way to live in this day and age?”
“Customs and society dictate, Zeina,” Phil justified his approach. “I can understand the discomfort but think about the benefits. For example, look at Eva in class today. She’s wearing shorts and believe me; all the boys have noticed her long, tanned legs.”
He winked at Eva, who gave a thumbs up, while the class broke into laughter.
“Just think how much distraction you’re avoiding for the men,” Phil suggested. “They don’t have to worry about their women and can just concentrate on their jobs.”
“Yes, yes! It’s all about the men. Has anyone thought about women?” Zeina snapped back with her hands on her hips, thoroughly enjoying her feminist stance. “At least we should have a choice!”
The students laughed; they were used to Zeina’s unrelenting battle for women’s rights.
“That’s it! Phil and Zeina; thank you,” interrupted Professor Burton, hopping off from his seat. Though 50 years old, his slim, athletic body could easily pass him off as a student. “You both brought up excellent points.”
After they had taken their seats, the professor stood in the middle and addressed the class. They were all sitting around on the gazebo seats on the lawn, and some students were sitting cross-legged on the ground.
“So, a good diplomat always needs to understand all points of view. You can see an issue from many perspectives, and a diplomat must always keep that in mind. Remember this, there’s your view, then there’s your opponent’s view, and there’s also the right view. Keep your mind open and try to look at your options from all views. Phil and Zeina were given the assignment to argue an issue from opposite viewpoints. That helped them, hopefully, to understand the other’s side. Phil, Zeina, would you like to share any change in your perspectives? Everyone can then join in the discussion.”
“I can understand now why Zeina would like to get rid of the burka. She wants to see more freedom for women. She views the burka and such garments as an instrument for suppression, which is why she focused on this topic,” claimed Phil.
Zeina was from Saudi Arabia and didn’t mind wearing a hijab that most women in her part of the world wore. She preferred to wear a scarf, though she knew of lots of women back home who, even under force, would not get rid of their hijabs and burkas.
“But there are other things that need to improve,” said Ismail. “The burka and hijab are just physical manifestations of customs and traditions. What needs to change is the mindset of the men; their whole way of thinking towards women is wrong, in my opinion. The likes of the Taliban and other religious extremists have got things so wrong and twisted religion to suit themselves!”
“True,” added Phil, “But, critical in the process of any change is the fact that you can’t rush into things. Women still need to respect tradition and cover their hair, if not most of the face, while they become more assertive, starting at home with their menfolk. After all, a mother brings up a son!”
“No, don’t think of it like that,” cautioned Zeina. “We don’t live in the Stone Age; what anyone wears must be their choice. What we need to focus on is the social injustice of women. There must be laws in place that offer a level playing field for all citizens!”
Phil always enjoyed arguing against Zeina and Ismail. Revolutionary, cool Zeina and serious, focused Ismail made a formidable pair; Phil loved to tie them up in the knots created by their impassioned opinions that often weakened their perspectives.
“But…” began Phil, as Professor Burton held up his hand.
“Good discussion, but that’s enough for now,” he interjected emphatically. “Is there anything else?”
Phil raised his hand and asked if the professor had heard about the ambushed United Nations group in Afghanistan.
“Yes, I have, Phil. Nasty business; so unfortunate,” Burton replied, picking up his bag. “I believe no one has claimed the attack so far.”
Seeing the bewildered looks on his students’ faces, the professor fished out a newspaper from his bag.
“What do I constantly stress, people? Read a newspaper daily, preferably first thing in the morning!” Burton could not help adding this advice. “In case anyone hasn’t yet heard about this incident, let me enlighten you. In Afghanistan, someone attacked a United Nations group, which also consisted of doctors and social workers. All members of the team traveling in two vehicles seem to have been killed by a roadside bomb. There’s still no accountability for one young doctor in the group. No one knows what has happened to her.”
“Rebecca Fainey, the young woman who’s missing, is a close friend of mine. Since yesterday, I’ve been going crazy thinking about what she must be going through if she’s still alive!”
Ismail, who was sitting next to Phil proposed: “There must be local efforts going on, but if I were you, I’d talk to Principal Franklin and ask if we can form a group and go search for the missing doctor. Our training here, after all, includes such projects,”
Phil agreed with Ismail and thought it was a brilliant idea.
“That’s a brave thought, Ismail,” praised the professor. “Since no one has talked about any kidnapping and as no one has found her yet, there’s a possibility she might still be at large, trying to hide and stay safe.”
“Yes, I hope so, though there’s a good chance that the group that bombed them could have taken her hostage and are keeping things quiet as they don’t want to be exposed,” claimed Phil.
“That’s possible. Otherwise, there’s a good chance someone would find her,” the professor cautioned . “I believe we need to speak with Doctors without Borders or the United Nations, which would have updated information on the case.”
“But, talking to Mr. Franklin to ask if we can organize a search party wouldn’t be a bad idea,” agreed Phil. Smiling appreciatively at Ismail, he thought, good thinking, Ismail. Ismail has been a constant, reliable help since this ordeal has started. It would be nice to have him with me if I ever go on this search to rescue Rebecca.
“That would seem to be a good idea,” agreed Shambu. “But where would you start looking for someone with no clue about her whereabouts? I can only imagine the horror she must be going through, all alone in that strange land.”
Phil had noticed the mountains yesterday in Eva’s drone flight simulation. They looked so vast, and he could understand how difficult it would be to locate a person there. They had zoomed in on the exact site where the accident had occurred. The area was cordoned off, and he could still see fragmented parts of the cars and other debris. He had tried zooming in, but all he could see were mountains with no sign of life. Phil could discern how close the ambush had been to the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Sometimes, a focus group can do wonders in finding a person. Yes, talk to Principal Franklin. Maybe he’ll have some helpful ideas,” said the professor going down the steps. “I’ll give you time to think about this and dismiss the class, but feel free to reach out to me anytime. And Phil, I’ll research into this some more.”
As the professor and most of the students walked out, Zeina came and sat on the floor of the gazebo opposite Phil, who seemed lost in thought.
“Yes, there are those who can do crazy things out there, but I know there are also people of principle and compassion. I’m sure they would never harm a defenseless young woman,” Zeina said.
Phil nodded at Zeina but glanced at the sea, deep in thought. After a while, he replied, “I guess that’s encouraging, but I can’t stop worrying about Rebecca. Why do they have to be so cruel, especially to people who have come to help them?”
“Phil, I can understand how hard this must be for you. And knowing where some of these terrorists come from, at times, I cannot help but feel guilty for these kind of acts.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t do that, Zeina; you aren’t responsible for the evil actions of madmen! I know you wouldn’t hesitate to fight against any of these elements. That’s why you’re here. That’s why I’m here,” Phil insisted. “I still have nightmares about my mom, and I’ll never know what she went through at the end, but one thing she taught me was to respect my fellow humans and keep my mind open. Rebecca has always been there for me, and now I have to be there for her.”
“Phil, I’m a girl from Saudi Arabia. I’m trained by my mother to fight against her struggles towards the patriarchal society. I know how it is to struggle against cultural myths and fight for what’s right,” declared Zeina. “So many times, in my life, I’ve asked the question, ‘How could they?’ I have fought against my father and his ideas. My husband divorced me because he couldn’t handle my thoughts.”
“That’s a terrible way to live, Zeina,” replied Phil. “Life is hard enough without having to cope with such pressures; at times, I forget how hard it is for people everywhere who don’t have the same rights as we do.”
“You’re fortunate, Phil!” said Zeina. “Let me tell you what my mother says to me when I give up hope. She encourages, ‘It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.’ There are too many wrongs in the world. We, people like you and me who have the aptitude and training for it, need to find solutions to change the world, one step at a time. Don’t tire yourself with the why or how; as Nike says, ‘Just do it.’”
“You’re right, Zeina,” Phil responded. “I think it’s time I asserted myself and began to make those little changes. I’ll start by finding out what happened to my friend!”
“Another thing, Phil,” said Zeina, making sure they were alone. “My father is a high-ranking army officer in Saudi Arabia; he has close connections with people in the area. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Although he understood Principal Franklin’s wisdom, who had asked Phil to have patience until he found a way, Phil was ready to go and search for Rebecca right now. He hated sitting around, feeling helpless, and wished he could do something instead. Worrying about her would not bring her back. It was time to make a move.
Principal Franklin was about 50 years old, and Phil respected him for the leader’s commitment to the kids. Every year he selected the students for the school very carefully, and he knew each of them and their histories. However, he had not quite acceded to Phil’s wishes the day before when Phil and Ismail had gone to his office to speak with him.
“Phil, I understand your enthusiasm to go searching for Rebecca. And yes, it’s well within our reach to do that,” Franklin agreed. “But first, before you go, let’s make some preparations. I’ll inform headquarters we are interested in the case and will be going to help, but only when we have some solid evidence and intelligence regarding this situation.”
“If that’s what you advise, I must agree, Professor,” Phil replied. “I must act fast; I just feel that every minute wasted only puts Rebecca’s life in greater jeopardy.”
“Well, do your homework then and don’t waste time!” he encouraged. “You do everything on your part to find Intel from the area. Use Facebook, friends, contacts, the organizations, Doctors without Borders, and the United Nations; anyone you can think of to get the ball rolling. If there’s information about Ms. Fainey, we should get it. Everyone should know that we’re in hot pursuit!”