Rohingya: The Sold Dream by Moosa Saley Mumtaz

Author:Moosa Saley, Mumtaz [Moosa Saley, Mumtaz ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tosh Publishing
Published: 2017-11-09T16:00:00+00:00

Diary entry 11

Bon voyage.

The boat arrives and suddenly, I can smell the fear in the air. Many, like Mahi and myself, want to turn back and run home but we are warned that turning back will mean being shot by the armed guards as their target practice.

Mahi looks at me with her big brown eyes as if to say, ‘I told you so.’ I feel like we should all have known that no one does anything for nothing in this sick world we live in. The knot in my tummy tightens and the feeling that something bad is about to happen becomes stronger and stronger. It’s like one of those feelings that drives you insane but you have no idea what it means.

Mahi holds my hand and says that we should pray to our Lord. I close my eyes and begin to pray.

“My Creator, there is none worthy of worship beside You, You have no partners, You alone do I worship and You alone do I beseech. Please help us reach safety.”

And with that, I put my right foot onto the boat first and hold Mahi close. This little girl has entrusted herself to me and I have to keep her safe. I promise myself that I will look after her. She needs me more than anything.

We are packed tightly into the boat – like sardines. Many will not make it. Some, who have the money, pay to be on the boat to escape. The rest of us are destined for whatever the paying smugglers have planned for us. I look around and smile even though my nerves are shot. According to the teachings of our Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), even a smile is a charity. So I look ahead and smile at anyone that looks my way, hoping that the smile will bring them some comfort. With everything that my people have been through, a smile is a luxury.

The people climb aboard in droves and I begin to worry if the boat will manage our collective weight. Mahi wraps her hands around my neck and cheerfully, she sings a song about a little girl who has to be brave because she is growing up. I look down at her and we break out in laughter. I’m glad that she is with me. She is like my little soul sister who always knows what to say.

As the boat begins to move, Mahi gets scared so I tell her to close her eyes and imagine that she is back home. I ask her to picture her family waiting at the door and showing her their new home with a big garden to play in. I tell her to feel her mother’s warm embrace and to remember her scent that she misses while she was away at school and to think of her father sneaking her sweets because fathers always have a trick or two up their sleeves. We think about her home and the puppy she always wanted as

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