Iraqi Refugees in Cairo: Monologues



Mohammed | 31 | 6th of October City (Narrated by Max Ramseyer)

I am your biggest fan. Because I like you, I became a body builder and because you won many championships.

This is what I will say to Arnold Schwarzenegger when I meet him. How will I do this you ask? I practice English every day. Yes, my cousin is better, but I watch American movies with him and practice online. It makes me feel secure. Otherwise, I exercise. Each day I exercise and learn English; I have memorized 77 English words so that I will not need a translator for Arnold. I also watch television. I watch soccer, and I really enjoy American football because of the fighting, the players’ huge bodies like body builders, and the violence of it. Before I was kidnapped, I came in 4th place for the national Iraqi bodybuilding competition. I escaped captivity and we left Iraq before they could find me again.

When I returned, I wasn’t myself. I had so many problems. They hit me repeatedly with the butt of a rifle. Here is the scar. Even when I touch it now, it still feels as if the ceiling is crashing down on my head. Every time I sleep I have the same nightmare. When I sleep, I don’t open my eyes until I’m sure. Until I’m sure the nightmare is not real. Until I hear my cousin making a sound, I do not open.

Because of my condition, my family wasn’t able to deal with me anymore. So my father left me with my cousin in Egypt. They are still here, but pretend not to know me; I know this because I tried to go to their address twice. I felt from their looks that I did not belong. After that, they changed their address.

My cousin and I live with other students in an apartment. We sleep on the floor in the living room. We pay the rent by cleaning and cooking for them. When they’re gone, we try to find jobs or promise the stores we will pay back food. My cousin eats more than me. 

My beliefs? I’m very interested in the Holy Bible—your book. Of course I’m Muslim, but I memorized the whole book. My beliefs belong to the merciful part of the Christian religion. I feel that the U.S. community is more merciful than us. I feel like I belong to such a community as yours because I’m not with the Iraqis, Arabs, or Muslims. I belong to none. I am a zombie. 

Still, I exercise to meet Arnold. I love this sport and want to be as successful as him. It is my goal.

My life as a book, the title would be "People who are Suffering."