Against the Loveless World

Kuwait was once a small village in the Ottoman province of Basra. During the breakup of the Ottoman empire, the British noticed Kuwait’s strategic oil reserves and gave it statehood, reasoning that such a small, new country would be easy to exploit.

When Iraq invades, Nahr initially does not care about the politics of the invasion because the invasion saved her life from her attackers. Additionally, the Kuwaitis treat Palestinians poorly, as they resent the presence of foreigners in their country. The Iraqi soldiers treat the Palestinians better. Nahr’s brother Jehad, however, follows current events closely and does not support Saddam or his incursion into Kuwaiti territory. He points out the human rights violations being committed in Kuwait, and also notes the big-picture problem with Saudi Arabia’s choice to allow American troops to amass on their border: The Middle East, he argues, does not need the presence of more Americans.

The war causes major disruptions to life in Kuwait. The store where Nahr works closes, so she opens up a makeshift salon in Um Buraq’s home. In October, Um Buraq’s two servants flee back to India and Jehad returns home from Amman, where he has been studying Russian before beginning his degree program in Moscow. Not long after his return, rumors of an American invasion begin to circulate with greater frequency. The country is split between those who welcome the advance of the US army and those who resent American meddling in the region. Jehad tries to get Nahr, their mother, and grandmother to flee to Jordan, but they will not go.

Nahr’s friend Sabah is already in Amman and says that it is unpleasant and corrupt. Although the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat supports Saddam and Palestinians are even less welcome in Kuwait than they were before the war, no one foresees the anti-Palestinian crackdown that comes when the Iraqis are driven out of the country. The police come and arrest Jehad. They forge documents purporting to prove that he collaborated with Iraqis during the occupation, in spite of the fact that he was in Amman for all but the last few days of it. They keep Jehad in custody, just because he is Palestinian. Nahr returns home, where their landlord, angry at Yasser Arafat, evicts them. He cites their probable support for Saddam as his justification for the eviction.

With the help of a human rights lawyer, the family secures Jehad’s release. Kuwaiti authorities beat him and he will not speak about his experiences. Nahr approaches Um Buraq for financial assistance, but Um Buraq has no money. The Kuwaiti government is beginning to unfreeze everyone’s bank accounts, but the banks are only allowing small withdrawals, and the lines are long. Um Buraq suggests Nahr approach one of her former customers, the man who impregnated her. He works at a bank, and although he subjects her to a brutal sexual assault, he does give Nahr the balance in her accounts. During the rape, she memorizes his personal identification number (PIN) and steals his bank card. In the days and weeks that follow, Nahr and Um Buraq slowly drain his savings account. Due to Jehad’s treatment in prison and the continuing pressure on Palestinians in Kuwait, the family finally flees to Amman.

On the north wall of Nahr’s cell, there is a set of automated shackles and a toilet. The shackles produce a screeching noise when she is supposed to chain her wrists to the wall, and Israel cites its willingness to decrease the volume as evidence of its interest in human rights. They deny Nahr all visitors except family, although her particular family members have been blacklisted and are not allowed to see her. She was also denied a pencil until she began defacing the walls of her cell with menstrual blood and feces. The toilet, like the shower, operates only intermittently. Flushes are random and, as a result, Nahr’s cell often has a foul odor. She prefers it to the harsh chemical scent of the cleansers that, also intermittently, are released into the cell.

The family initially struggles in Amman. They can afford only a small, one-bedroom apartment. The city feels bleak and hostile. Nahr’s mother and grandmother, who were internally displaced within Palestine’s borders before becoming refugees in Kuwait, adjust more readily to their new home. Nahr, who has never been a refugee and knew only Kuwait, feels adrift. Nahr’s mother gets a job sewing elaborate, traditional wedding gowns, and she suggests that Nahr open her own salon. Nahr finds out that Um Buraq is in prison: One of her neighbors turned her in for collaborating with the Iraqi army.

Most Palestinians in Amman remain glued to media coverage of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. When news breaks that American President Bill Clinton has brokered a peace deal between Palestine and Israel, Jehad is hopeful that they will be able to renew their residency permits—long denied to them by the Israeli government—and return home. He reveals a connection within the Palestinian Liberation Organization who might be able to help him. Shocked that he knows someone in the militant Palestinian rights group, Nahr questions whether or not it is even worth it to return to Palestine. Jehad argues that it is only a matter of time before they will be forced out of Jordan, and they have a right to reside legally in their home country. He is successful in his endeavors, but only for himself and Nahr. Their mother and grandmother, having not had the same kind of documentation as the younger generation, are denied the right to return to Palestine as anything other than visitors.

Jehad and their mother make the first visit to Palestine while Nahr remains home with her grandmother. Palestine is like a different country, her mother observes. Palestinians are treated like unwelcome foreigners, while Jewish men and women from Europe and the United States now hold all of the important positions in business and politics. Palestinians are forced to go through militarized checkpoints through which Jewish citizens pass without stopping.

Jehad shares news of Bilal, an important dissident and brother to Nahr’s husband. He has recently been freed from an Israeli prison and is now tending sheep. Jehad notes quietly that he is still active in the resistance movement: The Oslo Accords, he claims, are mostly for show, and Palestinians are still organizing in hopes of fighting for their freedom. He tells Nahr that he spoke to Bilal about the issue of her divorce and Bilal has been authorized to help facilitate it.