Background

Iraqi security police

Insurgents are wearing the uniforms of the Iraqi security police. So are the Mahdi Shiites who are doing an ethnic cleansing of the Sunnis in Iraq. The Sunnis and the Shiites are like the Catholics to the Protestants. In Iraq the Sunnis are 15% of the populations. In all of Islam, they are 85% of the population.

***

Abeer Hamza was a 14 year-old Iraqi who had to pass through a checkpoint to get to an orchard she'd attend. One soldier at the checkpoint, Stephen Green, organized a gang-rape, after she smiled at him.

***

Malik was the angel that governed Hell. Not a bad angel, just one who wouldn't let you out if you had fucked up bad on earth. Why Shahra called her that, I've no idea. Not yet. Muslims believe that angels are the messengers of God. Malik was the angel of hell, who was there to tell you, you weren't getting out for what you did in life.

***

The Anti-Christ. A false prophet. In Islamic belief, Jesus would return to defeat him. In Christianity, the Beast with a sign of 666 was the false prophet. Jesus, in his second coming would help defeat them in both Christianity and Islam.

***

Abraham lived in Mecca and built a shrine called the Kaaba, which was in the shape of a cube and its black cornerstone was said to come from Adam.

***

Mohammad had left the polytheistic city of Mecca for Medina where he taught there is but one God. He was having revelations, brought to him by the angel Gabriel, who it is said was the man, Noah. What Gabriel told him, Mohammad related to scribes, since Mohammad, it's believed, couldn't write. What was written were chapters, or surahs, that make up the Koran. They covered every aspect of life except capitalism. In Medina, Mohammad heard that there was a caravan leaving from Damascus for Mecca. He knew that they would stop at the wells at Badr. Mohammad organized a raid on the caravan. The Meccans got wind of his plans and raced to Badr. The caravan from Damascus also heard about the raid and took another route to Mecca. Mohammad beat the Meccans to Badr and filled 2 of the 3 wells and made camp at the 3rd. The Meccan army was twice as large as the Muslims.

***

Scheherazade was a legend of a woman that inspired 1001 Arabian Nights. Stories. Her father, the Caliph to the Shah of Iran, Shahyar, found a virgin a night who he'd bed and behead the next day. Seems his first wife cheated on him and he went nuts, beheaded her, and a virgin a night for 3000 days. The Caliph could find no more virgins and his life was at stake. His daughter came to him and said she'd be his next virgin. She convinced him she would live. She had a plan. Scheherazade had read a thousand books, she knew the Koran by heart, and she'd memorized hundreds of poems.

Her plan was to take her little sister with her the night she presented herself to the Shah. Her sister would ask her to tell her a story before she said goodbye. Her sister would leave before the story was finished. Scheherazade would tell 1001 stories over 1001 nights, never finishing them until the next night when she'd start another. Three kids later, the Shah made her his bride.

***