arabic → English transcript

My brother's hair was long, thick, and very black.

He was wearing a uniform like the General Security ones on TV.

It was behind me.

There was also a General Security car behind them.

There were so many of them.

There were over thirty or forty of them.

I'm tired, Hayba. We're stopping, my love.

I will be okay for you.

And God willing.

You're our role model here, but it's okay to be weak.

What did they do to you, Hayba?

We were at home.

Our house is in Al-Rah.

They told us the Bedouins entered Al-Rah, so we had to leave the house quickly.

But my father wouldn't let us.

He made me and my brother leave; he wouldn't let us stay with him in the house.

Me and my brother.

My uncle's wife was in labor.

Two.

My brother's wife, Umm Rafif.

Also in labor with two.

We left, planning to go to my grandfather's house in Bakka.

To stay at their place…

That was the obvious thing to do.

But when we got to the Al-Kub turn…

They blocked our way.

So my brother stopped the car to get out and talk to them.

He asked him, "Do you have a weapon?"

We didn't have anything with us.

My brother told him no.

He looked in the car and saw that he had women with him.

He told my brother, "You get out and leave them."

We were listening from inside the car.

But my brother refused.

He locked the car doors

and drove it far away from us.

We didn't get close to them

and we had nothing with us.

We had walked about 20 meters

when they opened fire on us.

The shooting continued.

One by one,

he started shouting, "Allahu Akbar."

And they killed them around Falazil al-Drous.

Then they opened the car doors, one by one.

It was my brother.

My brother was already injured, but only in his arm and back.

So he opened the car door and shot him.

Right in the middle of his head.

He fell on my lap.

He opened the front car door

and shot all the other victims.

And then they left us.

At that point,

I was still...

I pretended to be dead so he wouldn't see me.

They moved away a bit while I was on the ground.

I took out my mobile and called my dad.

I told him, "Come get us, they're after us."

Then I remember ending up in the hospital.

"Thank God you're safe."

May God have mercy on him.

"Your tears are very precious."

"Very."

"But you are our role model, and you are our strength."

"Can you imagine? You saved yourself."

"You know you're the one who saved yourself"

"to get here, to speak the word of truth."

"You have to be the strong one."

"Your voice will be heard far and wide."

"But you have to be the strong one."

My only brother...

May God have mercy on him.

Many young men have left us.

Twenty years old.

May God have mercy on you.

But you are our role model.

My dear.

Do you know how many young men died in their prime?

A hundred.

It's your fate that he is your mind.

Our brother is gone, a brother is gone, and everyone's brother is gone.

We have to be patient and be strong.

And you are our voice.

If you aren't strong and don't get better, our voice won't reach anyone.

Yes.

May God grant you health, my dear.

I'm Sulaf, and I can support you with anything you want.

I'll give my number to Mama.

Don't let anything shake you.

You are going to be strong so you can help us.

So our voice, your voice, your mother's voice, and your brother's voice can be heard.

Agreed?

Okay, may God give you strength, my dear.

They are very dear to me, you know.