MAYADA, the Daughter of Iraq, by Jean Sasson is a story of torture and pain. The writer has recreated the suffering of a female Iraqi journalist in a heart-wrenching narration. Born in an influential family in Iraq, Mayada Alaskari found herself in the clutches of a brutal regime. It is her courage amid adversity that evokes empathy at every step of the harrowing tale. The writer recounts the dreary moments of Mayada’s torment in an Iraqi cell, where brutalized, tortured and bemused she just sits and watches other prisoners being punished.
Mayada’s demeanor, humility, education and manners, invited Jean’s portrayal of her tale. Mayada came into contact with the author when she was appointed the latter’s translator, but was picked-up by the Iraqi secret service after working for a day for Sasson. Mayada was not given a trial neither did she know the reasons for her captivity. Like many shadow women sharing the cell with her, Mayada could only gain comfort from her cellmates’ stories.
The puzzled anguish of the women in Balladiyat prison makes for great tales of heroism and gallantry. The women comfort each other in ways comparable in courage to the greatest victories in war. No general, however, could claim the courage of these women who spread kindness while awaiting the torture chamber.
Mayada had been a fighter throughout her life. Her father’s early death due to cancer, her family’s post-Ottoman fall from grace, and the murder of her teacher and superior taught her patience and carried her through the ordeal in prison.
The stories told by the inmates in Balladiyat prison, on the other hand, are most fascinating. They tell the tale of a brutish regime, content with massacre and torture of countless innocent civilians.
The book begs the question of where was the world as these events were unfolding. Never desensitized, the lash from every page takes the story to a new level of pain. The book carries the reader through the suffering of people from different walks of life in Iraq. Mayada was an exemplary journalist living a normal life before the secret police of Iraq brought torment to her quiet life.
The book reveals gems of insights into the Iraqi psyche with bold narration of incidents. The most amazing fact being that Mayada had received two writing awards from Saddam Hussein himself. A picture is taken of Mayada, at a safe distance, alongside Saddam. The irony is highlighted when the writer chillingly describes her fall from that seat of honor and revered status to that of a tortured and dehumanized prisoner.
The book keeps the reader in suspense, as the crimes of Mayada Alaskari are never clear. Did she print material not agreeable with the regime? Was it that she pinned the picture of Khomeini on her wall before the Iran-Iraq war? Was it something else?
The prison cell encounters read like a nightmare. Guards are pictured vividly as they enjoy the anguish of their degraded victims. And prisoners are heralded as they display the subtle defiance of resilience.
Some prisoners take refuge in cleanliness, others take comfort by helping others, while some of the most agonized, are comforted by the memories of their children.
It is astonishing how human love can emanate in moments of great strife. Saddam’s regime had deliberately placed the toilet in the direction of the Kaaba, as an insult to every Muslim, but the women faced the Kaaba and prayed after they had taken turns at the toilet.
Mayada had suffered an unhappy marriage, to add to the drudgery of her unfortunate tale. But it is her husband and mother who came through and brought about her conditioned release. Bribed guards then facilitated her flight into Jordan. Fortunes were made in aiding the escape of angry and scared citizens.
Mayada tells the story of Udday’s lions. Saddam’s son brought a few pet lions to the traveling busses to scare fleeing Iraqis. Traitors in his mind, he called his cubs to feast. A bleak picture is drawn of Saddam’s wife Sajidah, as well. Even maids and pets could not escape the torturing hands of Sajidah. The brutality of Sadam’s wife made for long tales in Iraqi jails.
Another brutal picture was drawn for Ali Hassan Almajid, also known as Chemical Ali. Mayada went to interview him during her career as a journalist. Ali took her to an auditorium where he had invited many of the families of prisoners to tell them what had happened to their loved ones. On loud speakers were the sounds of people being tortured as their families sat on the edge of their seats in the hope of knowing what had happened to their loved ones.
Ali was proud of how just he was, for he brought detailed news to the depressed families seated. Would they thank such a monster for making them hear the plight of their loved ones? Is this not better than not knowing where they went?
The puzzle of every Iraqi citizen lay in wondering if Iraq had turned to a big jail under the brutal rule of Saddam Hussein. Should they stay in a constant unrest, knowing fairly well that their wellbeing was susceptible to the capricious rule of Saddam Hussein?
The joy of Mayada at being released from her captors was suppressed by her concern for those left behind. Her last day in prison had been spent at collecting the telephone numbers of fellow cellmates and memorizing them. Most gripping was the story of Mayada trying to call the families of the captives to inform them of their loved ones whereabouts and give information about the guards to be bribed in order to guarantee their release.
These guards did not aid prisoners out of kindness, heroism or gallantry, their acts were attempts to gain wealth. Poor Mayada and others like her had to generate fortunes to secure their safe passage away from Iraq.
At the end Mayada’s real joy came in the aftermath of the tyrant’s fall. The author draws a colorful picture at the end of the book. Alongside her children, Mayada watched the downfall of Sadam on television with great glee. The tumbling of the dictator was a source of great comfort to the family of an Iraqi immigrant in the United States, to Mayada Al-Askari.
The book was mesmerizing cover-to-cover. Readers may not be able to put it down until completion.
