Part 6 • Reciting Koranic verses

(Page 5 of 5)

He started by telling me about Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian who was the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. He called Zarqawi his "good friend."

"He's such a good man.... If you met him, you would like him so much," Abu Nour said warmly.

But Zarqawi wasn't the head of the mujahideen any more, Abu Nour told me, he was simply one member of something new: the Mejlis Shura Mujahideen Fil Iraq.

Roughly translated, this was "Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq."

The Americans were constantly saying that the mujahideen in Iraq were led by foreigners, he said. So, the Iraqi insurgents went to Zarqawi and insisted that an Iraqi be put in charge.

Zarqawi agreed, the story went. An Iraqi named Abdullah Rashid was the new head of the council.

"You don't know who is Abdullah Rashid?" said Ink Eyes.

No, I indicated, I didn't.

"I am Abdullah Rashid!" he said. (See related story.)

I sat there in absolute panic. I couldn't even move. This man was telling me he was friends with Zarqawi - someone who personally beheaded hostages! And this guy was Zarqawi's boss? What did this mean?

But as I saw in coming weeks, Zarqawi remained the insurgents' hero, and the most influential member of their council, whatever Nour/Rashid's position. And it seemed to me, based on snatches of conversations, that two cell leaders under him - Abu Rasha and Abu Ahmed - might also be on the council.

At various times, I heard my captors discussing changes in their plans because of directives from the council and Zarqawi, including one in Arabic I only partially understood: something about how my case should be resolved "without money and without killing."

But that night - with the nature of those who held me spelled out for the first time - I lay on my bed motionless in the dark.

"Come, come pray," I heard Ink Eyes, aka Abu Nour, aka Abdullah Rashid, say in the next room.

Someone else recited the call to prayer. They must all be in there, gathered together.

"Allahu Akbar," the mujahideen said.

I couldn't see them, but I knew the identical motions every Sunni Muslim in the world performs in prayer. Now they were standing shoulder to shoulder, hands raised near their faces, palms out.

The wall was like paper. Only a tissue seemed to stand between their devotions to God and me.

"Allahu Akbar," they said, sighing and quietly grunting as they kneeled on the ground.

"Allahu Akbar," they repeated, as they rose from prostration. "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar," they said, with every movement.

I listened, afraid to breathe. I had to cough, but I suppressed it. I thought, "If I cough during their prayer, maybe they'll kill me."

I lay on my back, hands clasped across my stomach. Eventually I dozed off.

Next morning, I woke up in the same position.

That's the way I woke up every morning in that house - frozen in the position I'd assumed after crawling into bed. I was too afraid to move, even in my sleep.

How to help

HOWARD LAFRANCHI/THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR Alan Enwiya is one of nearly 100 journalists and media assistants killed in Iraq since March 2003. Alan (left side of photo) is survived by his wife, Fairuz, his two children, Martin and Mary Ann, and his parents. They have left Iraq and hope to move to the US where they have relatives. Jill Carroll's driver, Adnan Abbas, is a witness to Alan's murder. He, his wife, and their four children (including a newborn) have also fled Iraq for their own safety. In response to readers, the Monitor has established funds to help each family start a new life. Donations may be sent to: The Alan Enwiya Fund c/o The Christian Science Monitor One Norway Street Boston, MA 02115 The Adnan Abbas Fund c/o The Christian Science Monitor One Norway Street Boston, MA 02115 Donations can also be made online.

PART 6 • RECITING KORANIC VERSES    1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Page 5   [ Captor claims to be insurgency chief ]

Next: Part 7 • False hopes