Divorce Islamic Style Read Online Free Page B

people surpass the divine will. God is above the people. The professor explained that God is omnipotent and can therefore change even destiny. It’s a possibility to reckon with, but it’s up to us to pass the tests and show that we’re equal to it.
    I’ve always liked this interpretation. To believe in
maktùb
is, above all, an act of faith. Things don’t happen by chance, there’s always a reason. What’s important is to do one’s best and accept one’s responsibilities. I like the concept of fair play in sports: give a hundred percent and accept the final result. This in my opinion is an example of
maktùb
.
     

Issa
     
    I spent a week considering the proposal, weighing the pros and cons. Spying is despicable work. You’ve got to meet a lot of requirements if you’re going to be successful: don’t look people in the face and have betrayal in your heart—as the Neapolitans say. But I’m no fool, I can’t pretend not to notice: Islamic terrorists do exist, they’re not an invention of the media. They’ve already shown the world what they’re capable of; as a calling card the destruction of the Twin Towers was more than sufficient. So in the end I decided to accept.
    I met with the SISMI captain again, again at the court in Palermo. He was pleased with my response. He gave me three days to get ready. It wasn’t hard to invent an excuse to explain my absence: “I’m going to Tunis for work.” My parents said nothing, they’re used to their traveling son. But I had a hard time with Marta, my girlfriend. She wanted to know everything, as usual. She subjected me to her favorite quiz, the five “w”s: where, when, why, who, and what. Obviously she was disappointed by my answers—totally unsatisfied. But what could I tell her? I myself knew very little about the mission, and then, after all, I had to keep my mouth shut.
    Judas and I arrived in Rome in the evening. We settled in an apartment in Via Nazionale. It was a real retreat. A ten-day intensive course. The absolutely first lesson was to use the English word “intelligence,” rather than “espionage.” Words are important, as Nanni Moretti said. I learned a lot of tricks by working on the character I was to play: a young Tunisian immigrant who is moving from Sicily to Rome in search of his fortune. In the meantime we moved to the familiar
tu
without much trouble.
    “So, Tunisian, we have to find you an Arabic name. Do you have any suggestions?”
    “I’d suggest Issa.”
    “Issa? What does that mean?”
    “The equivalent of Jesus for Muslims.”
    “Jesus? The guy with the other cheek? We’re starting well!”
    “I like it.”
    “O.K., I understand. You want to be the good guy and I’m the bad guy, is that it? From now on call me Judas!”
    Judas and Issa, a perfect couple. The devil and the holy water go arm in arm. During the retreat I read a stack of documents about terrorists. We looked at a lot of film clips. What struck me in particular was a documentary about Mohamed Atta, the head of the September 11th terrorists. His will is one obvious proof of his madness; for example he writes that he doesn’t want pregnant women at his funeral. I saw a parade of terrorists, Algerian, Egyptian, Afghan, Pakistani, Iraqi, and others. All ready to sacrifice their youth to get to Paradise. Why in the world are they in such a hurry? Because the reward there is seventy virgins! Wow!
    After a few days I had my residency permit, and so I could start my life as a non-European: I am Issa by name, Kamli by surname, Tunisian by birth and citizenship, unmarried. Luckily they didn’t stick me with a wife and children. It’s not a small point, because Marta is very jealous and, above all, impulsive. She would never give me time to explain to her calmly how things are: she acts impetuously, before I finished she’d hit me. She resolves everything in the end by begging my forgiveness with a wild outburst of tears.
    During the preparatory phase of the