Allah's Fool: A one-act play †

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Allah's Fool: A one-act playPat McGeeverPublished online: 20 Aug 2006.

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ALLAH’S FOOL

A One-Act Play†

Pat McGeever

Setting: Baghdad

Time: present, with flashbacks

A minimal set may be used. At least two sections of the stage can beilluminated separately. A back wall or screen will be used for projectingwords and images.

Characters

SHANDRA RAMADI, late 50s, Iraqi, passionate and excitable, wearstraditional dress and headdress

DR. ALI RAMADI SHINAN, Shandra’s husband, about 60, Iraqi, dig-nified, reserved, wears professional Western dress and glasseswith very thick lenses

BEN DAGLEISH [pron: DOG-leash], about 40, American, smart-mouthed, likeable, can-do kind of guy, dresses in office-casual

CARL [off stage (O.S.) throughout]�

DR. AMY FRIEDMAN, about 40, a military doctor, intense, dedicated,complex, wears hospital scrubs

DR. JUDY LEVINE, about 30, also a military doctor, with a novice’senthusiasm, usually wears hospital scrubs

BBC REPORTER�

NAVAL SEAL�

US MARINE SERGEANT�

†“Allah’s Fool” grew out of a drama project for the Midwest Peace Summit in Indiana-polis in March 2005, with the support of IUPUI Students for Peace in Iraq and theIndianapolis Peace and Justice Center. It was performed at the Phoenix Theatre 20–27August 2005.�These characters can all be played by the same actor.

Socialism and Democracy, Vol.20, No.1, March 2006, pp.57–97

ISSN 0885-4300 print/ISSN 1745-2635 online

DOI: 10.1080=08854300500457282 # 2006 The Research Group on Socialism and Democracy

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Prologue

Lights up. The actors stand downstage in a single row facing the audience.They read the following quotations and authors’ names.

BEN“I’m not going to address the ‘torture’ word.” –Donald Rumsfeld

JUDY“The photographs are us.” –Susan Sontag

REPORTER, etc.“This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bonesinitiation. And we’re going to ruin people’s lives over it? Andwe’re going to hamper our military effort? And then we are goingto really hammer them because they had a good time?” –RushLimbaugh

ALI[Torture is] “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whetherphysical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for suchpurposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or aconfession. . . . No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether astate of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or anyother public emergency, may be invoked as a justification oftorture. “–1984 U.N. Convention Against Torture, signed by theUnited States

AMY“These prisoners, you know they’re not there for traffic violations. Ifthey’re in cellblock 1-A or 1-B, these prisoners, they’re murderers,they’re terrorists, they’re insurgents. Many of them probably haveAmerican blood on their hands, and here we’re so concerned aboutthe treatment of those individuals.” –Sen. James Inhofe, SenateArmed Services Committee

SHANDRA“This is torture’s true purpose: to terrorize – not only the people inGuantanamo’s cages and Syria’s isolation cells but also, and moreimportant, the broader community that hears about these abuses.Torture is a machine designed to break the will to resist – the individ-ual prisoner’s will and the collective will.” –Naomi Klein

58 Socialism and Democracy

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Scene 1

Four chairs in a neat row face the audience. SHANDRA stands behind them.

SHANDRAI was a mere slip of a girl when first I met Ali Ramadi Shinan. He wasnot yet “Doctor Ramadi,” but a student at a university far away. Myfather, may Allah have mercy on his soul, was not about to commithis only daughter to a pre-arranged marriage. He knew me betterthan that! So Ali had to come to our house and meet me, face toface. But of course an unsupervised encounter was utterlyunthinkable.

From behind the second chair from Stage Left, SHANDRA takes alife-sized picture, from head to waist, of a dour-looking man in tra-ditional Arab dress. She places it on the chair, facing front. She sits inthe chair to Stage Left.

SHANDRA (CONT.)My father was his usual dignified and impassive self. But I could barelycontain my excitement as we waited for my prince. I couldn’t wait tofeast my eyes on his noble countenance and bearing!

ALI enters Stage Right. He wears Western dress and thick glasses. Hetakes another picture of a dour-looking man in traditional Arab dressfrom behind the second chair from Stage Right and places it in thechair, facing front. He sits in the chair to Stage Right.

SHANDRA (CONT.)Some prince! Shy, dressed like a foreigner, and glasses thicker than mythumb.

A silence ensues. ALI coughs, blows his nose.

SHANDRA (CONT.)And with the sniffles!

ALI[Clearing his throat, addressing SHANDRA’s father:] Allah’s peace beupon this house. I am Ali Ramadi Shinan. May I introduce my father,Abdullah Ramadi Aziz. It was most gracious of you, sir, to invite usto your home.

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SHANDRA[Leaning forward:] Do you have a cold?

ALI, confused, glances at her father and then his own (neither ofwhom responds), then at SHANDRA:

ALIAh, er, um . . . Did you speak?

SHANDRAYes, I spoke. I asked if you have a cold.

ALISir, may I have permission to speak directly to your daughter?

SHANDRA[In a deep voice:] Permission granted!

ALIOh. Um, yes. Yes, I suppose I do. Usually. That is to say, with thecold and rainy climate at Cambridge, I often have a little catarrh inmy throat . . .

SHANDRASo it’s chronic. What do they give you for it?

ALIThey? [Beat.] Well, you see, we study every imaginable illness, but, asfar as . . . Well, one wouldn’t go to the infirmary for a trifle like this.

SHANDRAYou live alone?

ALIAlone. Yes.

SHANDRAAmong infidels. With no one to give you honey and lemon. I will makeyou some, before you go.

ALIYou are most generous. Generous and somewhat . . . forward.


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SHANDRADo you find that objectionable?

ALIQuite the contrary. I like to see the inner strength of a woman shiningforth. But among Arab women it is not often apparent.

SHANDRAPerhaps because among Arab men it is not often welcome.

ALITouche.

SHANDRAIn your cold, wet university, do you have a specialization?

ALIIndeed I do. It is the human eye, one of the great marvels of all Allah’screation. Do you realize that when a baby is first conceived within awoman, the cells that will eventually make up the eyes are undifferen-tiated from other cells around them? But as the baby grows, theyorganize themselves to make two tiny cameras. They can take in lightfrom the world around them, and shape it to focus on objects nearby,like a mother’s face, or far away, like the stars of the heavens.

SHANDRASo the baby’s eyes are twin miracles, to take in the other miracles ofcreation.

ALIYes! Exactly. Of course, not all eyes are equally powerful. My own, forexample, are terribly near-sighted. They could not quite focus the lightfrom the stars, or even from your face, which at the moment is quitedistant. Today, medical science is able to remedy such problems byplacing additional lenses in front of the . . .

While ALI speaks, SHANDRA rises and walks toward him. ALIrises, his voice trailing off. SHANDRA stands quite close to ALI.

SHANDRAThere. Can you see my face better now?

A long pause.

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ALIMuch better, dear lady. But there is a problem.

SHANDRAWhich is . . . ?

ALIMy glasses are beginning to fog up!

SHANDRAI must confess you are not quite what I expected.

ALIYou were expecting, perhaps, a prince?

SHANDRA[Nods.] Silly of me. I am not a princess.

ALINow there I must disagree. From this day forward, you will always bemy princess.

ALI freezes in place. SHANDRA turns and walks downstage.

SHANDRAI fear we upset our elders that day. But within the year we were manand wife. Ali was always a frail man, but a strong and courageousone. He rose within his profession of optometry to a prominent positionin our nation. He even became an undersecretary in the Ministry ofHealth. We raised a large family and prospered in Allah’s grace. Butthat seems like another world now, before Saddam Hussein and longbefore the Americans.

Lights down.

Scene 2

BENHi. I’m Ben, Ben Dagleish, civilian volunteer with the US ArmyCorps of Engineers. They recruited me to organize the cleanup at


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Ground Zero. When we wrapped up there, I was ready to head to thetropics to soak up some rays. Stupid me, I gave the guys in Washingtonmy cell number.

His cell phone rings.

BEN (CONT.)Ben Dagleish here.

CARL (O.S.)Yo, Ben, it’s me.

BENHey, Carl, how’s it hangin’?

CARLNot bad. Look, the President wants me to tell you how delighted hewas with your work at Ground Zero.

BENReally? The President himself?

CARLAbsolutely. The way you pulled all those volunteers and contractorstogether to shape the place up so quickly was nothing short of amazing.

BENThe spirit there was terrific. Everybody pitched in.

CARLYeah, but everybody pitching in can be a prescription for disaster.You’re the one who made it all happen, and everybody knows it.[Pause.] Which brings me to the purpose of my call. The Presidentneeds you in Baghdad.

BENBaghdad? You gotta be shittin’ me! The troops’re still lightin’ the placeup every night.

CARLBut the minute the shooting’s over, we’re sending in top-echelonpersonnel to begin the reconstruction. Paul Bremer will head up the

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Coalition Provisional Authority, and he’ll have a dozen people underhim with specific portfolios. We want you to be one of them.

BENWhich portfolio?

CARLMinistry of Health. We want you to get the hospitals up and runningagain.

BENHospitals my ass! They’ve all been looted and the doc’s are long gone.

CARLWe’re going to appoint you acting Minister of Health, as a civilian withthe US Army Corps of Engineers, just like at Ground Zero. You’ll makethe decisions, but the Army’ll be there to back them up. Look, Ben, thisis the perfect career move.

BENCareer move? Into the number one hell-hole on God’s earth?

CARLUnderstand this. The President is a man who never forgets a friend.

BENOr an enemy?

CARLYour words, not mine. Look, you pull this one off the way you didGround Zero, and after we get reelected next year, you’ll be in linefor an ambassadorship. [Pause.] Can we count you in, Ben?

BENWell, I sure as hell don’t want to piss off the President.

CARLGood boy.

BENI just wonder where I’m gonna find doctors in Baghdad.

Lights down.


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Scene 3

A doctors’ office at Abu Ghraib Prison, Baghdad. DR. AMY FRIEDMAN sitsat the desk, writing. On the desk is a photo of the Manhattan skyline, includingthe Twin Towers. AMY wears army fatigues, and a gold necklace with a Starof David. DR. JUDY LEVINE enters.

JUDYThank God – air conditioning!

AMYYou Doctor Levine?

JUDYJudy. Baghdad’s a freaking sauna.

AMYI’m Amy Friedman.

JUDYOh yeah, my mentor. [Shakes hands.] Excuse my manners, I’m not realcivil when my shorts are sticking to my butt.

AMYThat’s OK. The heat you can adjust to.

JUDY looks around. She picks up the picture from FRIEDMAN’sdesk.

JUDYYou from New York? [FRIEDMAN nods.] Same here. I’d forgotten whatit looked like with the Twin Towers.

AMY[With surprising vehemence.] I’ll never forget!

There is an awkward pause. JUDY gets close enough to AMY to seeher necklace.

JUDYHoly shit! You wear that all the time?

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AMYWhat?

JUDYThe Star of David.

AMYWhy shouldn’t I?

JUDYYou’re dealing all day with Muslims. I’d say it’s a shade . . .inflammatory?

AMYI’m proud of who I am. If the haji’s don’t like it, that’s their problem.

JUDYI’m also proud of being a Jew, but . . . well, to each her own.

AMYHow’d you end up here, Judy?

JUDYArmy Reserve helped put me through med school, and I took someArabic in undergrad. How about yourself?

AMYI volunteered. Of course I didn’t realize what a hell-hole this was.

JUDYThe heat IS bad . . .

AMY. . . but the hajis’ll kill ya.

JUDYUm, yeah. You know, this used to be a beautiful part of the world.

AMYWhat?

JUDYBabylon was near here, one of the wonders of the ancient world. Somescholars think the Garden of Eden was between the Tigris and Euphrates.


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AMYAnd just look what Saddam’s turned it into now.

JUDYYeah. You know the Iraqi flag?

AMYNot really.

JUDYStripes of red, white and black. Red for sacrifice, white for purity. Blackfor the dark past.

AMYWell, they got that part right. The present’s pretty grim too.

There is a long, loud scream. JUDY jumps.

JUDYOh my god! What was that?

AMYAn interrogation in progress next door.

JUDYAre they torturing him?

AMYWe don’t use the torture word around here. That means the kind ofpain resulting in organ failure or death. That’s not what our guys do.

JUDYWhat do “our guys” do?

AMYThey use professional interrogation techniques.

JUDYAha. But that godawful scream . . .

AMYIf milder techniques don’t work, they can go to C.I.D. [She pauses expec-tantly, then continues.] C.I.D. are cruel, inhuman or degrading treat-ments, that don’t cause organ failure or death. Haven’t you read themanual yet? It’s all spelled out.

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JUDYSomebody just handed it to me five minutes ago.

AMYMake it a priority, doctor. This war is different from what you read inthe textbooks. There are times you’ll listen to the haji’s scream. Youbetter find a way to deal with it. Otherwise you go nuts.

Lights down.

Scene 4

Baghdad, the Ministry of Health. BEN DAGLEISH, carrying a brief case,enters and stands alone.

BENHello! Is this the Ministry of Health? Hello!

A small group of people gathers.

BEN (CONT.)Hi. I’m Ben Dagleish, civilian volunteer with the US Army Corps ofEngineers. I’ve been sent by the Americans.

Long pause. No response.

BEN (CONT.)So, who’s in charge?

Some foot shuffling, but still no response. BEN folds his arms, lets thesilence drag on.

BEN (CONT.)OK, who speaks English? Who’s the most senior person in the room?

The group of people parts, leaving ALI in the middle. ALI stepsforward.

ALII am Doctor Ali Ramadi Shinan. I suppose I am the most senior.

BEN extends his hand. They shake. BEN reaches into his brief case,takes out a document, and hands it to ALI.


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BENNice to meet you, Dr. Ramadi. I’ve been appointed acting head of theMinistry of Health, by the President.

ALIPresident Hussein?

BEN[Flabbergasted:] Saddam Hussein? Why . . . no. I mean President Bush . . .

ALIOf course, Mr. Dagleish. I was merely having a little fun with you.

BENHey, you had me going for a minute, Ali. May I call you Ali?

ALIOf course. You Americans are so informal. Endearingly so.

BENAnd I’m Ben.

They shake hands again, more warmly.

ALIHow may I be of assistance, Ben?

BENGet doctors and nurses back into the hospitals. Bombing must’vedriven them out.

ALIBefore that it was the presidential family. With them gone, I think I maybe able to convince some people to return.

BENTerrific! Presidential family? You mean Saddam’s?

ALIOne time, Uday Hussein tried to commandeer the entire drug supply ofBaghdad Hospital for a party he was having. It was left to me to turnhim down, to his face.

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BENSounds dangerous.

ALIDangerous enough. But I had the advantage of having seniority in theParty.

BENWHAT? You were a member of the Baathist Party?

ALII still am. It was a prerequisite to advancing in any profession.

BENSweet Jesus. If I tell the brass I’m doing business with a Baathist . . .Look, would you be willing to renounce your membership?

ALIThey would kill me.

BENWe’ll protect you.

ALIYes, the omnipotent US military. Which controls every square foot ofthe country.

BENOK, OK. Ali, I need someone with some status. Someone willing to takea risk. Otherwise . . .

ALIOtherwise my people will continue to die without medical attention.Very well, Mr. Dagleish. I shall write a letter resigning my membershipin the party.

They shake hands, and embrace.Lights down.

Scene 5

ALI’s home. Lights up on ALI and SHANDRA.


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SHANDRAYou did WHAT? My dear husband, have you taken leave of yoursenses?

ALII had to, Princess. Otherwise I could not work with the Americans.

SHANDRAThe Americans are the invaders! They are the occupiers! They are notour friends!

ALIMr. Dagleish is my friend. He calls me “Ali.” I call him “Ben.” It is theway with the Americans.

SHANDRAThe Americans are fools! And only Allah knows what a great fool youare.

ALISurely He does. But Allah gives his special protection to fools. That iswhy I survived under Saddam, when so many others perished.

SHANDRALike Walid. I know. I never stop thinking about him.

ALIYour brother is with Allah now.

SHANDRAHe was innocent! The Baathists killed him for no reason. Think whatthey will do to a traitor.

ALIHe was indeed innocent, but proud. Too proud to humble himselfbefore them in prison.

SHANDRAWhat did you do when they put you in prison?

ALII don’t want to talk about that.

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SHANDRAYou never have, all these years. I am tired of being ignorant. Ignorantand afraid.

ALI[Long pause.] It’s all over, now that the Americans are here. It wasmerely a misunderstanding.

SHANDRAA misunderstanding.

ALIThere were rumors of a plot against Uday. Someone must have thoughtI was involved.

SHANDRAWhat did they do to you at Abu Ghraib?

ALIThey asked me questions.

SHANDRAFor two weeks? Who can ask so many questions?

ALIApparently you can. You are my hardest interrogator.

SHANDRAI am your wife! I want to know.

ALIPrincess, there are some things that must remain unsaid. I have learnedthat the price of survival is circumspection.

SHANDRAYou haven’t survived, not yet. The Baathists are everywhere, and theyare armed. As soon as they learn you’ve resigned from the party, theywill come. Here. To our house.

ALIThey have other fish to fry. Policemen. Soldiers. The Americansthemselves.


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SHANDRAThey will kill you if you cooperate with the Americans.

ALIIt is . . . possible.

SHANDRAThen why in the name of Allah are you doing it?

ALIBecause I want the Americans to succeed. Only they can bring peace toour land, and I believe this is what they want to do. But to succeed theymust have help. We must get the hospitals open, or hundreds of ourpeople will die every day. Needlessly.

SHANDRASo, instead, you will die. Needlessly. [Pause.] Don’t think they’ll stopwith you. They will kill me, the children, the grandchildren. They’lltake revenge on your cousins, on everyone connected to you. Theyknow who we are, where we live.

ALIPrincess, I must do what I am doing. But I promise you this. Whatever Ican do to avoid antagonizing the Baathists, I will do. I must walk atightrope between them and the Americans, but I will walk it verycarefully.

SHANDRA[Sighs.] I suppose there is no changing you. [Long pause.] ThisMr. Dagleish, this “Ben.” You really think he can be trusted?

ALIYes, I do. He is an honorable man. Naıve about some things, perhaps,but honorable.

Lights down.

Scene 6

Some weeks later.Abu Ghraib, doctors’ office.

AMY and JUDY are catching up on paper work.

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JUDYWhat’s this? “B.S.C.T.”

AMYThat’s Biscuit. Behavioral Science Consultation Team. It’s usuallyheaded up by one of our psychologists.

JUDYOK, cool. They want info on my patients. What kind of info?

AMYAnything that’ll help them plan interrogations.

JUDYPardon me?

AMYTheir job is to consult with the interrogators.

JUDYWith interrogators! They’re going to tell interrogators what’s in the file?

AMYOf course. You can put in your own recommendations on how toproceed.

JUDYAre you yanking my chain? The only recommendation I’d make tothose sadists is not to proceed at all.

AMYThey’re not sadists. They’re highly trained professionals.

JUDYWell, I’m not helping them.

AMYDoctor, our advice can make things better for everyone. One detaineehad a phobia about dogs. I told Biscuit to just let him see an attackdog on his way in. That’s all it took.

JUDYTime out! That’s confidential patient information. Information you hadas a doctor, a healer.


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AMYInformation is the most important commodity on today’s battlefield.We have to use it to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses when we can.

JUDYEven by torturing him?

AMYWe’ve been over this before. It’s not torture.

JUDYWaterboarding is not torture? Sleep deprivation is not torture? Solitaryconfinement and nudity? That’s not what the Geneva Conventions say.

AMYThe Geneva Conventions don’t apply to these guys; they’re illegalcombatants.

JUDYIllegal combatants? Who says?

AMYOur Commander-in-Chief.

JUDYBush? George W. Bush decides who has rights and who doesn’t?

AMYOur procedures were approved at the White House.

JUDYScrew the procedures. Screw the White House. I signed up to be adoctor.

AMYBut you’re also a soldier. With a duty to help your buddies survive.That means doing whatever it takes to get good intelligence out ofdetainees.

JUDYIntelligence? When you hurt people you don’t get intelligence. Torturea man long enough, he’ll say whatever he thinks you want to hear. Thereal purpose of torture is to break people. Break their spirit.

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AMYYou want to talk about torture? Under Saddam, they poured acidon people’s faces, they cut off hands and feet. Executions were sche-duled every Wednesday. Right out there in the courtyard. EveryWednesday! It’s us against them, Doctor, and you’d better decidewhose side you’re on!

Lights down.

Scene 7

A press conference at the Ministry of Health.

Lights up on a podium. ALI and BEN walk towards it. They areholding hands.

BENLadies and gentlemen of the press, welcome to our first press confer-ence since the Liberation. These are hard times, but here at the Ministryof Health we have been making progress toward a better tomorrow.Most of the hospitals in Baghdad are now open, and our staffingimproves day by day. Much of the credit is due to my colleagueand friend, Dr. Ali Ramadi Shinan. Dr. Ramadi will read a detailedstatement, and then take your questions. Dr. Ramadi.

ALI stands behind the podium, and pantomimes reading a pressrelease. BEN stands off to one side, speaks to the audience.

BEN (CONT.)Now don’t get the wrong idea. About the hand-holding, I mean. In thatpart of the world, it’s accepted that men are more physical in showingfriendship than in the States. And by then, Ali and I were certainlygood friends. [Pause.] The press conference went very well: Alihandled himself superbly in Arabic and in English. But there wasone question we all knew was coming. At the end, a reporter fromthe BBC stood up and asked it.

REPORTERDr. Ramadi, is it true that you are a member of the Baath Party?

ALINo, it is not. I have resigned my membership.


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REPORTERBut have you denounced the party? In public?

ALII have not.

REPORTERWell, this is your opportunity. Would you like to condemn the BaathParty right now?

Silence.

REPORTER (CONT.)Doctor Ramadi?

ALINo, I would not.

REPORTER[Incredulous:] You refuse to repudiate the party that has terrorized thiscountry for a generation? How can you, as a doctor, justify ever being aBaathist?

ALIThat is a very long story. But to make it short, I was simply doingmy job.

BEN throws up his hands in a gesture of despair. He puts an armaround ALI’s shoulders as they walk away from the podium.

ALI (CONT.)I am sorry if I failed you. But had I denounced the party, the revenge onmy family would have been merciless.

BENNo, no, I understand, Ali. I think even Paul Bremer will understand.What they won’t understand is the line about “just doing my job.”

ALIBut that is the truth! I was an optometrist and a deputy minister ofhealth. I stayed away from the cruel side of the party.

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BENI believe you, Ali. But that’s the same statement the Nazis made afterWorld War II.

ALIAh. I see. So to the Western world I sounded . . .

BENLike the guys that ran the death camps.

ALITruly I have failed you. You who have been like a brother to me.

BENWe are brothers, Ali.

ALITomorrow I shall send you my letter of resignation.

BENThe public spotlight can be very cruel; I’m sorry I put you in it.

ALIBen, I wonder if I could presume upon your kindness to ask one finalfavor.

BENAnything, Ali.

ALIOnce I have left office, I wonder if I could continue, as an optometrist.

BENYou still want to grind glasses?

ALII still want to feed my family.

ALI exits.

BENWhen he left, we both had tears in our eyes. [Beat.] Then Paul Bremertook over as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority. On May 16


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he issued his de-Baathification order. All high-level Baathists like Aliwere out, period. So were the lower-level ones, but some of themcould appeal. Essentially Bremer fired the entire civil service. Theyalso sent 400,000 soldiers home – with their guns, of course. That’swhen the Insurgency got legs. Occupations are inherently stupid. Justhow stupid, I didn’t know until I got a visit from one of our own mili-tary doctors.

JUDYAre you aware that prisoners at Abu Ghraib are being tortured?

BENGood God, no.

JUDYYeah, with help from the doctors.

BENDoctors? American doctors?

JUDYThey give confidential patient information to the interrogators. Whenprisoners get injured or killed, they make up phony reports. They . . .

BENLet me stop you before you go any further, Doctor. Abu Ghraib isn’t inmy jurisdiction.

JUDYRight. And the people who do have jurisdiction don’t care.

BENWhat about the Red Cross?

JUDYThey’ve already written the place up, but their reports go straight in thetrash. If the Red Cross goes public, they lose their access to theprisoners.

BENWhat you need is . . .

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JUDYWhat I need is, somebody with some status, who’s willing to take a risk.

BEN[Beat.] And you think that’s me.

JUDYI hope it’s you, because I’m about out of options here. The word is youhave connections in Washington. I need someone to take my researchdirectly to the top.

BENYour research?

JUDYI’ve been digging through the files, making copies.

BENCan I see it?

JUDYCan I trust you not to reveal the source? Special Forces types arealready monitoring my e-mails.

BENOK.

JUDYOK.

JUDY reaches into her briefcase and pulls out a thick file. She hands itto BEN, who puts it on the desk. They begin to page through it.Behind them, images appear on the screen or wall, representing eachcase.

JUDYThis detainee’s hand was oozing pus from being tortured; they refusedto treat it. He was also bleeding from the ear, but the physicianwouldn’t treat it in the clinic.This guy had a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder, extremely painful. At theclinic they told him to keep the shoulder immobilized. But they also toldthe interrogator, and he decided to hang the guy up by the shoulder.


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This one had cuts and burns on his back from an interrogation. Themedic refused to treat him, and told a GI with no training to sew him up.The family found this guy three months after he’d been brought here.He was in a Baghdad hospital, comatose, three skull fractures, a severethumb fracture, and burns on the bottom of his feet. The Americanmedical report said his coma was caused by a heat stroke; nomention of the injuries.Here’s a detainee who was beaten, tied to the top of his cell door, andgagged. He suffocated. The death certificate said he’d died of naturalcauses . . . during his sleep.This was Iraqi Major General Mowhoush. Interrogators pushed hishead into a sleeping bag and sat on his chest. He suffocated too. Asurgeon stated he died of natural causes.�

BENThis isn’t America.

JUDYNo.

BENThis is truly awful. I really wish there were something . . .

JUDYBut you know people in Washington.

BENI wouldn’t know them for long, if I started sending stuff like this.

JUDY[Beat.] Sorry to waste your time, Mr. Dagleish.

JUDY picks up the folder and stands.

BENWait. Leave it.

JUDYYou sure?

�These cases and others were reported in “Abu Ghraib: Its Legacy for Military Medicine,”The Lancet, Vol. 364, No. 9435, 21 August 2004.

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BENI’ll see what I can do.

JUDYYou’re not gonna just deep-six it?

BENNo. This story’s got to get out. Somehow.

JUDY puts the folder back on the desk, shakes BEN’s hand, and exits.Immediately after her, a NAVAL SEAL enters.

SEALGood morning, sir. I’m looking for an Ali Ramadi Shinan. Our infor-mation says he works here.

BENWhat do the SEALS want with Dr. Ramadi?

SEALThat’s confidential.

BENHe doesn’t work here any more.

SEALNo? What’s his home address?

BENThat’s confidential.

SEAL[Awkward pause.] Sir, I have orders to speak with Ramadi. Urgentorders.

BEN[Resting a hand on JUDY’s file:] “Speak” with him in the sense of aninterrogation? Are your orders to arrest him, Lieutenant?

SEALSir, I’m not at liberty . . .


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BENNo, I’m sure you’re not. Nor am I. I’m not at liberty to give you confi-dential information.

SEAL[Pause.] Then good day, sir.

SEAL exits.

BENSure enough, within a week, I get a ringy-dingy from the White House.

BEN answers his cell phone.

CARL[Furious:] Ben, what the hell’s this I hear about you interfering with acommando operation over there?

BENThis Seal barged into my office demanding personal information onone of my most trusted associates . . .

CARLFORMER associate, I think you mean. Ramadi was fired when it cameout he was a Baathist, wasn’t he?

BENNo, he resigned. He’d already left the Baathist Party.

CARLYou mean you didn’t even have the guts to fire him? Jesus, Ben, I’mbeginning to think I was all wrong about you. You knew he was ahigh-level Baathist, with inside information about Saddam. Our guysneed to talk to him, urgently.

BENCarl, they’re wrong about Ramadi. He wasn’t political, at all.

CARLThat’s what they all say, now.

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BENHe’d never hurt anybody.

CARLHe was a personal friend of Saddam Hussein. Ate dinner with hisfamily more than once.

BENLook, I know the man personally.

CARLYeah. You raised some eyebrows back here, with your hand-holding.

BENOh, come on! You know the culture over here!

CARLI don’t give a flying fuck if he was your little Baghdad bitch! We need totalk to him, and you know where he lives. [Beat.] If you don’t give usthe information, we’ll get it elsewhere. It’s your future that’s at stake.I told you, you can write your own ticket if you pull this job off.But if the President starts thinking you’re not really a teamplayer . . . well . . .

BENCan I have some time to . . . ?

CARLYou’ve had it, Ben! Right now or I’m hanging up. Where does Ramadilive?

BEN[Long pause.] OK. It’s on Mohammed Street near the Sunni mosque.There’s an optometrist’s sign out in front.

CARLWelcome back, Ben. Welcome back to the winning team.

BEN hangs up.


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BENAfter I hung up, I tried to call Ali to give him a heads-up. But his phonehad been disconnected.

Scene 8

SHANDRAAllah’s fool. That was my husband. He trusted the American, who dis-missed him when he became inconvenient. He practiced optometry fora while at our home, but after the de-Baathification order our telephonewas disconnected and customers stopped coming. To eat, we had tobeg from family and friends. And every night, we waited for theknock at the door. We thought the Insurgents would come forrevenge. But as it turned out . . .

Loud knocking and searchlights. The NAVAL SEAL reads from aclipboard as SHANDRA and ALI wait in the darkness.

SEALAli Ramadi! Ali Ramadi, come out! You have 10 seconds. [Beat.] Thenwe start shooting.

ALI steps into the searchlight wearing pajamas, and speaks calmly.

ALII am Doctor Ramadi. What do you want?

SEALWe want you, Ramadi.

ALIThere is no God but Allah. Leave my family alone, and I will come withyou.

SEALPut your hands out.

ALIPlease. Our neighbors are watching. Can we dispense with the handcuffs?

Incensed, the SEAL pushes ALI to the ground.

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SEALNo more lip from you, asshole.

ALIWhy are you doing this to me?

The SEAL kicks ALI.

SHANDRAThey broke four of his ribs that night. Then they took him to a detentioncamp in Sadr City, not far from the hospital where he had worked. Hewas in horrible condition when I saw him. We believe he had a heartattack, perhaps more than one. But I was able to visit him every day,and bring him his favorite soups. Slowly, he began to recover. Hetold me they had questioned him about the Insurgency, but of coursehe knew nothing. He was certain they would release him soon. Butone day I came and he was gone. Officially, no one knew where hewas. But I had made friends with one Iraqi guard, and he told meAli had been transferred. “Where?” I asked. His answer made myblood run cold.

Lights up on ALI and a Marine SERGEANT.

SERGEANTWelcome to Abu Ghraib, Ali Baba.

ALIAbu Ghraib. I am in luck.

SERGEANTIn luck? Right! The place they had you before was a five-star hotel. Thisis the real deal.

ALIYou have medical facilities here. I must see a doctor.

SERGEANTYou “must,” huh? Well, now you may have trouble seeing anything.

SERGEANT removes ALI’s glasses, drops them to the floor, andmashes them underfoot. Lights down.


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Scene 9

Abu Ghraib doctors’ office. JUDY LEVINE is sitting and writing. AMYFRIEDMAN enters.

AMYWell, I’m out of here at oh-five hundred hours tomorrow. Direct flightto Germany.

JUDYCongratulations. Will you be getting some time with your family?

AMYI don’t have much family any more. I live alone and my parents diedsome time back.

JUDYWell. Germany should be nice.

AMYCompared to here, anywhere would be nice. [Beat.] Any questionsbefore I go?

JUDYNo, I think I’m all set.

AMYGood, then.

JUDYYeah, good.

A loud yelling Off Stage

SEALMedic! Medic needed, right away!

SEAL enters, dragging ALI, who is unconscious. JUDY confronts theSEAL.

JUDYWhat do you think you’re doing?

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SEALOh no, not you. Where’s Dr. Friedman?

JUDYGet used to it, Lieutenant. She leaves tomorrow.

AMY[Stepping forward into the SEAL’s view:] What’s happening?

SEALAll right! Little Saddam here passed out on us. Need you to wake himup, so we . . .

JUDYLieutenant, I’m on duty this evening. I’ll examine him.

JUDY works on ALI. At length he begins to moan and sits up. Shechecks his vital signs and physical condition.

SEALOK, good enough. I’ll take it from here.

JUDYI’m sorry; this man’s in no condition for further interrogation. He’llhave to go to the clinic in the morning.

SEALI say he’s faking. We were just starting to get somewhere with him,when he hit the deck. We gotta push him, now.

JUDYI said no, Lieutenant.

SEALWhich one of you has rank?

JUDYWe’re both captains.

AMYI have more seniority, Lieutenant.


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SEALOK, I’m asking you. I need to question this sand nigger tonight.

JUDYThis is ridiculous. The man is old and frail and he has fresh contusionson his ribs.

AMYDr. Levine, the officer has a job to finish. This man’s life is obviously notin danger, so we have no business interfering. Proceed, Lieutenant.

The SEAL half-pushes, half-drags ALI away.

SEALThanks, Doc. At least I know whose side you’re on. [Exits.]

JUDYWhy in God’s name did you do that? They’re torturing that old man.

AMYThe Seals are on to you, Judy. They know you’ve been snooping aroundtrying to get them in trouble.

JUDYThanks. I can take care of myself.

AMYYou think so? Seals can become very hostile when someone interfereswith their mission.

JUDYWell, my mission is to take care of my patients.

AMYWe’re not dealing with patients here. We’re dealing with animals. Verycunning animals. The kind who brought the towers down.

JUDYNow you sound like a Nazi.

AMYHow dare you!! The Nazis were murderers.

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JUDYOnly after they convinced themselves that Jews were animals. Verycunning animals. I don’t understand you, Amy. At all.

AMYWhy is it so hard to understand I hate this place? I hate everythingabout it! The heat. The sand. The ugliness. The people. Their vile reli-gion. I hate that I came here at all.

JUDYYou volunteered.

AMY[Pause.] Yeah. To pay them back for September 11.

JUDYYou know the Iraqis had nothing to do with 9-11.

AMYI don’t care! They’re all the same. They’re all terrorists.

JUDYOh, come on, now. You’re an educated person. A doctor. A Jew.

AMYA woman. And the only man I’ve ever loved is dead just because hewent to work the day these rag-heads decided to fly a plane into hisbuilding to make some stupid point about their shitty lives. So fuckthem. Fuck every last one. I had to listen to my husband die, on voice-mail. And someone’s gonna pay. You think I should care if somebodyroughs up a prisoner or two? Please.

JUDYOh my God, Amy. Oh my God. I didn’t know.

AMYI feel nothing for these people. Sometimes I hate them, but usually it’sjust nothing.

AMY exits.Lights down.


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Scene 10

SHANDRAThis time it was several months before I had any word of my husband. Ibegan making the rounds of Baghdad hospitals and morgues, butalways the answer was no. Finally I went to see the American andtold him my story.

BENMrs. Ramadi, this is terrible. I knew de-Baathification was going to berough, but I had no idea something like this could happen. Not to Ali.

SHANDRANo idea.

BENOf course not. [Pause.] Tell you what. Let me make some calls and seewhat I can find. I’ll get back to you.

SHANDRAThank you, Mr. Dagleish.

BENPlease. Call me Ben.

SHANDRAI think not, Mr. Dagleish. I don’t know you well enough, not yet. Butmy husband said you were a man of honor.

BEN[Beat.] I’m going to get to the bottom of this.

BEN exits.

SHANDRAWell, he investigated. He learned that my husband was no longer atAbu Ghraib. But they had no record of where he was. We feared hewas dead. But after several more weeks, Mr. Dagleish called me again.

BENI have news. On the positive side, Ali is alive.

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SHANDRAAllah be praised!

BENBut his condition is touch-and-go. Two skull fractures and he’s in andout of a coma. He keeps having heart attacks.

SHANDRATwo skull fractures?! Who could do such a thing to that poor sweetman? Where is he?

BENSadr City Hospital.

SHANDRAWHAT? His own hospital? Just yesterday they said he was not there.

BENThey had their orders. But I told them to let you in.

SHANDRAI could scarcely believe my eyes when I saw him. He had aged twentyyears. His head bundled in white bandages. No glasses, and his eyessunken into his face. Obviously near death. But when I called hisname, his eyes opened.

ALIAh. My princess.

SHANDRAMy love, my love, what have they done to you?

ALIDo I look so terrible?

SHANDRAHush now, hush. Save your strength.

ALII tried to walk the tightrope. Alas, I have fallen off.

SHANDRATightrope? The Baathists never bothered you. It was all the Americans.


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ALIThey mean well. But . . .

BEN enters, hurrying.

BENOh my god.

SHANDRAHusband, the American is here.

ALI[Excitedly:] Ben, Ben, is it you? Is it you, my brother?

BENHere I am, Ali. I got here as soon as I could. It’s really hectic down at theministry, with all the new . . . But I wanted . . . Ali. Brother. [He takesALI’s hand.] What happened?

SHANDRATell him, husband. Tell him what the Americans did to you.

ALI begins to sit up. Gently, SHANDRA pushes him back down.Determined, ALI waves her off and sits up. As he speaks, hebecomes more agitated.

ALIWhen Saddam sent me to Abu Ghraib, they tormented me everyday. They gave me electric shocks. They held my head under water.They were cruel. But one thing they did not do. They did not breakmy glasses. This the Americans did. They took away my dignity.Casually. Pointlessly. Before asking me the first question.

BENEasy now, Ali.

ALIThey do this to every prisoner every day. They must stop before theytake away the dignity of the entire nation. Stop before they becomethe Baathist Party they wish to eliminate! You have influence, myfriend, you can tell them the truth.

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BENTo them, I’m just an errand boy.

SHANDRAThey made you head of a ministry.

BENThey can make me do whatever they want.

Silence.

SHANDRAWhat did they “make” you do, Mr. Dagleish?

BENAfter you were gone, Ali, they came looking for you. I sent them away.Powerful people called. From Washington. Made terrible threats.Finally, I . . . I gave them your address. I didn’t know what wouldhappen.

SHANDRAPerhaps you thought they would come with gifts.

ALI

They would have found me in any case.

SHANDRAThe honorable man. Your American brother.

ALIEnough. Princess, my throat is parched. Kindly go and get me somewater.

SHANDRABut . . .

ALIPlease.

SHANDRA exits, hurriedly.


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BENAli, what I’ve done is unforgivable.

ALITo the contrary, Ben. I already forgave you, weeks ago.

BENYou knew?

ALIIt was the first thing the interrogators told me.

BENWhy?

ALITo break my spirit.

BENHow could you forgive . . . that?

ALIBen, you and I live at the mercy of men with power. Years ago, whenSaddam’s police imprisoned me, they soon found I was innocent. Butthey wanted names. I knew none. The beatings continued. “Onename,” they said, “and we will stop.” Finally, I blurted out the nameof my wife’s brother, Walid. Why Walid? I do not know. But he wasa relative, and that convinced them. They released me and arrestedWalid. He told them nothing, and the following Wednesday he wasexecuted. I have never been able to tell my wife. Ben, what you didis as nothing.

ALI falls back on the bed, exhausted.

BENAli, that was under torture. I was just . . .

SHANDRA returns with a cup of water. She bends over ALI to giveit to him. ALI does not respond.

SHANDRAHere is the water, drink. . . . What is wrong? . . . Husband!

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BENAli!

SHANDRA feels for a pulse. Pause. Shakes her head.

SHANDRAHe is gone.

BENWait! Let me call a doctor. Maybe . . .

SHANDRA pulls the sheet up over ALI’s face.

SHANDRAI told you: he is gone.

BENWe need a defibrillator. We can try to resuscitate him . . .

SHANDRAPlease. Leave me alone with my husband.

BENI can’t just leave you like this. It wouldn’t be . . . I’ve got to dosomething . . .

SHANDRAYou have already done quite enough. Now please get out of my sight.

BENPlease, Mrs. Ramadi.

SHANDRAMr. Dagleish, you are like the other Americans. You think you comehere with the best of intentions, but your actions say otherwise.There is nothing more for you to do. Please leave us alone. Please go.Now.

Reluctantly, BEN turns and exits.Lights go down briefly. BEN crosses to the other side of the stage.The lights come up again on BEN, who is speaking into his cell phone.


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BENHi, Carl. Guess I missed you. I’m putting two items into the diplomaticpouch tonight; you should get them tomorrow. The first is my resigna-tion, effective immediately. The other’s a report from inside AbuGhraib. The press will also get copies of the report tomorrow. Sorrythings didn’t work out. I just can’t do this any more.

BEN hangs up.

The End

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Documents

Allah's Fool: A one-act play †