The Foreign Service Journal, April 2012

town yesterday?” “I was minding my own business. And so should you.” Marwan turned and walked back across the street and disappeared into his shop. Ahmed’s eyes followed him. He shook his head and turned back into his store. Marches started to become a regu- lar occurrence, and they steadily grew in size. That made Marwan uncom- fortable. Sometimes they went past without Ahmed. But most of the time, Marwan would spot him in the crowd. Marwan had never been one to watch the news. But he started doing so, and it concerned him. He heard a lot more worrying talk on the street, too. People were getting bolder in their complaints about the regime, it seemed to Marwan. And that couldn’t end well. He also noticed more policemen on the streets. And he heard more ru- mors about arrests and interrogations. But none of that seemed to quell the unrest. There weren’t enough jobs, and people were sick of suffering qui- etly. On his way home from work, Marwan sometimes saw policemen manhandling groups of young men, handcuffing them and throwing them into Fords. Marwan wasn’t sure what for, but it bothered him. Marwan never missed Friday prayers. He wasn’t particularly reli- gious, but he was a man who honored his obligations. The sermons were be- coming more alarming, he thought. The prayers were growing more fer- vent. The general atmosphere was be- coming more electric — and not in a good way, in Marwan’s estimation. On a subsequent Wednesday, three men entered Marwan’s garage. “Get up!” they demanded, as Marwan worked in the pit. Marwan slowly climbed out. “Can I help you?” “Your friend, Ahmed,” they charg- ed. “What do you know about what he’s been doing?” “Well,” answered Marwan, “He runs the shop across the street be- tween 9 and 5. What he does on his own time isn’t my business.” One of the men approached Mar- wan, grabbed him by the throat and shoved him against the wall. “That’s not what I’m talking A P R I L 2 0 1 2 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 45 “They don’t have any more right to rule us than we have to rule them,” Ahmed exclaimed.