Caliphate

Kitznen, Province of Affrankon, 13 Duh'l-Qa'dah,

1530 AH (10 November, 2106)

Petra recited from a children's book Besma had saved:

" . . . I is for Infidel, burning in Hellfire.

"J is for Jew . . . Besma, what's a Jew?"

The Moslem girl shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know. Demons, I guess. I think there aren't any, anymore. Or at least none near here."

"Okay.

"J is for Jew, whom even the rocks hate.

"K is for Kaffir, enslaved in the jihad.

"L is for liar . . ."

Petra suddenly stopped reading. Her face grew very sad. "That's what the man said who took me from my family, that I was enslaved under jihad since my father couldn't pay the tax that allowed us to be dhimmis."

"That's just so wrong. I'm sorry, Petra."

"It's all right. It wasn't your fault."

"Let's start over at the beginning," Besma suggested, thinking to get Petra's mind away from thoughts of jihad and slavery.

The girl thumbed the pages back and started over:

"A is for Americans, devils incarnate . . . Why are the Americans devils, Petra?"

Besma shuddered. "Because they tried to exterminate us."