An Algerian Son

Prior to the current 'War on Terror' that came upon us as a reaction to the events of September 11, 2001 the Algerian government was fighting its own battle against Islamists.

The battle lines were drawn against a security establishment that, like Turkey, was grounded in secular nationalism and religious Islamists whose political party had won a majority in the elections. The Algerian ruling party, or the National Liberation Front (FLN), which had ruled Algeria since the nation won its independence from France in 1962 was afraid of losing its monopoly over the Algerian state.

The Algerian civil war was a bloody and dirty affair, irrespective of which side one was on ...

The Algerian Son

A wailing Algerian woman,
Stoops over her son.
Her veil shrouds his body,
Another casualty of a religious gun.

The rebels seek shelter,
In the caves of Kabila.
The generals plot and plan,
In fortresses freckled around Algeria.

Endless desert lies between.
Emptiness for sons and lovers to die,
For wives and women to mourn.
To learn another religious lie.

Another casualty of a religious gun,
Arrives before the last burial has begun.

- Imran Ahmed
2001