Tuesday, September 23, 2008

15-year-old female would-be suicide bomber tells her story


MEMRI

"15-Year-Old Iraqi Would-Be Suicide Bomber Tells Her Story on Iraq TV," from MEMRI, September 22 (thanks to Jeffrey Imm): Interviewer: "Ranya, how old are you?"

Ranya: "I'm 15 years old."

Interviewer: "How long have you been married?"

Ranya: "Nine months."

[...]

Interviewer: "How are you doing financially?"

Ranya: "Very well."

Interviewer: "Are your parents alive or dead?"

Ranya: "My mother is still alive."

Interviewer: "And your father?"

Ranya: "He was kidnapped."

Interviewer: "Who kidnapped him?"

Ranya: "We were told it was the militias in Abu Saida."

Interviewer: "After your father was kidnapped, who provided for the family? You said you have an older brother?"

Ranya: "Yes."

Interviewer: "What is your brother's role in the family?"

Ranya: "He used to provide for us, but then the police took him."

Interviewer: "Do you go to school?"

Ranya: "I dropped out in the fifth grade."

[...]

Interviewer: "Who strapped it on you?"

Ranya: "Umm Fatima."

Interviewer: "Who is this Umm Fatima?"

Ranya: "[My husband] Muhammad said: 'This is my cousin.'"

'After You Drank The Peach Juice And Ate The Bread, You Felt Dizzy?' 'Yes'

Interviewer: "His relatives? It was his cousins who strapped the belt around your waist?"

Ranya: "Yes."

Interviewer: "Did you know where you were going, and what you were going to do?"

Ranya: "No, I left the house with them."

Interviewer: "They were with you?"

Ranya: "Yes, one of them was."

Interviewer: "Where did they tell you to go?"

Ranya: "They didn't tell me. I was with her, then she stayed in the market to do the shopping, and I left."

Interviewer: "This strange thing that they strapped on your waist - you didn't know what it was?"

Ranya: "No, I didn't know."

Interviewer: "You didn't ask them why they were putting the belt on you?"

Ranya: "No, I didn't ask, but before she put it on me, she gave me a can of peach juice and some bread."

[...]

Interviewer: "After you drank the peach juice and ate the bread, you felt dizzy?"

Ranya: "Yes."

Interviewer: "When you were dizzy, could you still see clearly? Could you see people clearly?"

Ranya: "No, I saw double."

Interviewer: "Did your husband know you were putting on the belt?"

Ranya: "He was in the same house, but I don't know whether he knew."

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