Stoning of the Songbirds
Print & pdfBy Anwaar Hussain
The story below has been inspired by the news of a recent stoning of a man and a woman in Northern Pakistan. It is a work of fiction.
The first stone whizzed way above her head missing her exposed torso by a wide margin. She was half buried into a hole dug the previous day. Wrapped in a white shroud with her hands tied to her sides, only her face was uncovered. She was able to see the throng of devout people who would stone her till death. She was hysterical with fear and it showed on her beautiful face.
The next one found its mark. She was struck on her chin. It was a medium sized, sharp stone thrown by the lead mullah, the man who had passed the verdict on them. Pain shot through her body forcing a whimper of agony from her dry lips. With that, she started crying uncontrollably. Crimson drops of blood started to drip on to the white cotton shroud on her chest. “God is great!” shouted the mullah and waved on his followers with a renewed fervor. The crowd reached for the stones lying in heaps in front of them. Collected a day earlier, it was made sure that these would be of just the right size; neither too small as to be ineffective, nor too large as to finish the person with just a few hits. The barrage would start soon.


In the United Vegetative State of America, Anwaar Hussain, a Masters in Defense and Strategic Studies, delivers a comprehensive and unsettling analysis of the dissolution of liberty in America and how an administration of neo-conservatives is using the threat of lost freedoms and increased terrorism as a justification for international aggression and violence.
