A lonely young Muslim girl with cerebral palsy writes about her life.
My name is Hayley Aida Al Siddah, and I am 12 years old. As you can probably guess from my last name, I am Arab-American. I was born here in America, but my parents, Ahdaf and Akbar, were both born in Iraq; but they came to America after the first Iraq war, when I was real little. I don't remember much about the first war in Iraq, but there is a war going there now, and it saddens me. Too many innocent people, men, women, children, dying at the hands of insurgents, and also military people from America, England, Italy, and other countries, who are fighting the war on terrorism.
I have two little sisters: Maryam (10), and the "baby" of the family, six-year-old Sama. But they aren't crippled, like I am. I was born this way, and because of it, I can't walk well. I walk with crutches clamped to my elbows, and braces on my legs, and I sometimes use a wheelchair. I was born with something called cerebral palsy, and it affected the way I move. I don't move well, and I sometimes fall down. In fact, I fall down a LOT, but I still try to keep going. I have never known what it is like to walk without crutches or leg braces, hut it does no good to complain about it, so I just shut up and keep on going as best as I can.
I am Muslim; I go to mosque every Friday, after school, for prayer time; and we all go as a family. I read the Koran every day, and I pray to Allah. I really don't see no problem with it, but there are people here who hate us because of what happened on September 11, 2001 (America was attacked by Muslim terrorists, and many people were killed in both New York City and in Washington, D.C., and also in a field in Pennsylvania when a plane went down when some man buried it in the ground, trying to save people's lives from hijackers), and because of it, we are often looked down upon, and people say nasty things about us, or they spit at us or make mean faces. I don't know why people have to act this way; I didn't attack America, and besides, my family aren't the "extreme" kind of Muslims! We believe in peace, and we think that killing innocent people in the name of religion is wrong, wrong, WRONG! When America was attacked on September 11, 2001, I cried, and I was never so scared in my life; I felt so bad for America and her people, and I felt bad for those people who did the attacking! Why they hate America, I have no clue, but I was born here, and I happen to LOVE America, as do my parents! So do my sisters!
It doesn't help that I am crippled because I get teased a lot at school, and there are many days at school when I end up crying by the time I go home; I wish we could move someplace else, but my father got a job at a factory here in Nashville, Tennessee, and so we now live here in Tennessee. We used to live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I miss my friends and my school there. People here are okay, but some are mean, especially the kids, and I don't like being made fun of so much! I wish I had some friends; I hate having to eat my lunch alone in the cafeteria day after day!
I like to read, draw, write stories, watch tv (PAX and also CNN; I watch the news, especially about Iraq, because that's where my parents were from, and I have family there), play with Maryam and Sama, play with my cat, "Hassim", and read the Koran. I also like going to prayer every Friday and seeing my friends there. I have friends at mosque, but I don't have any at school. I wish I had friends at school, and I wish people weren't so mean to me.
Well, I will write more later; I just wanted to let you know a little about me and my life. I will write again. Good-bye for now!
~Hayley Aida Al Siddah, aged 12. :(
P.S.: The picture is of me when I was at a parade on July 4 this year; I was so happy that day!
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Reviewed by Simon Thurlow
11/13/2004
Well done Karen. I like the way you can continually pick up on new subjects/territory to use for your writes. Expertly done as always
Karen, this is a wonderful story. Children know not what they do. Truly excellent. Trish
Reviewed by Judy Lloyd
11/7/2004
I just want to pick this child up and hug her and tell her that she is probably more whole than those that can walk straight. What a sweet little girl. I can say that I am 56.
from the mouths of babes...now only if adults or their parents would listen to the heartache they are causing their young...powerful, poignant write--excellently penned! :)
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Yankee Doodle Daddy is a historical Appalachian Family Saga. The story follows a mother's reckoning as she struggles to survive and keep her four daughters alive.
My name is Hayley Aida Al Siddah, and I am 12 years old. As you can probably guess from my last name, I am Arab-American. I was born here in America, but my parents, Ahdaf and Akbar, were both born in Iraq; but they came to America after the first Iraq war, when I was real little. I don't remember much about the first war in Iraq, but there is a war going there now, and it saddens me. Too many innocent people, men, women, children, dying at the hands of insurgents, and also military people from America, England, Italy, and other countries, who are fighting the war on terrorism.
