Love across the divide

The feeling of asphyxiation immediately greets whoever reads Prisoner of Conscience, because the plurality of conflicts on the minds and in the lives of both Mary -the central female character and the inflicted problems of Isaac, her fellow in numerous troubles is mind boggling. Goodness gracious maybe be an expressed sigh, but the unfolding actions […]

The feeling of asphyxiation immediately greets whoever reads Prisoner of Conscience, because the plurality of conflicts on the minds and in the lives of both Mary -the central female character and the inflicted problems of Isaac, her fellow in numerous troubles is mind boggling. Goodness gracious maybe be an expressed sigh, but the unfolding actions in its unique pace prompts the question, “Will these troubles ever end?”
If ever love was consummated at the most inauspicious juncture and between two families, it definitely is in this work. The encounter of Mary, a Maronite Christian and Isaac, a devout Muslim, leaves readers with flurries of emotions by these characters, who are primarily in the tango and much more convulsion of emotions by the families of both individuals.
 What in the world could be wrong with those who do not understand inter-religious relationships leading to marriages? The answer remains to be arrived at, but the book provides an ample volume to access the intricacies of such highly challenging venture, particularly in a place like Lebanon where the book is set. Happening at the era leading up to the civil war in Lebanon, two families of different faiths contend with a burden from their children, but sadly, their quest to address the discountenanced relationship burst open another aspect that records deaths and losses.
Mary’s struggles with her conscience could not be wished off easily. Her father had died of a heart attack when her attempt to abscond and secretly marry Isaac failed at the Syria border. Her grandmother had died in the US owing to the problem of the civil war back in Lebanon. Sarah Elias, Mary’s mother also passed on due to cancer in the US, leaving her with a wish to marry Chuck, a fiery tempered colleague, whose relentless show of love and passion equals his lack of control to batter and kill if the relationship does not go his way. These are the humongous battles she is left to fight.
Isaac’s troubles are in similar vein. Having first been left to learn lessons in Syrian jail by his father for wanting to perform what in Arab would call “ Gawaaz al –hurfi” – secret marriage; to the ostracism faced in the home by his father and elder brother, Mahmud, to the torture occasioned by Mary’s absence and subsequent emotional cum psychological trauma; to the pangs of hunger and near-desolation occasioned by the Lebanon civil war, one can rightly say, gold may not see much fire as these to be refined and ready for final use.
What began on the celebration of her eighteenth birthday can be akin to the immediate spark of positive and negative charges. In this case however, it was not a first sight love that crashes sooner had it started, but that which, as earlier stated, bred numerous distastes and problems that time alone was a factor in correcting.
Antoine Elias, Mary father’s loved his only child and daughter to bits, same as her mother whose satisfaction at having an only offspring surpasses a house full of fulfilling frivolities. A child dotted over and provided for may not live according to the whims and caprices of her parents for the rest of her life. This was the exact permutations that do not work favourably for the Elias’; despite the endearing atmosphere of love in which their daughter – Mary – experiences nurture. On the other but somewhat similar, Isaac’s parents wishes he only understands the limitations and excesses of wildfire emotions, but as seldom said, “who cares about the world when just the love of one’s only matters”. His heart is made and even if suffering is his ultimate sacrifice, at least he will feel enough has been given to be a punitive measure for causing the death of his lover’s father.
The implication of these associations and reactions from families goes to address a core challenge of Religious Tolerance and Understanding. Although Jamiu Abiola chooses marriage as a resource in treating this serious issue, the impact of religious intolerance has been succinctly described. Readers journey from the domestic front, transcending that juncture onto the civil war which emanated in the factual political history of Lebanon. It is also noteworthy to state, that little spark seems to become infernos if not properly addressed.
Fate is another expressed theme in this work. Despite the almost unending problems and attendant pains occasioned by the repression on every front, both lovers wade through the mire, albeit difficultly to enjoy the hard fought and won rewards of braving the odds. The fact that Love can be mutual in the different Faiths is also established. No faith can be seen as superior to the other because each one affords an equal opportunity to connect with the supersensible, thus creating balance. Support and Resilience also has its part. The Kissinger’s’ and Olga – Mary’s colleague – feature in these roles.
War also has a share in the issues treated. The outbreak of the Lebanese civil in April 1975 and the sufferings which followed are appropriately captured. A message that no one wins or claims victory in a war is very well established. Leading to the didactic aspect, that living in peace can only help people thrive as one indivisible unit. This is a very needful message for everyone, pressing home the importance of humanity. Afterall, all humans precede religion, which unfortunately appears to be the problem of our time.
The author moved from New York to Lebanon; journeying from Syria then later to Egypt; returning to New York and eventually back to Lebanon, one finds an un-mistaking understanding of the settings depicted, capturing the culture, language and general realities of the people and their ways beyond its fictional limitations. A factual fiction may be an apt way to term this evident quality
Jamiu Abiola, a Nigerian who has lived in the US for 13 years and has also made the Arab circles his domain in the course of his years abroad deliberately pitches his characters predominantly in the Middle East, affording readers an immediate appreciation of the peculiarities of that region and its people. This work, first written in Arabic and self translated, is an essential fictional material to address factual concerns and as such qualifies as a material with universal relevance from the rich mind of its singular creator.