Miral Page #3

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Hind Husseini knows you are here,

I just spoke with her.

- Please, rest. Have some tea...

- How do you know my name?

It's your school uniform.

You're from Dar El Tifl.

Don't worry. Rest for a moment.

Everything is going to be OK.

My cousin's so ugly.

He's fat. He stinks.

Everything's going to be OK.

But I don't want to go to Egypt.

And he's never said a word to me.

Hadil, Miss Hind is ready to see you.

Don't worry. It will be all right.

Tell me, Hadil.

Do you want to leave the school,

marry your cousin and move to Egypt?

Of course she does.

Look, she's shy.

What do you say, Hadil?

No, I don't, Mama Hind.

I'm sorry.

I'm sure you understand.

I can't force one of my girls

to take such a step against her will.

Thank you, Hadil, you can go.

Miral, I don't have

to marry my ugly cousin!

See, I told you! I told you

Mama Hind would fix everything.

Sit.

The first thing

I want to say is that I love you.

I also loved Hadil.

I don't blame you for what happened.

But I don't want to lose you too.

How do you think I kept this place open?

I'm not going to be here forever.

All of you will replace me.

Any political involvement

is not dangerous only for you,

but for all of us.

Stop this immediately or

I will not be able to keep you here.

I have to deal with the Israelis

every day.

You have to think.

Prudence is the most precious...

You don't understand anything!

If you were me, you would be

out there too! This is our struggle!

Listen, girl!

This school is the difference

between you

and the children in the refugee camp.

This is your chance, Miral.

Don't lose it.

I lost Hadil!

Hadil is gone.

You are here.

Look at me.

Miral.

Look at me.

I'm sorry.

No, this is not right.

We have to continue to coordinate

our efforts with the PLO.

We cannot act independently.

Without unity, we can achieve nothing.

You know, Hani, I agree with you.

As I always did.

But why do we have to wait for orders

from our brothers

who left more than 30 years ago?

We are running the intifada.

The PLO doesn't have a plan

for the intifada.

They don't have

a political leadership for this.

This is our identity as revolutionaries.

With all my respect, OK,

they are on the outside.

We have our own leaders

who are living here!

You make the decision.

It's my duty to share every decision

with the PLO.

This is not a personal choice.

It's my responsibility.

Our responsibility.

I asked a boy once in the camp

if he would like to be a teacher

when he grew up.

He said, "I'd like to grow up first. "

We have to change that.

I feel useless.

Don't you want

to do something more?

You have beautiful eyes.

What is this book you are reading?

This one.

It's called The Elements Rage.

It has some interesting pictures

of natural disasters.

I'll show you this one here.

During a hurricane in Puerto Rico,

a ten foot pine board,

measuring three-by-one inches,

was shot through this royal palm tree.

A tornado taken in Jasper, Minnesota

in July 8, 1927.

- A water spout.

- Wow.

I like it.

I have something for you.

A book about a manmade disaster.

Abu lyad:
Palestinian Without Identity.

It will tell you a lot you need to know.

These settlers living here,

are our real cancer.

They occupy our land.

They compromise any future solution.

They are religious Jews. They think

God has told them to live here.

Any Jew that wants to live in Israel

gets immediate citizenship.

They come from everywhere.

Russia, the US, and they have

more rights than any Palestinian.

The main reason why the soldiers

are in the occupied territories

is to protect them.

They put everyone in danger,

even the soldiers.

A house, a yard,

and two soldiers for every settler.

They want it all...

They want us all to leave.

What they really want

is all of Palestine...

...and without Palestinians.

That is why we must resist.

Until they understand there is

no future for them without one for us.

Wait here, I have to see a friend.

I'll be right back, OK?

Miral!

Listen, I have to take this car.

But Ali can give you a ride home, OK?

I'm going with you.

Fine. But you have to get in the back

- like my passenger, OK?

- OK. OK.

Bye, Ali.

This car is a piece ofjunk.

- Why are we stopping?

- Hang on.

I have to take a look.

Wait a second.

It's dead. Let's go.

Here's your bag.

Identity cards.

What are you doing?

That doesn't make a man of you!

Shut up. Pick up your stuff.

Where are you going?

Bethlehem,

to study with a friend.

You do homework in Bethlehem?

We are studying for our final exams.

What is this?

Just the copies for my classmates.

It all looks the same.

I can't read Arabic.

Can you?

No.

Just take one.

Can I have it back?

He asked me if I'm going to Bethlehem,

so I thought I could do it.

- He asked me questions and he took one.

- Miral.

I'm sorry.

What was I supposed to do? I...

- OK, we'll change the information, OK?

- No. Miral,

now everything has to be changed.

- You should have...

- What's the big deal?

The deal is this is serious.

But, Hani, I just wanted to help, OK?

That's why. No disrespect.

You should have told me.

I pick who goes. No disrespect?

Go to your school. Stay there.

If you have a problem, just remember,

you're 17, you're an Israeli citizen

and you can't be held

for more than 24 hours.

In that 24 hours, you say nothing.

And you'll be safe.

Let's hope they don't have your name.

Come. Better I take you.

Do you still

have copies of that paper?

- No.

- The books I gave you, where are they?

- My father's house.

- You have to get rid of them.

Where do I put them?

What are you doing here? You

come home with me. He is not for you.

She is not for you.

Papa, he's Yasmin's boyfriend.

You think your father is stupid?!

Papa, I met him by coincidence.

I was going back to school...

Do not ever look at me in the eye

and lie to me.

This I will not accept.

- Do you understand who he is?

- He's a good man.

He's a patriot.

We cannot talk about this.

Go to your room.

I have seen this before.

Our family was destroyed by this.

My sister, they put her

into jail for ten years,

then afterwards

they threw her out of the country.

She will never come home again.

She will never see her home.

I don't want this for you.

No violence.

You don't understand anything.

You don't understand anything

because you've been

hiding in the mosque your whole life!

I'm sorry, Papa.

I didn't mean it, Papa, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, Papa.

Police! Open up!

- Can I help you?

- Hello.

We are here for Miral Shahin.

Miral Shahin, does she live here?

- She is my daughter. There must be...

- Call her, please.

- She's asleep. It's very late.

- Sit down.

- Sit down.

- I don't understand.

I am Miral Shahin.

- See, she's all ready.

- Don't worry, Papa. I'll be back soon.

Miral! There

is some misunderstanding.

Please, you cannot take her.

She is a school child!

She is innocent, she knows nothing!

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