Free Dogstar Rising by Parker Bilal

then filed a civil case against Hilal,’ Sami went on, ‘accusing him of apostasy and of turning his back on Islam to marry a Christian woman. It was not just the end of his career, it was almost the end of his life.’
    ‘Once they smell blood, they go in for the kill,’ Rania concluded.
    ‘It was what you might call a lynching,’ offered Sami. ‘Hilal was a specialist and widely regarded as quite brilliant in the field of Arabic studies.’ His voice trailed away as he went into the kitchen to fetch more beer.
    Makana thought about Meera and her clandestine existence at Blue Ibis Tours. Every day she carried with her the memory of how her husband was made an outcast and how their marriage was condemned publicly. No wonder she wanted to keep her identity secret. It also explained the horror she must have felt on opening those letters for the first time. Naturally she assumed those words were meant for her.
    ‘No one dared stand up for Hilal,’ Sami was saying. ‘He was tried by silent complicity.’
    There was a ring at the door announcing the arrival of their food. A young man in a baseball cap appeared. While Sami paid him, Rania carried it through to the kitchen and unpacked it onto plates. In the old days, Sami would have served it directly from the boxes it came in, but times had changed and plates were now in order. Soon a small feast was arrayed before them on the low table. Roast chicken, kibba and taamiya rissoles, along with a range of salads. For a time the talk was restricted to comments on the food, and the merits of one takeaway service versus another. It was a conversation Sami and Rania appeared to have had before.
    ‘Hilal’s work is very important,’ Rania said, continuing their conversation. ‘He published a book about ten years ago, The Quran and its Context. At the time no one paid much attention, but it argued that any written text is a product of the age in which it is written. So in order to understand the consequences of the Quran fully it has to be studied in relation to society at the time.’
    ‘He was careful,’ Sami interjected. ‘He didn’t dispute the eternal nature of Allah’s word, just the historical setting in which it was interpreted.’
    ‘We still interpret the Quran according to what was written fourteen hundred years ago.’
    ‘Hilal’s point,’ Sami went on, ‘is that he believes we must protect religion from being distorted by those who wish to turn it to their own ideological purposes.’
    ‘And that put him on a collision course with Sheikh Waheed.’
    ‘Exactly,’ they both said in unison. Sami and Rania looked at one another and simultaneously broke into spontaneous laughter.
    ‘We’ve been arguing about this guy for years,’ Sami explained.
    Makana realised how long it had been since he had spent an evening with friends. When he wasn’t working he tended to withdraw from the world into a kind of seclusion, rather like a monk.
    ‘I’m telling you,’ Sami said as they began to clear up the remains of their meal, ‘I love this country as much as anyone, but I am seriously considering leaving.’
    ‘Don’t be silly,’ Rania chastised him. ‘Where would we go?’
    ‘Who knows? Just as long as we don’t have to deal with all this bullshit any more.’
    ‘I never counted you as one who gave up that easily,’ said Makana.
    Sami wagged his head ruefully. ‘I’m telling you, this is not a battle you can win.’
    His wife punched him gently on the arm. ‘He’s right, you’re not the kind to give up.’
    ‘Maybe I’m getting old,’ Sami laughed, but the look in his eye said he wasn’t joking.
    When Makana finally took his leave, it was long past midnight and everyone was beginning to yawn. Sami walked him down to the street to find a taxi.
    ‘You were getting pretty serious there,’ Makana said.
    ‘Well, it gets me down. Sometimes I can’t see anything in this country ever changing.’
    ‘I saw your story on the murders in