Internment Quotes
"I don’t measure time by the old calendar anymore; I don’t look at the date. There is only Then and Now. There is only what we once were and what we have become."
"There is no running or hiding or screaming. I’m frozen. One of the Army guys (are they the Army?) turns and sees me at the window. I drop to the floor."
"There was a man with tongue of wood / Who essayed to sing, / And in truth it was lamentable."
"We can’t live a lie. It’s not only that every person in this town and campus knows who we are—we host the interfaith iftar every year, after all—"
"Thoughts and prayers. God, all the times I’ve heard politicians utter those words."
"The thing is, it’s not like half this country suddenly became Islamophobes because of any single event."
"Praying is important. But you can’t simply pray for what you want. You have to act."
"This isn’t about danger. It’s about fear. People are willing to trade their freedom, even for a false sense of protection."
"Speak the truth while it is still alive, while lips, cracked and bleeding, can still move."
"Despite the sometimes ridiculous production values, the monsters can be terrifying. It’s one of our things."
"Light, easy laughter feels lost. Like a phantom emotion."
"Like we’re on a journey with no map, no compass, and no destination."
"The only way out is through an electric fence."
"This isn’t a concentration camp, and it’s not going to help anyone if you talk like that. It’s too scary."
"We’re like netted fish, struggling to find water, but we don’t realize we’re drowning on dry land."
"Only when you open yourself to the heart’s silence can you hear its roar."
"We may all be Muslims, but we still have our prejudices and racism."
"Sometimes it takes great strength to find that silence."
"In the quiet of night, the heart knows the lies you told to survive."
"If you even knew me at all, you would’ve realized how stupid it was to even ask."
"Layla. Listen to me. Please. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you or hurt you."
"During the trial I think Sophie said, ‘Somebody, after all, had to make a start.’"
"He said something like, all I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with and I can turn the world upside down."
"The lies—your deception—are always with you."
"Remember what your dad said to you about fear when you were in the spelling bee?"
"I’m terrified for you. I’m afraid of what they could do to you."
"I don’t think people on the outside will tolerate this if they know."
"We need to make those people see what is happening on the inside."
"I can’t imagine what the Director will do if he gets wind of this."
"I’m freaked, too. But we won’t be stupid. We’ll plan. We’ll hide in plain sight."
"My heart stops. So far, the only way I’ve been able to see David is with Jake’s assistance."
"I’m sorry about that"—Jake pauses slightly and looks at the Director—"accident, Miss Amin."
"It’s not only me; I have—" Jake stops. Looks down and shakes his head.
"Remember, you’re not alone. There are dustups on the outside."
"Someone, after all, had to make a start. And it might as well be us."
"That’s why the Director wants this place airtight. Information does not get out."
"The whole world is going to know you, or at least your words."
"We can’t be naïve. Naïveté comes at too high a cost."
"God, protect me against them, however you may wish."
"If fear had a sound, it would be the painful, heavy silence in the Mess tonight."
"I don’t care. I know they want to protect me, but they need to remember the prejudice they’ve faced and fought."
"A compass doesn't tell you where you are, and it doesn't tell you where you have to go. It can only point you in a direction. It's up to you to always find your true north."
"If you don't stand up for something, you'll fall for anything."
"We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. May Allah have mercy upon Soheil and grant him the highest place in heaven."
"It’s not like we’re trained to withstand torture."
"Human beings are capable of so many wondrous things, but there’s no limit to the horrible things we do to one another."
"We’ve offered ourselves up in some kind of twisted Abrahamic sacrifice. But no lamb will be offered instead of us. It’s our necks waiting for the ax to fall."
"It's too dangerous for him to do anything really stupid."
"We're not leaving until those gates are opened."
"I wish I could give him the magic hour at Castle Lake."
"I feel them in each step on this dry, cracked dirt."
"I might not know exactly where I go from here, but I'll find my direction."