The Last Girl: My Story Of Captivity, And My Fight Against The Islamic State Quotes
"Nadia Murad is not just my client, she is my friend."
"Nadia herself was traded from one ISIS fighter to another."
"Genocide doesn’t happen by accident. You have to plan it."
"Yazidis have been persecuted for centuries because of our religious beliefs."
"Yazidism is an ancient monotheistic religion, spread orally by holy men."
"Before 2014, outside powers had tried to destroy us seventy-three times."
"All I knew during that time was that it was ordinary Iraqis who suffered the most under the sanctions."
"I loved my village so much that when I was a child, my favorite game involved creating a miniature Kocho."
"I grew up attached to my home and never imagined living anywhere else."
"We measured our lives by harvests and by Yazidi holidays."
"Yazidis believe that before God made man, he created seven divine beings."
"The reality of Iraq is harder to illustrate and can be overwhelming even for people who were born here."
"The war dragged on for much longer than anyone expected it to."
"I felt terrible about him leaving; I couldn’t imagine home without any of my brothers."
"Mothers held on to their older children, refusing to let them go."
"Rituals, like baptism, are performed only when the family has enough money or time to make the trip."
"Even being a good student, or kind to your spouse, is an act equal to prayer."
"When I died, I knew my sister-of-the-hereafter would have to defend me."
"The sky reminded me of an ancient Arabian love story my mother used to tell us called 'Layla and Majnun.'"
"I thought about being taken by Salwan, how strong he looked and how easily he could crush me with his bare hands."
"Every second with ISIS was part of a slow, painful death—of the body and the soul."
"I hoped he could forgive me first—for defying my mother by saving the bridal photos, for losing faith and throwing away the bread."
"I closed my eyes again, praying that he would go away."
"If it was inevitable that a militant would take me, I wouldn’t make it easy for him."
"ISIS planned it all: how they would come into our homes, what made a girl more or less valuable."
"I just closed my eyes and wished for it to be over."
"His touch was exaggerated, forceful, meant to hurt me."
"I cleaned the house as Hajji Salman told me to, from top to bottom."
"The windows on the staircase overlooked a circular access ramp, and I pictured myself trying to run over it to get to safety."
"ISIS was so calculating when it came to enslaving Yazidi girls, but they made mistakes and gave us opportunities."
"You are no longer a virgin," he would say, "and you are a Muslim. Your family will kill you. You are ruined."
"If a wound or a scar prevented him or anyone else from raping me, I would wear it like a jewel."
"I didn’t want to open the closet or look through his things to learn more about him."
"I worried that he would think I cared for him."
"We are living in a dangerous time," Nasser said to me. "Daesh is everywhere."
"When I am back in Kurdistan, I will send you something."
"ISIS would have killed them if they had found out."
"The sky reminded me of an ancient Arabian love story."
"Even being a good student is an act equal to prayer."
"The windows overlooked a circular access ramp."
"You are no longer a virgin, and you are a Muslim. Your family will kill you."
"If a wound or a scar prevented him from raping me, I would wear it like a jewel."
"We defy them by not letting their crimes go unanswered."
"My story, told honestly and matter-of-factly, is the best weapon I have against terrorism."
"I wanted to be the last girl in the world with a story like mine."
"We weren’t looking for happiness, just to survive."
"Yazidis believe that Tawusi Melek first came to earth to connect human beings to God."
"Longing for a lost place makes you feel like you have also disappeared."
"The community was dwindling before his eyes, but he knew we had to move on."
"The best time to go is in April, around the Yazidi New Year."
"We needed the temples and the solace they offered."
"Our stories, as hard as they are to hear, have made a difference."
"Every Yazidi refugee tries to cope with the mental and physical trauma."
"All we want is to keep our culture and religion alive and to bring ISIS to justice for their crimes."
"I couldn’t help but envy those who stayed behind in Iraq."
"I begged them to let me stay just an hour more."