PEACE IN CHAMBER THEATER

by G. L. Horton
(A chamber theater adaptation)
CANICE! One day, Candice, an American woman, is a member of Solidarity Movement. She went to the marketplace to
buy and wear a hijab to show her sympathy with innocent Islamic women treated as enemies after the September
attacks. She said to the saleswoman, !"h# $ood mornin$.%
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN! !&ood mornin$%, the sales woman replied.
CANICE! Candice in'uired, !I want to buy one of those scarf thin$s. A head coverin$. (ajib)%
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN* +he woman corrected her, !(ijab%)
CANICE! Candice asked the saleswoman, !(ijab. +o wear. +o show solid, to um, to help,It is all ri$ht if a non Muslim
buys one)
I mean, you don-t have to actually be a .eliever, do you) If you-re a friend)%
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN* !Of course you can buy for a friend,% the sales woman answered.
CANICE! Candice said that she does not $oin$ to buy for a friend
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN* +he sales woman asked the lady customer on what kind of hijab she likes.
CANICE* Candice said, !/our hijab is very pretty.%
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN* !My family is from Morocco. 0e like colors.% +he sales woman told 1ikki.
CANICE! !0ho likes black or white)% Candice asked the sales woman.
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN* 2ery strict or old likes black. American 1.O.I. wears white. 1.O.I. means 1ation of
Islam* what you call the .lack Muslims. .ut now, many women now are wearin$ red white and blue. 3or America.
CANICE* !So they won-t be taken for terrorists)% Candice 'uestioned.
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN! +he sales woman answered, !0e are Americans, too.%
CANICE! Candice stroked the scarf she is holdin$, !+his is really beautiful and 2ery soft. 4ovely and silky and so
feminine5
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN! Suddenly the sales woman asked, !/ou want this for a costume)%
CANICE! Candice was shocked, !"h,what)%
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN! And the sales woman repeated it, !3or a costume) 4ike for (alloween or the $ays wear
the nun veil in the parade)%
CANICE! Candice disa$reed to the sales woman6s thou$ht.
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN! !.ut, why will you wear it)% +he saleswoman likes to know the customer6s reason to
buy hijab.
CANICE! !3or friendship.% Candice replied. !I wouldn-t want to offend anyone.%
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN* And the sales woman reali7ed Candice6s reason.
CANICE! Candice told her, !I researched about it. I know the scarf has to do with &od. Some wear the scarf for &od,
some for their family. It is also a si$n of modesty.%
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN* !0e take it off when they do somethin$ 88 not bad, really 88 but what their family
doesn-t like. &o to the movies, maybe for some that where nobody who knows my family would $o. Otherwise, it-s like
they-re are always watchin$ over us. 0e have to be so careful not to embarrass them.% Said the sales woman.
CANICE* !I-d try not to do anythin$ embarrassin$ while I-m wearin$ it.% Candice assured.
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN! +he sales woman told, !1ot me, by me it-s O9. It-s mostly the men.%
CANICE! Candice asked the sales woman on how to wear the hijab.
M"R"CCAN #ALE# $"MAN* +he sales woman drapes the scarf on Candice, !3asten it like this. And carry your head
tipped a little. Stand strai$ht, for respect, but the face tipped down for modesty.%
CANICE* Candice is now wearin$ the hijab. She thanked the sales woman and made a $oodbye. 0hen she is walkin$,
Candice suddenly saw her friend 1ikki.
NI%%I! 1ikki asked the friend, !:arlin$5 :on-t you look885 0hat-s the occasion) Aimin$ for solidarity)%
CANICE* Candice replied, !Somethin$ like that.%
NI%%I* !It6s not a communist fashion statement, ri$ht) I think you-re just borrowin$ a symbolic $esture made to protect
;ews in the <=>-s, to make common cause today with the ;ews- enemies.% 1ikki said.
CANICE* Candice replied, !1o5 I6m not.%
NI%%I* 1ikki told the friend, !0ell, some Muslims say it was ;ews who destroyed the +owers. Secret Mossaad a$ents,
dis$uised as Arabs, crashed the planes to brin$ the "S into Israel-s war a$ainst Islam.%
CANICE* Candice likes 1ikki to clarify the latter6s statement.
NI%%I* !;ews were warned, don-t $o to work at the +owers, don-t fly on a plane.% 1ikki said to the friend.
CANICE* !+hat-s cra7y5% Candice reacted.
NI%%I* 1ikki 'uestioned, !Cra7ier than wrappin$ up like a mummy)%
CANICE* Candice answered, !+he hijab is for modesty, just like no shorts at the 2atican. /ou know my friend, I am
doin$ this for $ivin$ my sympathy to the Muslim women in our country who were nowadays lookin$ and treatin$ them as
terrorists.%
NI%%I* !:o you think you can chan$e thin$s only by doin$ that) 0ake up5% 1ikki told Candice.
CANICE* !1ot all Muslims are bad, there are some who likes to be with us behind all of the chaos that struck our
country, just like the saleswoman in the market.% Candice said to 1ikki.
NI%%I! !She6s a sales clerk. 1ice is her job.% 1ikki e?plained.
CANICE* !I know.% Candice told to 1ikki.
NI%%I! !:o you) 0ell, have a nice day.% 1ikki kissed the friend $oodbye and walked away from Candice.
CANICE* Candice went to the park. She is still lookin$ for other people6s reaction. She act in the most modest way as
possible in approachin$ a person Candice likes to chat with, but she failed. 0hen Candice is walkin$ near the riverside,
she saw a cryin$ teena$e boy. .ecause of deep concern to the boy, Candice approached him, !@?cuse me, why are you
cryin$)%
TEENAGE B"&! !4eave me alone5 +errorist5% +he boy shouted to her.
CANICE! Candice became more concerned, !0hat is the problem) Maybe I can help you.%
TEENAGE B"&* !Can you brin$ back my parents if I will talk to you) If you still have a little bit of consideration, please
let me alone.% +he boy told Candice.
CANICE! !0hat happened to your parents)% Candice 'uestioned the boy.
TEENAGE B"&! +he teena$e boy calm down on her and said, !.oth my parents are (uman Ai$hts activists. +hey are
a$ainst any means of oppressin$ other6s race, $ender or se?uality. +hey have a lots of muslim friends# but then they still
made my parents an instrument to e?ecute their wron$ ideas.%
CANICE! !If that6s the case, you should be the one not to jud$e all of us because you know what solidarity means.%
Candice tried to persuade the boy.
TEENAGE B"&* !.ut I don6t believe now% +he boy told her.
CANICE! Candice thinks that she cannot blame the boy from thinkin$ about that. And she also cannot blame 1ikki on
hatin$ the Muslims to show support to her fellow American. She feels his pain, his an$er to the ones the boy and his family
trusted once. Candice became silent.
TR"&! Suddenly, a man wearin$ a male Muslim scarf appeared. (e is +roy, Candice6s friend on the Solidarity Movement.
+roy also made the same thin$ as Candice does. (e said, !.elieve on her. 1ot all Muslims like are like the ones you have
been see on +2 and the newspaper. 0e are here in front of you to prove that we are not afraid to be with others because we
did not anythin$ wron$.%
TEENAGE B"&* !0ell, that6s a part of your tactic to condition our minds to believe on your terrorist ideolody.% +he boy
told the muslim man. !I have to $et away from here, from the two of you.% +he boy said and then 'uickly run away.
CANICE! Candice was surprised, !+roy, you also wore Muslim attire)%
TR"&* And he replied, !/es, I am%
CANICE* !.ut#0hy)% She asked.
TR"&* And +roy replied, !.ecause I also believe on your idea.%
CANICE* !+o make this planet a haven for peace and solidarity)% She smiles.
TR"&* +roy replied, !/es. It may be hard time for us to show it at this point in time, but I believe that one day, there will
be no barriers anymore for people in different race, reli$ion, $ender, or se?uality, to communicate with one another.%
CANICE* Candice re$ain her stren$th to fi$ht for what she believe is ri$ht, to protect innocent Muslim women like the
Moroccan sales woman, bein$ seen and treated as terrorists by fellow Americans. !It6s not too late, ri$ht)%
TR"&! +roy replied, !/es, it is%.
CANICE* Candice cheered up a$ain. And she has a new idea, !0ell +roy, can we $o to my house and we are $oin$ to do
somethin$.%
TR"&! !0hat we are $oin$ to do)% +roy asked.
CANICE! She answered, !;ust follow me%.
+0O* Candice and +roy does not lose hope. Instead, they are bein$ motivated in lookin$ for a solution to centuries8old
concept of hate and discrimination in their country. It is because they, especially Candice, reali7ed that it is hard to live in
America if you are# under cover.