Internment

Jake’s parting words leave Layla uncertain. As Ayesha points out, saying a Muslim prayer hardly makes Jake a Muslim. Nevertheless, Layla is certain Jake is not the enemy. With Soheil and Ayesha, Layla discusses a plan she is hatching based on a resistance to Nazi Germany led by Sophie and Hans Scholl, a teenage brother and sister who were core members of the White Rose resistance group. The siblings spearheaded a pamphlet crusade to let the German people know the despicable actions of their government. This courageous endeavor ended in their arrest and execution. For Layla, raising awareness is crucial to getting the camp shut down. She quotes Sophie from her trial: “Somebody has to make a start” (175). Layla suggests that she write about the conditions in the camp, smuggle the document out, and arrange for it to be posted through social media. She is certain that the truth about the camp will fire up people to protest. Soheil suggests another idea: recruiting as many internees as they can to abstain from a meal, a fast inspired by the writings of Gandhi.

That afternoon, Layla watches as one of the internees is dragged from her family’s trailer.