Slovo - Another world: losing our children to Islamic State

ANOTHER WORLD:

LOSING OUR CHILDREN

TO ISLAMIC STATE

Gillian Slovo

ANOTHER WORLD:

LOSING OUR CHILDREN

TO ISLAMIC STATE

based on verbatim interviews

developed with Nicolas Kent from his original idea

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First published in 2016 by Oberon Books Ltd

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Copyright Gillian Slovo, 2016

Gillian Slovo is hereby identified as author of this play in accordance with section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The author has asserted her moral rights.

All rights whatsoever in this play are strictly reserved and application for performance etc. should be made before commencement of rehearsal to United Agents, 12-26 Lexington Street, London W1F 0LE (). No performance may be given unless a licence has been obtained, and no alterations may be made in the title or the text of the play without the authors prior written consent.

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

PB ISBN: 9781783197552

EPUB ISBN: 9781783197569

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Contents

Another World: Losing Our Children to Islamic State

written by Gillian Slovo

developed with Nicolas Kent from his original idea

CAST, in order of speaking

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi / Mohammed Akunjee NABIL ELOUAHABI

Yasmin NATHALIE ARMIN

Geraldine / Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball PENNY LAYDEN

Zarlasht Halamzai / Female Student LARA SAWALHA

Moazzam Begg / Tufyal Choudhury PHALDUT SHARMA

Shiraz Mahir GARY PILLAI

Samira SIRINE SABA

Charlie Winter GUNNAR CAUTHERY

General John Allen / Charles Farr JACK ELLIS

Male Student FARSHID ROKEY

Male Student RONAK PATANI

Female Student ZARA AZAM

Reverend Doctor Paul Fitzpatrick TIM WOODWARD

Director Nicolas Kent

Designer Lucy Sierra

Video Designer Duncan McLean

Lighting Designer Matthew Eagland

Sound Designer Mike Winship

Dialect Coach Majella Hurley

Assistant Director Kwami Odoom

Casting Charlotte Bevan

Production Photographer Tristram Kenton

WORLD PREMIERE

National Theatres temporary theatre, 15 April 2016

LENGTH

About 95 minutes. There will be no interval.

The National Theatre is dedicated to making the very best theatre and sharing it with as many people as possible.

We stage up to 30 productions at our South Bank home each year, ranging from re-imagined classics such as Greek tragedy and Shakespeare to modern masterpieces and new work by contemporary writers and theatre-makers. The work we make strives to be as open, as diverse, as collaborative and as national as possible. Much of that new work is researched and developed at the NT Studio: we are committed to nurturing innovative work from new writers, directors, creative artists and performers. Equally, we are committed to education, with a wide-ranging Learning programme for all ages in the new Clore Learning Centre and in schools and communities across the UK.

The Nationals work is also seen on tour throughout the UK and internationally, and in collaborations and co-productions with regional theatres. Popular shows transfer to the West End and occasionally to Broadway; and through the National Theatre Live programme, we broadcast live performances to 2,000 cinemas in 50 countries around the world. From 2015, National Theatre: On Demand in Schools made acclaimed, curriculum-linked productions free to stream on demand in every secondary school in the country. Online, the NT offers a rich variety of innovative digital content on every aspect of theatre.

We do all we can to keep ticket prices affordable and to reach a wide audience, and use our public funding to maintain artistic risk-taking, accessibility and diversity.

nationaltheatre.org.uk

Director of the National Theatre Rufus Norris

Executive Director Lisa Burger

Another World was the dream child of Nicolas Kent who came to me, as he had done twice before, with a proposal to collaborate on a play about Islamic State. As terrifying as that sounded, I have learned to trust Nicolass proposals, and knew that he would be by my side every step of the way during the realisation of this project. And so it proved. A very special thanks to him.

I interviewed many people in the process of compiling the play and then had the difficult task of choosing whose words should run through the play. I couldnt put everybody I talked to in, but every interview helped me understand the complicated terrain in which we nowadays dwell. My thanks to those I interviewed, and those who helped in other ways: Sohail Ahmed, Mohamed Akunjee, Rashad Ali, General John Allen, David Anderson, DAC Helen Ball, Moazzam Begg, Mia Bloom, Christina Blower, Moad elBoundati, Mia Bloom, Katherine Brown, Jason Burke, Tufyal Choudhury, Isis du Blois, Peter Fahy, Charles Farr, Reverend Paul Fitzpatrick, Matt Foot, Zarlasht Halamzai, Abdul Haqq, Usama Hasan, Sacha Havilcek, Duncan James, Naeem Jeneh, Sophia Jouahri, Alyas Karmani, Imran Khan, Hugo Macpherson, Michael Macy, Gaelle Mechine, Cassie Metcalf-Slovo, Ibrahim Mohamoud, Shiraz Mahir, Tilly ONeill, Richard Norton-Taylor, Hanif Qadir, Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, Mark Sedwill, Rizwaan Sabir, Vanessa September, Edit Schlaffer, Kamila Shamsie, Jessika Soors, Clive Stafford Smith, the workers of Travailleurs du Rue, Brussels, Kiri Tunks, Asim Qureshi, Huma Yusuf, Sacha Wares and Charlie Winter.

Thanks to Anita Nayyaar whose work on our behalf made a radical difference to the project and thank you as well to the wonderful staff of the National Theatre particularly Ben Power, Sarah J Murray, Rufus Norris and Bernie Whittle. Thanks also to the sixth formers from Tower Hamlets who I talked to twice and who asked to remain anonymous. And finally thanks to the mothers Chantal, Geraldine, Samira, Saida, Saliha and Yasmin who, despite their pain, were generous in sharing their stories with us. (some of their names have been changed at their request).

I have edited the interviews always paying attention to keeping the sense of what each person said. Any words or phrases that I added are in square brackets.

Gillian Slovo

Characters in order of appearance

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: Islamic State Caliph

Geraldine: a Belgian mother

Yasmin: a Belgian mother

Zarlasht Halaimzai: Afghan born. An education in emergencies advisor

Moazzam Begg: British Muslim imprisoned from 2002-2005 at Bagram and Guantanamo without charge or trial. Since his release he has been campaigning against War on Terror abuses as outreach director for advocacy group CAGE.