From my spot on the floor in my parents’ room, I recited a special verse from the Holy Quran, the Ayat al-Kursi. Say it three times and your home will be safe from devils and any kind of danger. Say it five times and your neighborhood is safe. Say it seven times and your whole town is safe. I said it seven, eight, nine times, so many times I lost track. Then I spoke to God. Bless us and protect us, I’d say. Bless our father and family. Then I’d correct myself. No, bless our street. No, our neighborhood. Bless all of Swat. Then I’d say, No, bless all of Pakistan. No, not just Pakistan. Bless
...more
