NEXT STOP was an underground establishment in Misr el-Qadimah, the old city of Cairo. Ishmael (who was starting to come out of a long reverie) expected it to be a traditional revolutionary haunt, full of serious characters with waxed moustaches smoking pipes. Instead, it was more like a Jaffa warehouse party. What shocked Ishmael first was the presence of women, then the number of them, then the flamboyancy of their dress. Calls for stricter adherence to the veil were being openly flaunted here! The men were a Bohemian lot too, by Arab standards: there were boys with dreads and open Afro-Caribbean shirts, giant reefers almost sutured to their lips; there were guestworkers in full tribal wear; there were androgynous beings clad various grades of plastic, rubber and leather; there was even a mummy pretty tied up donning a Tutankhamen mask. Ishmael couldn't believe he'd been brought here. Didn't his reputation count for anything!
He was even more shocked when Nagvib returned from the bathroom changed into a galabiya, a gown commonly worn by Egyptian peasants... except his was retrofitted with velour trims and disco sparkles. He was wearing 3D sunglasses.
<<Well, what do you think?>> he said. The music was fucked-up jazz with heavy cyberdelic and African forest influences.
<<I'm wanted in more than 10 Middle Eastern countries>> Ishmael said. <<Why on earth did you bring me here?>>
<<Come, Ishmael, you talk about the glory of revolution. This is a revolution of the mind.>>
Nagvib pressed two small tablets into the Palestinian's hand. He then poured a short glass of vodka. <<Have you heard how the Christians eat bread and drink wine to infuse themselves with the body and blood of Jesus? Behold! this is the body and blood of the Arabian people. Drink it, eat it, if you want to join our holy war!>>
!SHMAEL THE !NVINCIBLE and other characters copyright Robert Sullivan 1996-2000.
