His Excellency, the American Ambassador

It is not easy to understand that the ambassador of the United States died in Benghazi, jammed in the embassy and burned by angry attackers because of a film that had offended the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The shocking news spread quickly. Then the photo of the ambassador was shown; he was wearing a white shirt or an undershirt and was being carried by [faceless] hands. The picture was to remind us of Gadhafi and of the way that he was treated by the revolutionists.

Actually, none of the reactions to the death of the ambassador interested me, nor did the sympathy that some channels showed regarding the killed American and his love for this part of the world. I was not interested in all of the national reactions from organizations, parties and mosques that called for demonstrations to overcome that horrible film.

I will tell you what interests me in this vast ocean of fire: How did the ambassador died while being a right arm of America in Benghazi? How was he left to his fate, jammed in the building? … Next, what will be the consequences of this incident? What safety measures will be taken to protect people working in American embassies in this or other countries? I thought that this easy way of death for the American ambassador would be followed by political grumbling that would make America speak about it more easily. And the next day, the media reported that a plane without a pilot that circled over Libyan sky. Marines came from Sana’a to protect the embassy; other forces came from Khartoum, too. All of that happened after Obama made sure that he took measures to protect all diplomatic missions without determining exact places, but I think [the measures will affect] some countries of the Arab Spring that need time to build both a strong and democratic regime.

I am not saying that America paid a price it never thought it would pay when its ambassador, choked by the smoke from the embassy’s papers and effects, fell. It is doubtless that what happened was a mistake, and mystery shrouds the burning of the embassy, which will be a bill of pressure exerted on America’s wide palm. But I know that the United States is well-prepared by its knowledge of the Libyan situation and will narrowly observe developments as they occur on the ground. For me, this means at the very least that the ambassador’s death in Benghazi will be a turning point, and it is impossible that it will pass without retribution. There remains an important question, which must be repeated here, and that is this: Despite all its advanced technology and communication equipment, when did the United States know that its ambassador was under siege and angry attackers were storming and burning the embassy? Although seriously meant, this question takes me away from the details of this unusual occurrence and invites me to think hard about the complicated situation of the world today. It may be overwhelmingly difficult for many people to be an American ambassador, but it is easy to die in a regular fire like any other citizen in the land of Uncle Sam or anywhere else; it is worse to be aware how the fire of our curiosity is increased when we see that death itself occasionally becomes a golden key.