Could there be, within the Tripoli city government, officials irresponsible enough to have said the visit of a “Jew” might, in today’s climate, cause tensions, unrest, or even the revival of this or that militia?

The idea overwhelms you, fills you with sadness—and anger.

And telling yourself that this is the way things go in the war between the two Islams, a war about which you have so often spoken and in which you appear, regrettably, and like so many others, to have become part of the stakes—far from bringing consolation, such ruminations just compound your sadness.

At best, you feel strengthened in your resolve to carry on, both at home and in Libya, alongside your true Libyan friends.