They were the daredevil half-dozen who had volunteered to go to Iraq as human shields to help and protect the civilians at the cost of their own lives. They packed their own kafans (shrouds) with their luggage because they did not want to suffer the disgrace of being wrapped in American shrouds if they died in Iraq.Just one question: If the six human shields of Raza Academy were mentally prepared to even die for the Iraqi people, why did they book return tickets on Qatar Airways?‘‘We had only managed to obtain a three-day visitor’s visa from Jordanian authorities. So as per the rule, we had to show return air tickets in order to get to Jordan for our final destination inside Iraq,’’ reasoned one of the human shields, Mohammed Arif Rizvi.‘‘Only if we were going there on an employment visa could we have booked one-way tickets,’’ explained 37-year-old Rizvi who manages a printing press business in Mumbai.The human shields had mapped their journey from March 30 onwards Mumbai-to-Jordan-and-back on Qatar Airways. Now, back in Mumbai following their unsuccessful trip for the Iraqi cause — half were sent back at the Iraqi border — the human shields explain how they were deported and why they could not become human shields.‘‘Our intention was to reach Iraq and protect important locations like hospitals, water plant and electricity plant with our bodies as shields. So we had to follow the right course in order to do this,’’ said Rizvi. ‘‘However, despite all diplomatic problems three of our human shields did manage to go as far as Baghdad. But they also had to return to Mumbai with us.’’‘‘The six of us had to deal with a lot of problems to get inside Iraq but finally three of us made it, though only for a while. In Iraq we saw burnt and battered army tanks of both sides, and there was smoke and sadness all over,’’ Islamic scholar Maulana Mohammed Rafiq recalled.Just a day before their departure to Jordan, another human shield, Sohail Rokhadia, had told The Indian Express (on March 28): ‘‘We grew up learning about sacrifice. So, when the time comes to put it in practice, we’re prepared.’’But return tickets will always be a must.
