From the pages of Magda Haddad's personal diary...

[Daheshville]

The Daheshist Martyr, Madga Haddad, left us a diary which was written in French. The Daheshist Publishing Company published a book (in Arabic) featuring an excerpt from that diary.

We are on the night of September 9, 1944. Doctor Dahesh (please see also "Innocent in Chains, the Notes") is taken to the Haddad residence as per his request, and in order to see his sister Antoinette.

Of course, neither Antoinette nor the Haddad family knew what awaited them or Doctor Dahesh...

(The narrative that follows is based upon Magda's own words)

THE HORRIFIC BATTLE OF THE STAIRS

On Saturday, September 9, 1944, between the hour of 9:30 and 10 p.m., there was a knock on the door.

Madga hurries to see who it was. Being that the entrance door was several flights below, she (as was the custom at the Haddad household) stuck her head through the upper window and peered down to see who it was.

"What is it that want?" She asked.

One of the people answered: "We want to speak to Antoinette, Dahesh's sister. It's an urgent matter."

Magda didn't open the door and answered :" Antoinette is not here!"

And that was it.

A few minutes go by and and there were knocks on the door again.

This time, both Magda and Antoinette looked through the window and both of them asked "who is it?"

And a familiar voice replied :

"It is I, Doctor Dahesh."

And soon engouh, they saw Doctor Dahesh between two law deputies. He said:

"Come down Antoinette, I need to talk to you."

Magda felt looming danger threatening the Prophet, so she removed her shoes and ran down the stair barefoot, followed by Antoinette and her mother (Mrs. Marie Haddad). They reached the ground level and Antoinette quite literally leaped on her brother in order to hug him while Magda took his hand and embraced it. And Doctor Dahesh gave a sign indicating that he needed to escape the officers. Magda understood his intent and in order to allow him an opportunity to climb the stairs, she leaped on the officer named Muhammad Ali Fayyaad and using all the strength she can muster, she prevented him from blocking the entrance door while Antoinette did her best to free her brother from the clutches of the other officer.

Muhammad Ali Fayyaad threatened her with his revolver and shouted at her:

"Let go of me or I'll shoot you!"

"Go ahead!" Madga shouted back.

As a result, Fayyaad fired warning shots in the air to scare her oft and several police officers stormed through the door and dragged the Prophet down the stairs with their hands and feet, while brandishing their revolvers, but that did not stop Magda from grab hold of the Prophet, and she held him close to her chest as tightly as she could, and she screamed:

"You won't have him as long as I am alive!"

Both He and Magda become one lump being dragged down the stairs, one step at a time, and all the way to the sidewalk, where she stood up resisting them, and it took six of them in order to successfully separate her from the Prophet, and after they threw a few punches at her.

And she attempted to climb into the car into which they threw the Prophet. But they threw her to the ground, and the car drove off, and Magda stood up and looked around her and she saw the street filled with police officers and members of the Phalanges Militia, and others.
And she insulted them to their face.

Madga and the Prophet's sister ran through the street barefoot. They climbed into a car after promising its driver payment, and off they went to the "Saraay" .

Once there, Madga got out of the car and asked :

"Where are the police officers?"

Some policemen approached them snickering, and Magda said:

"They came this evening, they brought Doctor Dahesh with the intent to kill him, and if any harm befalls him fifteen responsible people will died, tomorrow. Fifteen Daheshists will finish them off. Daheshists are not afraid of Deah! So go warn those who are in charge that Bechara El Khoury is going to be the first one to go!"

And Madga and Antoinette ran back to the car and off they drove to the "Sand" Prison.

On their way to the prison, they stopped at the Doctor's residence. Magda instructed the driver to park the car as her intention was to — at least — get a knife from the kitchen. Both Antoinette and she got out of the car only to find the residence under tight security. A group of policemen were guarding the place and they would not let them near the door. However, and after much perseverance, they were able to enter the residence. Magda ran to the kitchen and there she found an old cutting tool and she concealed it.

The soldiers wanted to prevent them from getting into the car. That's when Antoinette began to cry and wail, while Madga resorted to insulting them and denouncing their murderous leaders, and she threatened the members of the government, and Bechara El Khoury, and the traitor Muhammad Ali Fayyaad.

The soldiers resorted to hitting Madga, then they led them her and Antoinette— in the car in which they came —to the "Basta" police precinct.

And there, they got out while Magda was protesting loudly over the injustice and persecution, vowing revenge. And a crowd of people gathered and — before them — Madga cursed Bechara El Khoury, and Laure — who was the sister of the criminals and the vipers as far as she was concerned, and not her mother's sister.

She was led to a dark and stinking chamber by a policeman. Once there, he said to her:

"I will lock you up with the rats, here, all night long!"

Magda replied:

"As far I am concerned, rats are better than your society, this society of criminals, they are nobler than all of you combined; and spending one night in this dungeon is better than spending one night at the Presidential Palace as a guest of my murderous Aunt! And I am warning you again, if any harm befalls Doctor Dahesh, fifteen people will be killed tomorrow!"

And they went back to hitting her and one of them said:

"Dahesh is nothing but dirty lowlife!"

And Madga replied:

"You clean your mouth— you and those of your kind — before you utter with Dahesh's sacred name. For all of you are criminals, you persecute this man just as your ancestors persecuted Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, and all the other prophets."

That's when one of the policemen faced up to her saying:

"She's his sister; you, on the other hand, who are you?"

And they showered her with insults.

Madga answered:

"Your vileness is such that you cannot fathom the meaning of nobility, and your filthiness is big that you cannot imagine anyone capable of defending the cause of justice and the cause of an innocent man who was the victim of cowardly and oppressive persecution, a defense free from the control of lowly affairs"

And after several phone calls to here and there, some of which were with the Presidential Palace, they let them go and they let our driver — who was accompanied by a friend of his — be responsible for them.

Madga asked the driver to take them to the city of Jounieh, he refused and — instead — drove them back to the Haddad residence which was surrounded by soldiers. She pleaded with the driver, but he wouldn't comply. He kept driving the car until he reached the law officers and came to a full stop, refusing to go any further.

That's when Magda said to him:

"Go to the house with Antoinette, that's where she'll pay you."

He refused and his friend back him up. Her talking and trying to convince them fell on deaf ears. Four soldiers approached them and that's when she suddenly got away and she ran towards a car that would eventually take her to Jounieh.

And the road to Jounieh seemed long, long. And thoughts were rushing through her head ...

"What might they have done to the Beloved Prophet? Those criminals overwhelmed him back in the staircase! Was he injured? He most certainly must have been bruised. The punishment that awaits them will never be enough regardless of how enormous the calamities that befall them are."

Madga felt helpless and she had this image of the Prophet injured and sick and she felt like tearing up her own body with her fingernails, and she hoped that fireballs would fall down from the sky and engulf Beirut and incinerate her.

But she still needed to get to Doctor Georges Khabsa's house and unfortunately, she didn't have the address. Despite that, an incredible thing happened: The car, in an attempt to stop and ask for directions, ended up stopping right in front of the Khabsa residence!

By then, Madga was exhausted and she could barely walk up to the house. Once there (again according to her diary entry), she regained her strength by drinking fine wine with Doctor Khabsa and his wife Odette.

Then they all got into Doctor Khabsa's car and they went to the residence of Mr. Edward Noon in Aaley — they arrived at 2:30 in the morning of September 10, 1944.

Doctor Khabsa woke up Mr. Noon who proceeded to get dressed. And at 3:00 a.m. they were all at the home of Fou'aad El Khoury, the brother of Bechara El Khoury.

Madga entrusted Fou'aad with a verbal message for Bechara:

"If he does not set Doctor Dahesh free, untold calamities shall befall him and his family."

And Magda also added:

"They claim that Doctor Dahesh frequents ladies of the night. Even if their claim was to be true, Bechara El Khoury should first concern himself with those ladies of the night who are part of his own family"