On May 4th, late in the evening around 7:45 PM, I entered in a local gym to remedy my mental lethargy and physical stress brought on by a long day at work. After 40 minutes of a strenuous workout, primarily comprised of treadmill sprints and calisthenics, I spent some time using spa facility. Then I headed to the men’s locker-rooms for a shower before submitting to my growing lassitude and returning home.
I tried to ignore loud chatter of some rumbunctious teenage boys, running back and forth to the pool, splashing water at each other like some animals which have been let out of cage by mistake. I resisted the urge to report them to the evening facility manager, who himself was struggling to stay awake.
I was not able to ignore their banter. One of them looked older than the other and their confabulation quickly revealed that they had descended from the same pair of parents. The older one asked his younger brother “So did you go for prayers with Abba (father) on Friday? Before hearing his sibling’s response, he admitted "I did not go with him - I pretended I had to be at school”. After a brief pause the younger brother spluttered “I could not make any excuse, he dragged me along with him, stating it is mandatory to save you from the rest of the world bound to perish in Dozukh (hell)".
Older brother brayed with laughter. “Is he trying to convert you into a Jihadi?”. The younger brother quietly responded: “Not sure, Abba says Jihad is our fundamental birth right and the only way to distinguish ourselves from the pigs eaters (an obvious reference to Jews and Hindus) and Yahudees (Jews) as the Imam in the mosque always emphasizes.
I could not help looking at the faces of those boys. Older boy was around 14-15 years old and had a naughty but naïve mien and the countenance of younger brother was like an angel’s. Their discussion left me startled.
I could not resist juxtaposing them with Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the brothers who were respectively killed and captured as Boston bombing suspects. Will the destiny of these boys be same 15 years from today? Will they exercise their “fundamental rights” as explained by misguided parents and nihilistic Imams? Will they ever appreciate the difference between reality and delusion? Who will be at fault if they morph into remorseless killing machines? Is the pubic safe around the boys raised with these beliefs? Does a father, mother or any other elder have the right to exercise his religious beliefs, as granted by the constitution, by indoctrinating children into embracing violence against certain groups? Is there a solution?
I tried to ignore loud chatter of some rumbunctious teenage boys, running back and forth to the pool, splashing water at each other like some animals which have been let out of cage by mistake. I resisted the urge to report them to the evening facility manager, who himself was struggling to stay awake.
I was not able to ignore their banter. One of them looked older than the other and their confabulation quickly revealed that they had descended from the same pair of parents. The older one asked his younger brother “So did you go for prayers with Abba (father) on Friday? Before hearing his sibling’s response, he admitted "I did not go with him - I pretended I had to be at school”. After a brief pause the younger brother spluttered “I could not make any excuse, he dragged me along with him, stating it is mandatory to save you from the rest of the world bound to perish in Dozukh (hell)".
Older brother brayed with laughter. “Is he trying to convert you into a Jihadi?”. The younger brother quietly responded: “Not sure, Abba says Jihad is our fundamental birth right and the only way to distinguish ourselves from the pigs eaters (an obvious reference to Jews and Hindus) and Yahudees (Jews) as the Imam in the mosque always emphasizes.
I could not help looking at the faces of those boys. Older boy was around 14-15 years old and had a naughty but naïve mien and the countenance of younger brother was like an angel’s. Their discussion left me startled.
I could not resist juxtaposing them with Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the brothers who were respectively killed and captured as Boston bombing suspects. Will the destiny of these boys be same 15 years from today? Will they exercise their “fundamental rights” as explained by misguided parents and nihilistic Imams? Will they ever appreciate the difference between reality and delusion? Who will be at fault if they morph into remorseless killing machines? Is the pubic safe around the boys raised with these beliefs? Does a father, mother or any other elder have the right to exercise his religious beliefs, as granted by the constitution, by indoctrinating children into embracing violence against certain groups? Is there a solution?
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| Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - Regular American Kids |
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