Last month I started a new monthly activity on American Bedu which allows all readers to participate with “Use Your Imagination.” This is where I will begin a story and it is up to you to contribute to it or actually take it all the way to the end. And of course, with so many of you reading, this story can likely have many different endings…it is up to you. For this month I have chosen to create Khalid who lost his one and only sister in the 2002 school fire in Makkah. It is up to you to determine whether Khalid ever finds peace with himself and able to reconcile his loss. Or does he ultimately become drawn into the sphere of Al Qaida where the only way he can find peace and restitution for his guilt feelings that he survived and Hanan died was to ultimately martyr himself?
March 11, 2002. That day has been branded in Khalid’s memory just as if a searing hot branding iron placed it there. Why oh why did he insist that Hanan go to school that day when she pleaded with him she wasn’t feeling well? You see, Hanan attended Makkah Intermediate School No. 31 and on March 11, 2002 a fire broke out in one of the upper rooms at circa eight o’clock in the morning. 14 young girls perished in that fire and among them was Hanan.
Khalid was not only the first born son but the eldest in the family. His father passed away when he was seven years old so he became the man of the family at an extraordinary young age. Hanan was four years younger than Khalid and he had been protective of his sister since the day she was born.
In spite of the family hardships of life without a father they were a balanced, happy and close family of three – Khalid, Hanan and their mother, Aysha. Khalid was the typical young Saudi man who took his family responsibilities seriously but in the turn of a minute would be out in the street playing soccer with the other guys just like anyone in his age range liked to do. Hanan worshipped her elder brother and would never think of contradicting him. Hence, when he told her she was not sick enough to remain home on that fateful day of March 11, she quietly put on her school uniform and had her brother take her to school.
Now Hanan was gone to never return. Her place was with Allah and the Angels. Yet Khalid could not get away from the sense of guilt that he constantly felt. That if he had only listened more closely to Hanan she would still be with them. What was he thinking of at the time? He knew she never complained and was never one to shirk her duties or try to get out of going to school. She loved her school and all of her friends.
Not surprisingly Khalid began to withdraw into himself. The carefree yet responsible young man who always had a smile ready disappeared. The young man who reemerged was a very studious and serious individual who rarely if ever smiled. He just kept withdrawing more and more unto himself. By this time, Khalid was in his second year of University studying Islamic studies. He purposely chose Islamic studies hoping he would find answers and reconciliation for Hanan’s tragic death.
Dr. Abu Nasr was one of Khalid’s professor’s and had taken notice of the quiet and serious young man in his classroom. It was clearly evident to Abu Nasr that this was a young man in pain who was trying to find answers and peace. One afternoon after his lecture had finished, Abu Nasr stopped Khalid before he could exit the classroom and invited him for tea. Sitting in the University cafeteria, Abu Nasr began to slowly draw Khalid out about his life, his experiences and after an awkward hesitation, Khalid shared with him his feelings of unresolved guilt about Hanan. Khalid found Abu Nasr easy to talk to and found himself sharing thoughts that he had only kept in the darkest recess of his own mind…that he felt like he needed to sacrifice or martyr himself before he would be forgiven and have peace of Hanan’s death.
Abu Nasr was from Yemen and pleased when he received the opportunity to teach in Saudi Arabia, home of the two holy mosques. He was a devout muslim. He was also an extremist although he did not look like one. He wore long starched pristine white thobes, prayer cap without smaugh and was clean shaven. This made him somewhat of an anomaly at the University but he knew his subject well, students respected him and University officials were pleased with his performance. He was left alone which was fine with him and what he preferred. He was able to therefore concentrate on his ultimate mission with his position in Saudi Arabia which was to recruit young men willing to sacrifice and martyr themselves on behalf of Al Qaida. In Abu Nasr’s eyes, Khalid was a prime candidate for recruitment and ripe for plucking.
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Wouldn’t Khalid be opposed to all things extreme, if he had a sister die in those fires? It doesn’t make sense that he would be drawn to the very same people that share the idealogy of his sister’s killers. Sure, he might be weighed down by guilt, but if anything that burden would propel him in the opposite direction.
@Broke Saudi – thanks for sharing your thoughts and please do not hesitate to add to the story!!
I don’t like this story’s premise to start with, so I’m gonna twist it around.
How about this: Khalid Is so distraught over the loss of his sister that he LEAVES Saudi Arabia, travels all over the world and eventually joins the Peace Corps? Because heck, not all Muslims who experience deep emotional pain become terrorists, right? And Abu Nasr? Well, after talking to Khalid, he realizes that his militant, terrorist minded approach to Islam is BS. Dr. Abu Nasr has an epipheny right there and realizes that he always did what OTHER people wanted him to do in life. Yup, he’s just a tool and he HATES IT, he hates what he has become. Coming to grips with this disturbing realization only means one thing:
He decides to follow his heart. He throws of the crisp white thobe he wore for so many years and trades it in for what he really wanted to wear all these years……a sparkly, purple spandex unitard! He moves to the USA in pursuit of his original life dream……to be the FIRST Saudi man EVER to skate in a revival of the “Ice Capades”.
I’m sorry but I’m so sick of Muslim terrorist stories, it had to be done.
@Sabiwabi! lol
@ Abu Sinan
Just imagine it: “Terrorists on Ice”
I would pay to see that, wouldn’t you?
Thanks Sabiwabi! I’m going to see what else others come up with. I purposely chose to try a very different topic this month for using one’s imagination.
I find it very difficult to follow this story to a terrorist ending. I’m imagining something more along the lines of Khalid becoming really interested in understanding the human mind and body. Something in a health care profession would go a far longer way towards easing the guilt and pain he would be feeling. Dr. Abu Nasr (in his current state) would be more likely to have a very repellent effect on Khalid. I imagine Khalid recoiling in horror from Dr. Abu Nasr’s eventual recruitment tactics.
I also imagine Khalid to have a more softening impact upon Dr. Abu Nasr. Go, sparkly purple unitard!
@Digital Nomad: Welcome and thank you for your views too. I’m curious to see if this is going to turn into a comedy (ie, Terrorists on Ice) or a scene which takes a “warm cozy” twist….
looking forward to reading more from everyone!
I had a hard time picturing this, too.
For example, if Khalid was studying Islam, he would know that several times, men went to the Prophet (pbuh) asking to join a military expedition, and he asked them if their parents were alive. When they said yes, he told them to stay and take care of their parents – especially if it was only the mother alive, and he was the only one to take care of her.
And he would know that his sister’s death was her qadr (destiny), and that he shouldn’t constantly think, “Oh, if only I had let her stay home, it would have been different”. If it’s written for a person that they will die at a certain time, then that will happen, no matter where they are…
And even if he knew all this but he ignored it and wanted to take revenge on someone, why would he join Al-Qaeda?
Unless he blamed the royal family for the poor condition of Hanan’s school…?
there is no such thing as terrorists in the Muslim world. for me, america has terrorized the whole world, terrorized the Muslim world enough that today fear that practicing our own religion MIGHT end us in prison or custody.
why dont you mention of those american military recruiters who fool young teenagers to join the military knowing that they will have a hell of a life there?
90% of america believes 911 was an inside job yet our own Muslims fail to understand that and JUST because they want to walk freely in AMerica and Europe they decide to call their own Muslim fellows “terrorists” in front of those people to make those lost people believe that we are a part of them and WITH them in this war against terrorism.
The least we can do is shut ourselves up and do not jump to conclusions about who is right or wrong when we receive ONLY one sided information from the very same media that has lied to us over a billion times, and this is not a statement rather a fact.
ps.
i appreciate it but please do not thank me for the comment rather discuss with me
and if you do believe that 911 was an inside job, then why would you assume that the people blamed behind the attack are the actual “terrorists” ?
why would you need to lie to prove an “Evil doer” guilty? wouldnt their actions prior to the set up provide sufficient evidence?
see now theres a conflict. doesnt make any sense
I also found the central premise somewhat lacking in verisimilitude, however there are “recruiters” on campuses, and I personally know professors who have an agenda of ideological persuasion and moving students to certain types of political actions.
Since Al Qaeda was formed in part as a reaction against Saudi complicity with the US during the Kuwait Gulf war, Al Qaeda might be a logic place for someone disillusioned with the Saudi religious police, and faulty building codes in schools.
One person’s “terrorist” is another’s “freedom fighter”,
I doubt many of us are capable of writing imaginatively of the terrorist recruiting and training experience, so comical or warm and fuzzy twist seems like the direction it might take if anyone were to actually continue the story rather than discuss the premise.
I am an American. And sorry YQ do not know where you got your information but 90 percent of Americans DO NOT think 911 was an inside job.
The story
————–
Abu nasr talked to Khalid about becoming a Martyr and told him he knew organizations which could help him achieve his goal. At the same time Khalid met another lady student who was very interested in Islamic studies, they exchanged notes and discussed the subject with each other. he felt drawn to her intelligence and kind eyes. ( ya i know unlikely in saudi.. but it’s a story) .. They talked often and one day Khalid told her that Abu nasr had asked him to join an organization to becoma a martyr .. His friend was shocked and walked away. later the next day she spoke to him and explained how her sister had also perished in the fire ( co-incidence – divine intervention maybe
) and of the sadness in her family and how helpless she felt. Khalid was drawn to her ad realised that each one chooses to react to tragedy differently , He followed her advice to think positive and dissassociate himself from Abu nasr. they both decided to do something so these type of incidents wouldn’t happen again ( ok that’s it .. i have no clie how / what one does to proceed further but i think they both should marry and live happily ever after )
@Radha – I like the way you have the story unfold. I agree, they marry, have a daughter who shares the joint names of the two sisters who had perished, create their own foundation and live happily ever after!
@ radha
Next they got interested in journalism. They decided that they would try to publish a blog on the internet detailed the many woes of women in (mainly) Saudi Arabia and will also discuss with their readers their view on women and how they can help them so no-woman will suffer the same situation as girls in that school.
Their blog became more and more popular. Their posts started to be quoted in major newspapers all over the world.
Couple of time their blog was be banned but the pressure of readers inside and outside or Saudi Arabia pushed them to rescind their ban.
Major changes in the Saudi Arabia low concerning women.
******
30 years after. Sweden. Khalid and his wife are getting Nobel Peace Price.
ps. sorry for mistakes. Couple of times I changed the post, but did not change the grammar.
I REALLY like this twist to the story!!!!
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