Inside A Day in the Life of a Lone Wolf
An Interrogation & Perhaps, a Little Perspective
Good morning.
No, it was a long night. I didn’t get much sleep. You must understand. My plans didn’t turn out as I intended.
Oh, I don’t mind talking about it now. A confession? I don’t see why not. Do I need a lawyer? No. I just need some time to collect my thoughts.
How did I get here? Well, come on you know that.
Oh. You mean when did I come to this country? I hope you have some time, it is kind of a funny story.
No. I don’t need a drink of water. Thank you. Shall I go on?
Alright. It was 1999. My father and mother had 5 children. My father worked with his father in the bakery. It was a hard life but it was the life we knew. I was only seven but as it was the family business, I worked there as well as my brothers and sisters. Well, my grandfather had saved up his money. He wanted a better life for his son and his family. In fact, he had enough money for my father and I to move to America.
Oh, the rest of the family would be sent for once we had become established. You see grandfather had it all worked out. He had friends who could help complete a F-1 visa. Not familiar with that? It allows people to come to the U.S. for jobs in the trades if you attend a vocational school.
Me? Well if a parent qualifies for the visa, their dependents can come, too. No problem. The only possible impediment is money, if you have enough, the rest is easy.
My father and I settled in Buffalo. He found work in a commercial bakery with EASL classes at night. You see the night foreman came from a village not far from ours years before. I was enrolled in the public school where I quickly adapted. The teachers felt sorry for me and gave me extra attention as the kids didn’t seem to understand that I wasn’t much different from them. I liked to play and read.
No. That never changed. It was always the teachers who understood me best. They were the closest thing I had to friends.
No. There was never enough money to send for my mother, brothers and sisters. We grew apart over the years. Father always set aside part of his paycheck to send home.
No. America never did not seem like home.
You want to know about my friends? Well, things never changed much. I only had a few close friends. Bill enlisted in the Marines after high school. I still keep up with Paul.
Oh, well you didn’t ask about him. He initially was curious but he had a difficult time adapting as he found it just too different after a while. What? Oh, the prayers and going to the Mosque.
You see my father and mother were never very religious. No. It was important to them. They just didn’t have the time to really understand. Junior year of high school I started going to a local Mosque. Paul was curious and one day, he asked what it was all about. I told him it was about something bigger that he or I. Islam provided a way to escape the bonds of ordinary life. You see, you could be something of importance, not to man but to God.
Oh. You are a Protestant. Well, it’s not that complicated on the surface. Islam teaches that man is to be governed only by God, not man. The governance of the U.S. certainly is centered on man, not God. This is a fundamental fault with your system. No Muslim can be true to the Qur’an while subjecting himself to the rule of man. I found refuge from the corrupt, secular, American society. I embraced the only, true, way.
Well yes and no. In modern day Iran, the rule is by a religious leader subservient to God. It is permitted for religious scholars to provide guidance as an extension, not an interpretation of the Qur’an.
I knew it would come around to this.
No. I don’t mind talking about it. I was so close. I could taste death.
Did I want to die?
Well, yes. I admit that was the plan.
I know it is difficult and I doubt that you would understand but here goes. It was all pretty easy. I found a way to please God, alleviate the burden on my father, and ensure eternity for my family and I. What more could you ask for.
Did I feel any empathy for those who would die? Do I have any regrets? Yes. After all, I am still here.
You don’t understand? It is all about something we call Takfir. Takfir is a pronouncement that someone is an unbeliever, a kafir, no longer a Muslim.
Yes. I believe this is the same philosophy followed by ISIS as they cleanse in anticipation of the dawn of the new caliphate. You see anyone who disagrees with you as an unbeliever can be fought via militant jihad. “I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform that, then they save their lives and property except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning will be done by Allah.”
Why? Well, the rewards of course!
What rewards? The Prophet said “A single endeavor in Allah’s cause in the forenoon or the afternoon is better than the world and whatever is in it.” If martyred, then it is paradise. There are many, many ahadith that extol and enumerate the virtues of martyrdom.
“To him who fighteth in the cause of Allah, — whether he is slain or gets victory — Soon shall We give him a reward of great value.”
As to the Righteous (they will be) in a position of Security, among Gardens and Springs; dressed in fine silk and in rich brocade, they will face each other; So; and We shall join them to Companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes.
As to the Righteous, they will be in Gardens, and in Happiness, — Enjoying the (Bliss) which their Lord hath bestowed on them, and their Lord shall deliver them from the Penalty of the Fire. (To them will be said:) “Eat and drink ye, with profit and health, because of your (good) deeds.” They will recline (with ease) on Thrones (of dignity) arranged in ranks; and We shall join them to Companions, with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes.
They will recline on Carpets, whose inner linings will be of rich brocade: the Fruit of the Gardens will be near (and easy of reach). Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny? In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched.
On Thrones (of Dignity), raised high, We have created (their Companions) of special creation. And made them virgin — pure (and undefiled), — Beloved (by nature), equal in age, — For the Companions of the Right Hand.
Verily for the Righteous there will be a fulfillment of (the heart’s) desires; Gardens enclosed, and grapevines; and voluptuous women of equal age; and a cup full (to the brim).
Do you see it all now?
It is so simple and …beautiful.
Oh. If you don’t mind, could I have that glass of water before we continue?
The article is fictional. It is based on a course of study in homeland security. The curriculum seeks to expand the knowledge of practitioners across the full spectrum of the discipline from first responders to senior managers in the Department of Homeland Security. It is presented to offer a different perspective on those who seek to harm us. The subject in this article believes he is in the right. I ask, what do you think of him?
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