November 22, 2007

The Sad Case of Islamic Rage Boy.

Over at Gates of Vienna, Dymphna links to this story by Patrick French. French actually went to Pakistan and tracked down "rage boy" (whose real name is  Shakeel Ahmad Bhat) and found a crippled, learning disabled man who was recruited into a terrorist cell at a very young age, However, because of his Suffi upbringing, he found it terribly difficult to kill people.  Now, unemployable both because of his illiteracy and his injuries, his only hobby  is to go march in protests. At some of these his photo was taken (he likes to pose for cameras) and he became a legend.

Note that he claims to have an injured right arm, but has no problem raising it in any of his many photos. However it is possible that the writer reversed the arms as his left arm is never raised, and seems "off" in some photos. Nevertheless, one can certainly be excused for skepticism in this regard.

 Assuming he is telling the truth, his story is indeed a sad one, I can't help but wonder if he's dyslexic or had some treatable learning disability. If so, given different circumstances his Suffi upbringing might well have allowed his life to follow a different path.

Nevertheless, the threat that his fearsome visage so eloquently portrays is real enough.

Make sure you read the Gates of Vienna link too, as Dymphna has some valuble perspective.


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