Terrorist 100 pages in
Actually, I’m 103 pages in. So far, the main character, Ahmad has been introduced in his normal setting and lifestyle. He is the middle working class, and has a menial job at the Shop-A-Sec to help support his mother, who is a nurse’s aide. He also has eyes for one of the girls in his high school, Joryleen, but hesitates to have feelings for her because of her religion and her nose piercing. Ahmad wants to get his Commercial Driver’s License and is currently learning about toxic chemicals and hazardous materials. I don’t know why he wants to be a truck driver, but I think the hazardous waste and dangerous substances will become part of his lifestyle (possibly as a terrorist). So far, the book is easy to read but can get very lengthy at times. The author has made it very clear that Ahmad is by now, at eighteen, a strict follower of the Qu’ran. There is nothing that would move or sway his beliefs. The school wants him to go to college. The guidance counselor even came to his house to try and talk to his mother about future options. The author has also described Ahmad’s mentor, teacher, and master of Islam. The teacher, Shaikh Rashid, seems disturbing. He teaches Ahmad that things like fruit flies buzzing around the kitchen and cockroaches coming from under the sink have no feelings and need to be destroyed because they are manifestations of Satan. These bugs are actually metaphors for people Ahmad is being taught to hate. It is surprising to see how such a normal looking human being can be taught such things, and furthermore, brainwashed to regard them as simply rules of life. Ahmad became Islamic at age eleven, which explains his dedication and his closed mind.
