Musafira
06-27-2010, 11:46 PM
*The following story is fiction but inspired by real events.
"Mirwais"
Mirwas looked strangely out of place in the cold, damp Kabul juvenile detention center. Only twelve years old he was one of the youngest ones being held there. When Natalie first saw him, she was shocked by how innocent and frightened he looked. When she asked him how long he'd been here his eyes filled with tears as he replied: "I don't know. All I know is I miss my family and want to go home." After questioning him and listening to his story about how he got here she felt so much sorrow and sympathy for him. When Mirwais was taken back to his cell, Natalie decided to stay behind in the visitation room for awhile to go over her notes and the research she had done and to think about what she had learned.
Mirwais was born into a poor Pashtun family in North Waziristan, a rugged mountainous area that borders Afghanistan. His father was a farmer and Mirwais was the eldest of five children. His parents, who were illiterate, wanted their son to learn how to read the Koran so they sent him to a madrassa to study. They loved Mirwais dearly and had no idea of the secret things that went on there or they would have never sent their son into that den of wolves.
The madrassa Mirwais was sent to as well as many others in the area was ran by the infamous Haqqani Network. The Haqqani Network is suspected by many of links with Pakistani intelligence services and with Al-Qaida. The Haqqani network was responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan and they haved vowed to not stop these attacks until the American and NATO forces leave Afghanistan. It was from these madrasses that they often recruited young boys to carry out suicide attacks.
Mirwais was taught to read the Koran but not understanding Arabic he and the others relied on his teachers often warped interpretations. He had no reason to mistrust them and he sincerely wanted to be a good Muslim so he believed their every word. Slowly these teachers were manipulating these innocent boys trying to mold their minds for their evil purposes. Mirwais's eagerness "to be good" did not go unnoticed. One day he and a few other boys were taken away to a training camp.
At the training camp Mirwais and the other boys were told that they were chosen for some very special missions and that if they carried them out they would all be remembered as heroes and that they would go straight to heaven. All the boys were excited about this except for Mirwais. He begged to see his family and for that he was beaten severely. After that he kept quiet about missing his family and his doubts about what he was being asked to do. He loved Allah and he loved Islam but something inside of him kept saying it was wrong to kill despite what he was being told by those around him.
A few weeks later a man named Jamal came and took Mirwais to Khost. It was there that Mirwais was supposed to carry out his mission. Jamal strapped a vest filled with explosives onto Mirwais. He then helped him put on a big winter coat to hide the vest. Jamal smiled at Mirwais and told him how proud he was and how proud his family will be of their son the martyr. Mirwais was scared but he didn't dare say so. Jamal reminded Mirwais to detonate the explosives when he got very close to the soldiers just down the road. He then sent Mirwais on his way.
He started walking towards the soldiers. His heart was beating fast. He turned to look behind and he could see Jamal smoking a cigarette. He didn't know where to go or what to do but he was afraid to go back to Jamal. He continued walking towards the soldiers as tears came to his eyes. One particularly observant soldier noticed him and shouted at him to stop where he was and to show him his hands. When Mirwais raised his hands the soldier saw the suicide vest. The soldier aimed his gun at Mirwais and was tempted to shoot until Mirwais said: "I don't want to die. I just want to go home to my family." Carefully the suicide vest was removed and Mirwais was interrogated. Mirwais cooperated with the authorities that day telling them all he could and then he was sent to Kabul.
In Kabul it was decided that he would be held, at least until he was an adult, in the cities crowded juvenile detention center. Despite the tragic circumstances that brought him here, the headlines all over the world screamed "Twelve year old terrorist apprehended in Afghanistan". It was that very headline that lead Natalie to Mirwais. She had come to do a story about a young terrorist but she didn't find a terrorist. She found a victim. Natalie gathered up her notes, left the visitation room and walked out of that detention center that afternoon hoping she could make the rest of the world see that.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs158.snc4/37235_112076162173263_100001126384966_75468_556042 5_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=75468&op=1&view=all&subj=132789046743693&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=132789046743693&id=100001126384966)
"Mirwais"
Mirwas looked strangely out of place in the cold, damp Kabul juvenile detention center. Only twelve years old he was one of the youngest ones being held there. When Natalie first saw him, she was shocked by how innocent and frightened he looked. When she asked him how long he'd been here his eyes filled with tears as he replied: "I don't know. All I know is I miss my family and want to go home." After questioning him and listening to his story about how he got here she felt so much sorrow and sympathy for him. When Mirwais was taken back to his cell, Natalie decided to stay behind in the visitation room for awhile to go over her notes and the research she had done and to think about what she had learned.
Mirwais was born into a poor Pashtun family in North Waziristan, a rugged mountainous area that borders Afghanistan. His father was a farmer and Mirwais was the eldest of five children. His parents, who were illiterate, wanted their son to learn how to read the Koran so they sent him to a madrassa to study. They loved Mirwais dearly and had no idea of the secret things that went on there or they would have never sent their son into that den of wolves.
The madrassa Mirwais was sent to as well as many others in the area was ran by the infamous Haqqani Network. The Haqqani Network is suspected by many of links with Pakistani intelligence services and with Al-Qaida. The Haqqani network was responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan and they haved vowed to not stop these attacks until the American and NATO forces leave Afghanistan. It was from these madrasses that they often recruited young boys to carry out suicide attacks.
Mirwais was taught to read the Koran but not understanding Arabic he and the others relied on his teachers often warped interpretations. He had no reason to mistrust them and he sincerely wanted to be a good Muslim so he believed their every word. Slowly these teachers were manipulating these innocent boys trying to mold their minds for their evil purposes. Mirwais's eagerness "to be good" did not go unnoticed. One day he and a few other boys were taken away to a training camp.
At the training camp Mirwais and the other boys were told that they were chosen for some very special missions and that if they carried them out they would all be remembered as heroes and that they would go straight to heaven. All the boys were excited about this except for Mirwais. He begged to see his family and for that he was beaten severely. After that he kept quiet about missing his family and his doubts about what he was being asked to do. He loved Allah and he loved Islam but something inside of him kept saying it was wrong to kill despite what he was being told by those around him.
A few weeks later a man named Jamal came and took Mirwais to Khost. It was there that Mirwais was supposed to carry out his mission. Jamal strapped a vest filled with explosives onto Mirwais. He then helped him put on a big winter coat to hide the vest. Jamal smiled at Mirwais and told him how proud he was and how proud his family will be of their son the martyr. Mirwais was scared but he didn't dare say so. Jamal reminded Mirwais to detonate the explosives when he got very close to the soldiers just down the road. He then sent Mirwais on his way.
He started walking towards the soldiers. His heart was beating fast. He turned to look behind and he could see Jamal smoking a cigarette. He didn't know where to go or what to do but he was afraid to go back to Jamal. He continued walking towards the soldiers as tears came to his eyes. One particularly observant soldier noticed him and shouted at him to stop where he was and to show him his hands. When Mirwais raised his hands the soldier saw the suicide vest. The soldier aimed his gun at Mirwais and was tempted to shoot until Mirwais said: "I don't want to die. I just want to go home to my family." Carefully the suicide vest was removed and Mirwais was interrogated. Mirwais cooperated with the authorities that day telling them all he could and then he was sent to Kabul.
In Kabul it was decided that he would be held, at least until he was an adult, in the cities crowded juvenile detention center. Despite the tragic circumstances that brought him here, the headlines all over the world screamed "Twelve year old terrorist apprehended in Afghanistan". It was that very headline that lead Natalie to Mirwais. She had come to do a story about a young terrorist but she didn't find a terrorist. She found a victim. Natalie gathered up her notes, left the visitation room and walked out of that detention center that afternoon hoping she could make the rest of the world see that.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs158.snc4/37235_112076162173263_100001126384966_75468_556042 5_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=75468&op=1&view=all&subj=132789046743693&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=132789046743693&id=100001126384966)