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HIS STORY - 'When the blood shed is mine'
Published: Monday | September 27, 2010
Paul H. Williams, Contributor
In May 2003, there were a series of bombings in Casablanca, Morocco, north Africa. Josef Mohammed, who said he was a Shiite Muslim extremist at the time, lost his wife and three female children in one of the blasts, which were allegedly triggered by Muslim suicide bombers. Torn by his loss, Mohammed rebelled against Islam, which his relatives regarded as blasphemous. <span style="font-weight: bold">He claimed they wanted him dead, so he fled to Spain, then to England, and eventually Jamaica</span>, his final destination, about three months ago. But of all the places on Earth, why here?
<span style="font-weight: bold">Here is where Mohammed said he was born, at Kingston's Victoria Jubilee Hospital, in 1966</span>. At three months, he was adopted by a South African couple who took him to their homeland, where he was brought up in a Zulu township. He had a normal childhood, but had to conform to the teachings of Islam. "You couldn't do anything that was considered a violation, according to the laws of Islam," he said. Yet, there were aspects of it that didn't make sense to him as he got older.
Mohammed's family moved to Morocco when he was 17 years old. Unlike South Africa, Morocco is a predominantly Muslim country, where the doctrines of Islam are more rigidly observed. He wed a 16-year-old girl in a pre-arranged marriage. And all the dogmatic principles of being a husband that were entrenched within him were unleashed upon his young wife. "I was overwhelmed and excited and I took advantage of it at all costs. Islamic men tend to be dominant, so I became very dominant. The wife had to conform to Islam rules," he said.
Extremist
Mohammed eventually evolved into a bastion of Islam, an extremist, who fully embraced the thoughts and teachings of his faith. "I was a no-nonsense person. I didn't compromise, I was actually a dictator," he declared. As a teacher of the sciences he worked, and life went on. Some Moroccan Arabs, however, Mohammed said, were wary of foreigners, especially the Spaniards, who were becoming very visible in Casablanca. Hatred and anger, which had been fomenting for a while, climaxed with violence in 2003.
A BBC online story of May 17, 2003, under the headline, 'Terror blasts rock Casablanca', says, "At least 41 people have been killed and about 100 injured in suicide bomb attacks in Morocco's largest city, Casablanca, local officials say. The attacks on Friday night targeted a Jewish community centre, a Spanish restaurant and social club, a hotel and the Belgian consulate." Clearly, foreigners were the target. But, it turned out that far more Moroccans died and were injured.
There were five explosions within 30 minutes of each other. Mohammed was on his way, he said, to meet his family who had gone shopping, when one of the blasts occurred.
"I was disoriented, the impact of the blast was catastrophic, it was just very devastating," he recalled. His family was inadvertently killed in that bombing, he said. The blood of an extremist had been spilled. Thus began Mohammed's fallout with his adoptive parents and Islam.
His family's death caused him to speak out against certain activities carried out by Islamic fundamentalists.
He was reprimanded many times for his rebelliousness, but he continued to denounce the actions of the bombers. A memorial was held for him, and he lived with death revolving about his head for several years. "It bothered me so much. These people were people I embraced so much ... It was a tremendous hurt ... I wanted a refuge," he said. <span style="font-weight: bold">So, secretly, he planned his departure from Morocco. When the time was right, a bitter and angry Mohammed left Rabat, a city north of Casablanca, for Jamaica.</span>
"I didn't know what to expect, what it would be like, the reception. My mind was blank, I didn't know what I was coming into, the type of culture," he said, yet as he got closer he became excited and anxious. <span style="font-weight: bold">Upon his arrival in Jamaica</span>, he was glad to be among his own people, but was stunned by the level of 'indiscipline' he saw. Overwhelmed, he thought he couldn't fit in. But, that was the least of his problems.
Homeless shelter
He needed money, food and shelter. And life became bumpier than the flights he took to get here. From being detained for 32 days at the Freeport Police Station in Montego Bay for suspicion of illegal entry, living in a homeless shelter where everyone seemed to be on medication, sleeping on floors, 'kotching' here and there, to days and nights of hunger, it's has been a hard-knock life for Mohammed.
He has since renounced Islamic fundamentalism. "Now, it is of no more significance ... most of what they do just does not make sense.
Christianity, he said, he has been converted to as a way of 'fitting in' to meet new people, but Mohammed said, the Christians he had met, were initially sceptical of him and didn't offer much assistance. However, he said the Paul Blake Ministry was very helpful. A few people ridiculed and rejected him at times, but he received warm hospitality on many occasions, for which he is grateful.
Mohammed said he has forgiven his parents, but believes they will never forgive him. As for the loss of his family, he has moved from remorse to acceptance, and has moved on emotionally, in order to heal himself. He hopes to marry a Jamaican woman, is a voracious local newspaper reader and has a peculiar hobby, which might just be a betrayal of his Jamaican genes. That hobby shall not be exposed.
This remarkably intelligent man, who speaks many languages fluently, wants gainful employment in the hotel industry or in the area of industrial security. "I want to get on with my life ... I want to lead a normal life, make an honest contribution to the Jamaican economy," he said, in a sombre mood.
Published: Monday | September 27, 2010
Paul H. Williams, Contributor
In May 2003, there were a series of bombings in Casablanca, Morocco, north Africa. Josef Mohammed, who said he was a Shiite Muslim extremist at the time, lost his wife and three female children in one of the blasts, which were allegedly triggered by Muslim suicide bombers. Torn by his loss, Mohammed rebelled against Islam, which his relatives regarded as blasphemous. <span style="font-weight: bold">He claimed they wanted him dead, so he fled to Spain, then to England, and eventually Jamaica</span>, his final destination, about three months ago. But of all the places on Earth, why here?
<span style="font-weight: bold">Here is where Mohammed said he was born, at Kingston's Victoria Jubilee Hospital, in 1966</span>. At three months, he was adopted by a South African couple who took him to their homeland, where he was brought up in a Zulu township. He had a normal childhood, but had to conform to the teachings of Islam. "You couldn't do anything that was considered a violation, according to the laws of Islam," he said. Yet, there were aspects of it that didn't make sense to him as he got older.
Mohammed's family moved to Morocco when he was 17 years old. Unlike South Africa, Morocco is a predominantly Muslim country, where the doctrines of Islam are more rigidly observed. He wed a 16-year-old girl in a pre-arranged marriage. And all the dogmatic principles of being a husband that were entrenched within him were unleashed upon his young wife. "I was overwhelmed and excited and I took advantage of it at all costs. Islamic men tend to be dominant, so I became very dominant. The wife had to conform to Islam rules," he said.
Extremist
Mohammed eventually evolved into a bastion of Islam, an extremist, who fully embraced the thoughts and teachings of his faith. "I was a no-nonsense person. I didn't compromise, I was actually a dictator," he declared. As a teacher of the sciences he worked, and life went on. Some Moroccan Arabs, however, Mohammed said, were wary of foreigners, especially the Spaniards, who were becoming very visible in Casablanca. Hatred and anger, which had been fomenting for a while, climaxed with violence in 2003.
A BBC online story of May 17, 2003, under the headline, 'Terror blasts rock Casablanca', says, "At least 41 people have been killed and about 100 injured in suicide bomb attacks in Morocco's largest city, Casablanca, local officials say. The attacks on Friday night targeted a Jewish community centre, a Spanish restaurant and social club, a hotel and the Belgian consulate." Clearly, foreigners were the target. But, it turned out that far more Moroccans died and were injured.
There were five explosions within 30 minutes of each other. Mohammed was on his way, he said, to meet his family who had gone shopping, when one of the blasts occurred.
"I was disoriented, the impact of the blast was catastrophic, it was just very devastating," he recalled. His family was inadvertently killed in that bombing, he said. The blood of an extremist had been spilled. Thus began Mohammed's fallout with his adoptive parents and Islam.
His family's death caused him to speak out against certain activities carried out by Islamic fundamentalists.
He was reprimanded many times for his rebelliousness, but he continued to denounce the actions of the bombers. A memorial was held for him, and he lived with death revolving about his head for several years. "It bothered me so much. These people were people I embraced so much ... It was a tremendous hurt ... I wanted a refuge," he said. <span style="font-weight: bold">So, secretly, he planned his departure from Morocco. When the time was right, a bitter and angry Mohammed left Rabat, a city north of Casablanca, for Jamaica.</span>
"I didn't know what to expect, what it would be like, the reception. My mind was blank, I didn't know what I was coming into, the type of culture," he said, yet as he got closer he became excited and anxious. <span style="font-weight: bold">Upon his arrival in Jamaica</span>, he was glad to be among his own people, but was stunned by the level of 'indiscipline' he saw. Overwhelmed, he thought he couldn't fit in. But, that was the least of his problems.
Homeless shelter
He needed money, food and shelter. And life became bumpier than the flights he took to get here. From being detained for 32 days at the Freeport Police Station in Montego Bay for suspicion of illegal entry, living in a homeless shelter where everyone seemed to be on medication, sleeping on floors, 'kotching' here and there, to days and nights of hunger, it's has been a hard-knock life for Mohammed.
He has since renounced Islamic fundamentalism. "Now, it is of no more significance ... most of what they do just does not make sense.
Christianity, he said, he has been converted to as a way of 'fitting in' to meet new people, but Mohammed said, the Christians he had met, were initially sceptical of him and didn't offer much assistance. However, he said the Paul Blake Ministry was very helpful. A few people ridiculed and rejected him at times, but he received warm hospitality on many occasions, for which he is grateful.
Mohammed said he has forgiven his parents, but believes they will never forgive him. As for the loss of his family, he has moved from remorse to acceptance, and has moved on emotionally, in order to heal himself. He hopes to marry a Jamaican woman, is a voracious local newspaper reader and has a peculiar hobby, which might just be a betrayal of his Jamaican genes. That hobby shall not be exposed.
This remarkably intelligent man, who speaks many languages fluently, wants gainful employment in the hotel industry or in the area of industrial security. "I want to get on with my life ... I want to lead a normal life, make an honest contribution to the Jamaican economy," he said, in a sombre mood.
Jeeezas, pls tekk di wheel. Awwwmen.
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