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clavus · 02-10-2006, 01:13 PM

I know a kid from Iran. Really he’s a friend of a friend. He lives in the oh-so-liberal San Francisco Bay Area, for whatever that is worth.

Anyway, his family fled Iran when his dad committed the crime of speaking well of the United States. His dad was arrested, sentenced to death and ...remarkably escaped.

This kid went from living a good life (dad was an airforce pilot, mom was a nurse) to losing everything and living in a small apartment in a country where he barley spoke the language.

So he worked hard, learned English and tried to make friends.

Then 911 happened.

Kids at school ratcheted up the level of shit they gave him. He was regularly called a terrorist. Their landlord started handing out fines and threatening to evict his family for every reason he could: car not parked “properly”, other tenants complaining about noise, or smells of their cooking. Loads of BS.

Now this kid is a good guy. My friend gave him a new bike, which he loved. But he sold it (with my friend’s blessing) and sent the money to his less fortunate buddy in Iran. He felt guilty having a skateboard (that I gave him) AND a bike, while his friend had neither. Not your typical teenager.

Then he got beat up. Bad. A couple of older kids beat him, broke his jaw, and called him a terrorist. The school principal told him that he should try not to make himself a target (whatever that means). The cops wanted nothing to do with him.

Now the kid is really not a kid anymore. He is a young man. He dresses in black and is working on a beard. He covers his head and does what he can to look like the terrorist he is accused of being. He feels isolated and repeatedly tells his parents that he wants to go back to Iran.

Just like I dyed my hair and moved away from the church as a teen rebel, this kid has gotten very much into Islam (far more than his parents) and acts more and more like the people his family fled.

There is no moral to this story. It’s just a sad thing I’ve watched develop over the last few years.
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For those of you who haven't seen my other posts, you ought to know that I in no way support those who think burning an embassy is a good way to deal with an offensive cartoon.

02-10-2006, 01:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	a US Muslim story I know a kid from Iran. Really he’s a friend of a friend. He lives in the oh-so-liberal San Francisco Bay Area, for whatever that is worth. Anyway, his family fled Iran when his dad committed the crime of speaking well of the United States. His dad was arrested, sentenced to death and ...remarkably escaped. This kid went from living a good life (dad was an airforce pilot, mom was a nurse) to losing everything and living in a small apartment in a country where he barley spoke the language. So he worked hard, learned English and tried to make friends. Then 911 happened. Kids at school ratcheted up the level of shit they gave him. He was regularly called a terrorist. Their landlord started handing out fines and threatening to evict his family for every reason he could: car not parked “properly”, other tenants complaining about noise, or smells of their cooking. Loads of BS. Now this kid is a good guy. My friend gave him a new bike, which he loved. But he sold it (with my friend’s blessing) and sent the money to his less fortunate buddy in Iran. He felt guilty having a skateboard (that I gave him) AND a bike, while his friend had neither. Not your typical teenager. Then he got beat up. Bad. A couple of older kids beat him, broke his jaw, and called him a terrorist. The school principal told him that he should try not to make himself a target (whatever that means). The cops wanted nothing to do with him. Now the kid is really not a kid anymore. He is a young man. He dresses in black and is working on a beard. He covers his head and does what he can to look like the terrorist he is accused of being. He feels isolated and repeatedly tells his parents that he wants to go back to Iran. Just like I dyed my hair and moved away from the church as a teen rebel, this kid has gotten very much into Islam (far more than his parents) and acts more and more like the people his family fled. There is no moral to this story. It’s just a sad thing I’ve watched develop over the last few years. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` For those of you who haven't seen my other posts, you ought to know that I in no way support those who think burning an embassy is a good way to deal with an offensive cartoon. __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.