My son is a terrorist by Unni wakan
“My Son -A Terrorist? (He was such a gentle boy)
In the article “My Son-A Terrorist? (He was such a gentle boy), Unni Wikan discusses the life of Muhammad Atta, a young innocent boy, who later became one of the pilots during the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States. In search for reasons behind such drastic transformation, Unni Wikan an antropologist who has lived in Egypt and may have crossed path with Muhammad Atta compares his life to that of another boy Sayyid whom she had known on a personal level. From what she had observed from Sayyid’s lifestyle, she believes that it may contribute in understanding why an innocent boy like Muhammad Atta would later become a martyr and also explain what factors enables or hinders such transformation.
Muhammad Atta, a tender hearted young man who believes he carried out God’s will on September 11, was brought up by responsible parents who kept their “doors closed” as a sign of proper upbringing according to the author. From what Unni Wikan’ could remember from her experience in Egypt, Atta was known as a gentle boy hence the doubt of his parents in believing that he took part in the September 11 atrocities. The shock comes from knowing that Atta was not moved by politics or religion as a young man. The reasons why he would one day find himself in the midst of extremist lies in the connection of his life to that of Sayyid. Sayyid, a young religious man who feels entitled to his own interpretation of Islam, lived close to Muhammad Atta; he was clean of corruption, bribery and avoided both in all possible ways. Although fervent in his religion, his extreme fundamentalist behaviors never really (sounds unsure it is ok if the text specifically say so otherwise uou can say "his fundamentalist behaviour did not surface") surfaced until he felt cheated by the education system after his extradition. Left(was it his choice if not he was "made" kinda sounds contradictive with previous assertions) to abuse those who are less privileged in order to make a living, he felt as though his moral values were being ignored by the system he lived in. His frustrations therefore, as explained by the author, are what pushed him and may have also pushed Atta to become Islamic extremist.
Her findings, points to possible reasons behind transformation such as that of Muhammad Atta. She explains that in a society where an individual feels insignificant and inferior, they are more likely to turn to Islam(is it islam ot religion the author said), which gives a sense of superiority depending based on gender and religious standing. Also, when one’s values are thwarted by political regimes, the same outcome is more likely to happen. Moreover, since Islam gives a sense of superiority, it enables those people to think well of themselves, like Sayyid in a world where they must have felt abused and outcasted. Notably, the lack of reasonable(should you say that, it saounds politically incorrect. you might say "a consistent") explanation of the Quran, and the presence of personal explanation, or literal word for word explanation, facilitates the violence that take place. In order for this to cease, the author explains, the society should provide a just system in which labour pays off especially education translating into jobs. In the case of Muhammad Atta, his transformation may have been nurtured by the reasons stated above. Whether dissatisfied with the government or a new found love for Islam, Muhammad Atta’s action for the September 11, 2001 atrocity may have been triggered by his love to save the world especially form westerners for political Islam.
In the article “My Son-A Terrorist? (He was such a gentle boy), Unni Wikan discusses the life of Muhammad Atta, a young innocent boy, who later became one of the pilots during the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States. In search for reasons behind such drastic transformation, Unni Wikan an antropologist who has lived in Egypt and may have crossed path with Muhammad Atta compares his life to that of another boy Sayyid whom she had known on a personal level. From what she had observed from Sayyid’s lifestyle, she believes that it may contribute in understanding why an innocent boy like Muhammad Atta would later become a martyr and also explain what factors enables or hinders such transformation.
Muhammad Atta, a tender hearted young man who believes he carried out God’s will on September 11, was brought up by responsible parents who kept their “doors closed” as a sign of proper upbringing according to the author. From what Unni Wikan’ could remember from her experience in Egypt, Atta was known as a gentle boy hence the doubt of his parents in believing that he took part in the September 11 atrocities. The shock comes from knowing that Atta was not moved by politics or religion as a young man. The reasons why he would one day find himself in the midst of extremist lies in the connection of his life to that of Sayyid. Sayyid, a young religious man who feels entitled to his own interpretation of Islam, lived close to Muhammad Atta; he was clean of corruption, bribery and avoided both in all possible ways. Although fervent in his religion, his extreme fundamentalist behaviors never really (sounds unsure it is ok if the text specifically say so otherwise uou can say "his fundamentalist behaviour did not surface") surfaced until he felt cheated by the education system after his extradition. Left(was it his choice if not he was "made" kinda sounds contradictive with previous assertions) to abuse those who are less privileged in order to make a living, he felt as though his moral values were being ignored by the system he lived in. His frustrations therefore, as explained by the author, are what pushed him and may have also pushed Atta to become Islamic extremist.
Her findings, points to possible reasons behind transformation such as that of Muhammad Atta. She explains that in a society where an individual feels insignificant and inferior, they are more likely to turn to Islam(is it islam ot religion the author said), which gives a sense of superiority depending based on gender and religious standing. Also, when one’s values are thwarted by political regimes, the same outcome is more likely to happen. Moreover, since Islam gives a sense of superiority, it enables those people to think well of themselves, like Sayyid in a world where they must have felt abused and outcasted. Notably, the lack of reasonable(should you say that, it saounds politically incorrect. you might say "a consistent") explanation of the Quran, and the presence of personal explanation, or literal word for word explanation, facilitates the violence that take place. In order for this to cease, the author explains, the society should provide a just system in which labour pays off especially education translating into jobs. In the case of Muhammad Atta, his transformation may have been nurtured by the reasons stated above. Whether dissatisfied with the government or a new found love for Islam, Muhammad Atta’s action for the September 11, 2001 atrocity may have been triggered by his love to save the world especially form westerners for political Islam.