Suspect in Pearl Killing Was Bullied Before Becoming Al-Qaida Militant, Family Says

AP via TBO ^ | May 29, 2004 | Khalid Tanveer

[John W]

PIR MAHAL, Pakistan (AP) - A man wanted in both the slaying of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and attempts to kill Pakistan's president grew up "shy and cowardly," but went on to train with Islamic militants in Kashmir and later tried to convince his family to join holy war, relatives said. Amjad Hussain Farooqi, 32, has been missing since Pearl was abducted in the southern city of Karachi in January 2002. Pearl's captors beheaded him and released a videotape of the killing.

On Friday, senior security officials identified Farooqi as the organizer of two attempts to assassinate President Gen. Pervez Musharraf last December by blowing up his motorcade. Musharraf escaped injury both times.

In his small home village near the town of Kamalia, Farooqi's family is at a loss to explain how a boy they remember as "shy and cowardly" and being bullied as a teenager could have "taken these big steps" and killed Pearl.

"Even when he was 15 or 17, he used to come home with tears in his eyes that street boys had beaten him," recalled his mother, Mai Babay, 50. "I do not know whether my son did it (killed Pearl), but whoever did has committed a sin."

[John W]

The headline attempts to imply that bullying led to this guy killing Pearl.However,in the article that isn't exactly what the family was attempting to say.

[I still care]

I knew it. All along I knew these jihad terrorists were just misunderstood.

[DJ Frisat]

Oh, well that's a different story, then. Poor guy. It's ok -- it's not your fault.

[prion]

The headline attempts to imply that bullying led to this guy killing Pearl.

"Lead to" is too strong, but organizations like al Qaeda and the Khmer Rouge and various culty groups definitely find fertile recruiting among misfits and the picked-upon. There's a great quote I can never remember well enough to look up, by one of Hitler's mob, instructing a subordinate to look for recruits among ugly kids and outcasts.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Why couldn't he just have shot up the Madrassa?

[rrrod]

ok come on ..we all know it Bush and the JOOOOs to blame!

[pabianice]

"I think we have another victim here..."

[kittymyrib]

The Islamists are all cowards. You don't see the mullahs strapping on the bomb belts, but rather sending out the misfits to do the dying. The Iranians are recruiting just this kind of kid to die for Islam, the kind that's too dumb or too scared to say, "After you, Imam."

[Becki]

Who says they don't listen to our news? Or perhaps, better yet, listen to Oprah?

Becki

[E.Allen]

So...........they're all shy (they hide their faces) and cowardly (seek out defenseless victims)

[nmh]

NOw a terrorist is a victim. His crazy childhood lead him to become a terrorist. Sound familiar?

[Let's Roll]

Right, we should have known there was some PC reason behind all this - it isn't everyday that slimes decapitate infidels.

[prognostigaator]

bttt

[Mike Darancette]

"shy and cowardly,"

The perfect qualifications for being an Islamofaciest.

[MarineDad]

In his small home village near the town of Kamalia, Farooqi's family is at a loss to explain how a boy they remember as "shy and cowardly" and being bullied as a teenager could have "taken these big steps" and killed Pearl.

Here's a big flippin' clue, lady, and it's spelled

I...S...L...A...M.

Proven effective time and time again at transforming incipient losers into fully-fledged ones, to the detriment of civilizd people everywhere.

So don't flippin' blame the damned neighbors or the childhood bullies - look no further than the stinkin' mosque sullying the "skyline" of your village.