The surprising truth about Rage Boy, America's hated poster-boy of Islamic radicalism

The Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 11/10/07 | Patrick French

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Don't you hate Islamic Rage Boy? 'MoBlows', writing on the Jihad Watch website, certainly does.

"I just want to put my fist down his throat," he says. The 'boy' in question rose to prominence earlier this year when he was photographed at a demonstration in Srinagar, capital of Indian-administered Kashmir.

Later, he was spotted waving his fist at another camera during a protest against the awarding of a knighthood to author Salman Rushdie.

With his straggly beard and big shouting mouth, Rage Boy certainly looks like a threat.

His scary face now appears on boxer shorts and bumper stickers, and he scores more than a million results on Google.

A regular spoof diary appears online in his name and he has come to stand for all that is most frightening about radical Islam.

(snip)

Arriving at a simple, traditional three-storey Kashmiri house, I was taken up steep wooden steps by the light of a gas lamp to the top of the building. There, standing in an empty room, dressed in a salwar kameez and zip-up cardigan, with crooked teeth and a quizzical look on his face, was Islamic Rage Boy.

Shakeel Ahmad Bhat is a 29-year-old failed militant. Over two days, sitting cross-legged at the home he shares with his mother and smiling shyly much of the time, Shakeel told me, through an interpreter, his life story and why he had come to wave his fists at the cameras

(snip)

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A long, boring thumb-sucker about how Islamic Rage Boy is depraved because he is deprived. What Mr. French fails to comprehend is that we do not hate Islamic Rage Boy, and we certainly do not fear Islamic Rage Boy. Rather we mock him and we are amused by his antics.

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[stimpy17]

29 years old.......lives with his Mom........Get a job!

[mmanager]

Give him a bannana and it would round out the picture.

[RichInOC]

"I should've used Preparation H."

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

What a mamma’s boy.

[federal]

Being islamic rage boy is so easy a caveman could do it.

[listenhillary]

“I want to marry a non-Muslim woman and convert her to Islam.”

Why? I asked.

In a moment that might have come straight out of the Borat film, he answered in a soft, serious voice: “I have been told that if I can convince a non-Muslim woman to marry me – but not convert her by force – then there will be a place for me in heaven.”

[Caipirabob]

THE CULT OF "RAGEBOY"...

Nothing like a good ol' rage boy thread...lol!

[healy61]

Could someone kindly inform Mr. French that Rageboys shy smile is the result of smoking Khat. Probably put it in the hookah. Oh, that Mr. French, what a cut up.

[Trteamer]

ROTFLMAO!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Does Rage Boy get a cut of the profits in the use of his ugly mugg on T shurts and posters?

[Earthdweller]

This story takes on a Palestinian/Israel victimization flavor. In this instance it is Kashmir/India. This is the wrong road to travel.

Rageboy seems like a moderate (wants to spread Islam peacefully) with some real grievances. Although he is illiterate, he does get some things right...like not agreeing with OBL's intolerant ideology. On the other hand, he thinks 9/11 was an inside job.

I'm left with the desire to get the boy a schoolbook and possibly some dental work.

[SuziQ]

Surrounded by other people who lack knowledge of the outside world, is it any surprise that he believes barmy conspiracy theories about the attacks of 9/11?

If that's the reason, then why do seemingly intelligent people in the US believe the same tripe?

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Rage Boy also left home to join the Jihad at 13, and admits firing his AK-47 into an unarmed crowd. I think I will hold off on the Citizen-of-the-Year nomination.

[Ditter]

He’s not mad, he is just trying out for one of those Geico caveman ads.

[gridlock]

If that's the reason, then why do seemingly intelligent people in the US believe the same tripe?

Because they surround themeslves with other people who lack knowledge of the outside world.

[Earthdweller]

True. He seems somewhat brave enough to defend his cause. I doubt the left will embrace him for that reason alone. Better we raise him up first, the right way. :)~

[gridlock]

Firing a weapon into an unarmed crowd. We call that “defending the cause” these days?

[Earthdweller]

He was 15 years old wasn’t he? I would wonder from the rest of his comments if he still thinks that was a smart idea.