Once Upon a Time in the West (Midlands)
Adil Zeshan
ENGLAND . THE YEAR, 2007.
My name is Adil. I have been born and raised among dutiful and obedient Muslims, and I aim to misbehave.
Already I have fallen from grace. I am no longer one of them, a reason sufficient for their delicately-placed wrath to have me consigned, in this world and the next, to the most grievous of penalties; for what else should the reward be for those who behave like me, they would say if they knew, but disgrace in this life? So no matter where I go in the realms of Islam, I am a hidden traitor to my people, a renegade without honour to be executed. And for them to know of my apostasy is to know of their fear.
Still, I will not bow to their etiquette of madness. Now and again I silently walk among the Muslim flock, to observe their incessant bleating and guilty straying, and see how readily they run to the call of their watchful masters, appointees of God who oversee the enjoining of what is good and the forbidding of what is not. And they remind the herd that He is not unmindful of what they do.
Neither am I.
This article has been adapted from a book that Adil is currently writing.
Adil
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Reader Comments (3)
You really are good; I felt my fingertips sweat as the conversation grew more intense.
With your personal experience and insight, you are uniquely qualified to write about Islam in just about any form you might choose (this sounds autobiographical), including - may I be so bold as to suggest - novels of the "adventure" genre.
I always noticed that when I was young, I often got "hooked" on subjects new to me when they were presented in the form of novels. One of the reasons I became interested in medicine was because as a child, I read "The Cry and the Covenant," a novel about the life and works of Ignaz Semmelweiss.
Novels present the subject matter in the context of life-like experiences, not just as a "laundry list" of events. Once the "hook" has been established, the subject often takes on a life of its own.
There's nothing quite like an exciting story to draw people into a subject. Frankly, I think exciting stories are one of the best educational tools around.
Best of luck with your book; may it top the best seller list, bring you many royalties, and become a popular TV series!
http://towelianism.wordpress.com/introduction/
you should have my email address attached to this post. email me! we're trying to network with other apostates!