The Uvalde Raider by Ben English (great books for teens TXT) 📕

Ezekiel knew instinctively that Qassam was most likely the principal author of what was happening around them, and his calculated appeal was aimed squarely at the other man’s sense of pride and ego. His gambit took only the briefest time to bring fruit as the terrorist began nodding agreeably.

“Why thank you, Colonel” responded the Hezbollah leader. “I take that as a real compliment, as I am the one responsible for this project.” Qassam seemed overly pleased with the recognition and Ezekiel made a mental note of the first chink discovered in his opponent’s armor.

“Since you are apparently so determined to discover what this is about,” added the commander, “I will explain exactly what is happening and what will happen in the very near future, for all the good it will do you.”

“You mentioned knowing something about the word jihad” Qassam began. “Pardon my lack of confidence in your knowledge, yet I seriously doubt that any non-believer can fully appreciate this fundamental pillar of Islam. Your people often simply translate it as ‘holy war.’ However, it means so much more to those who devoutly follow the teachings of the Prophet, blessed be his name.”

Yahla al-Qassam paused for a moment, putting his thoughts in proper order. “Yes, Colonel, I will indulge your ceaseless curiosity in this. After all, the three of you are playing a very small part in what will be a verifiably momentous event, and you should have the chance to comprehend it more fully. But first, a necessary lesson in history that has brought us all to where we are now.

“For some thirteen centuries my people have waged this conflict in not only a physical sense, but also in what encompasses the mind, the heart and the spirit. Their ceaseless struggling and faithful acts of purification led Islam to be the light of the world early on. While your ancestors were only one step beyond living in caves and dying from the Black Death, ours were recognized as the greatest mathematicians, architects, astronomers, scientists and scholars the world had ever seen. Our culture was without peer.

“During that time cities such as Baghdad, Cordova, Istanbul, Cairo, Tripoli and many others arose, each becoming a sphere of influence for those in search of enlightenment and knowledge. The largest known libraries on earth were found within their confines and buildings of breathtaking beauty lined their streets. This period became known as the Islamic Renaissance, or The Golden Age.

“For example did you know that Ibn Sina, the Persian whom your people call Avicenna, finished a fourteen volume work entitled The Canon of Medicine in 1025 and it remained the standard for many Western doctors until the early 1800s? And that he was also renowned as a poet, philosopher and astronomer, as well as a respected scholar of the holy Quran?

“Ibn Sina was only one of innumerous giants of our Islamic Golden Age. There were so many others, all anointed by Allah himself and led by the teachings of the Prophet, blessed be his name. These men in turn inspired others and Islam blossomed in the minds and hearts of the true believers, and these in turn were rewarded with riches beyond imagination for their devotion.”

As Qassam pursued his course of thought, Ezekiel noted the fervency growing in the man’s voice. Yet it was the look in his eyes that so forcefully underscored what would otherwise have been mere words, those eyes that were neither focused on him or anything else in the room. Their burning intensity gave away the countenance of a man who was looking to a faraway place and time, and yearning to go there. They were the eyes of someone driven half mad by the zealotry of his own fevered dreams and altered perceptions of greatness.

Still lost in the recollections of a world equally lost to the ravages of time, change and circumstance, the Hezbollah leader kept on with his ascending monologue.

“Then came the Christian Crusaders from the West as well as the Mongolian hordes of the East. We were a people of peace and believed that knowledge was the key to cure all ills, including those of greed, avarice and the corruptible qualities of conquest and power. We were wrong.

“With our enemies attacking from outside and the rot of the Zionist Jews from within, our Golden Age came to an ignominious end. One disaster befell another as the centuries passed, and those who were once chosen by Allah became little more than servants and slaves to all who occupied our lands. We ourselves had forgotten the importance of the Prophet’s command to wage jihad and the associated sacrifices required in doing so.

“However, when those occupiers gave up our holy land of Palestine to the filthy Hebrew who had collaborated in our defeats and helped fetter our people, a new page was turned in the story of Islam. More so than any other one thing, this last dishonor reminded us of who we had once been and how low we had sunk since.

“At that humiliating realization, that odious nadir in the midst of an open sewer, we at last rediscovered our destiny. Our banners now fly high again. Our swords are lifted in unity while the sacred words of the Prophet overflow in our mouths as well as our hearts. Once again, we relearn the true meaning of jihad and the vital purification it entails. No matter how heavy the cost, we shall never return to the shame of licking any infidel’s feet.” Qassam fixed his full attention on Ezekiel Templar again, staring at him with a seething emotion barely controlled.

“By this time tomorrow, the United States will also fully understand the concept of jihad and to learn to live in fear of it. You will be confronted with a new kind of war that you have forced upon us. Man, woman or child, it will not matter as all will suffer