Calgary, January 2024
Abdul was a young man who wanted to become a martyr. He lived in New York and joined a secret jihadist group of men like himself, who wanted to go to Heaven and have 72 virgins assigned to them. In one of my previous articles, I pointed out the statistical improbability of maintaining the 72 to 1 woman-to-man ratio, but this time I wouldn’t dwell on it, and I presume that Abdul didn’t dwell on it either.
To fulfill his dream of 72 virgins, Abdul decided to blow himself up and kill a few infidels in the process. He discussed his plan with his friends, and to make the most of the impact, he decided to blow himself in a prominent place, for example, Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. This would show the infidels that they cannot escape jihad. His friends supplied him with explosives, he hid them in a belt and bought himself an air ticket to Mountain View, California. The day of his departure was cold with heavy snow, and Abdul’s flight was delayed. Then it was delayed again and then it was cancelled. The airline offered him a flight to Miami, Florida, staying overnight in a hotel and continuing the next day to his destination. With no other option, Abdul accepted.
The hotel in Miami was pleasant. It had comfortable rooms, a restaurant, and a large swimming pool. It was early afternoon when Abdu arrived, and he had nothing to do till the next day. He went to his room, unpacked his suitcase, hid the explosive belt, and went down to explore the swimming pool. He was disgusted by the almost naked women showing shamelessly their bodies, but he had to admit, it was exciting to watch. To have a better view, he rented a swimsuit, went to the water, and then sat on the edge of the pool. Women are the devil’s temptation, he knew that, but as a temptation, they could be pretty effective. Abdul couldn’t stop watching.
“So, they cancelled our flight to Mountain View," a female voice startled him. A young woman was sitting beside him, with her wet swimsuit sticking to her body, showing all her shapes. Abdul thought she might be the devil himself, but he couldn't stop staring at her.
“I see that you are admiring the view,” she laughed. “My name is Jane. I saw you in New York waiting for the Mountain View flight.”
“Hello, my name is Abdul,” he finally managed to smatter.
“Nice to meet you, Abdul. Where are you from?”
“New York, but my parents came from Iraq.
“Well, since we have nothing to do till tomorrow, we might as well have dinner together. Do you agree?”
This was another devil's temptation which Abdul should have rejected, but he didn't. They had dinner together, and then Abdul turned down the temptation to have a drink with Jane but accepted her invitation for a visit to her room.
The next day Jane continued to her destination, but Abdul didn't. US Home Security might claim that Jane was a secret agent who prevented a terrorist attack, but it wouldn’t be true. Jane just didn’t want to be alone in that hotel. But the truth is that Abdul didn't go to Mountain View, didn't blow up Google headquarters and didn't become a martyr. He carefully dismantled the explosive belt, threw it into the garbage and bought himself a ticket back to New York. Perhaps he realized that having one woman in this life is better than having 72 virgins after death, and I can only conclude that surrendering to the devil's temptation isn't always bad.