Read Online A Prayer for the Devil by Dale Allan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dale Allan
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and an MIT sweatshirt. Taken aback, he said, “I’m Luke Miller; I was supposed to meet with JamilahRaboud.” The young lady responded with a beautiful smile, showing her perfect white teeth. “Luke, I’m Jamilah.”
Flustered, Luke responded, “Sorry, Jamilah, I didn’t recognize you.”
They laughed and shook hands. “Please call me Jami.” Noticing that Luke wasn’t wearing his clerical clothing, she replied, “I almost didn’t recognize you, either!”
She motioned for Luke to sit down on a small couch and offered him something to drink. He politely declined. Sitting across from him in a wooden chair, she became serious and picked up the conversation from the day before. “Luke, my sister was a very peaceful person. She loved the U.S. and its people.”
Seeing tears forming in her expressive eyes, Luke quickly spoke up. “I’m not here because I think your sister had something to do with the bombing. I’m here,” he began, but remembering that Mark Aldridge had warned him about not trusting anyone, he caught himself, deciding to limit the amount of details he would divulge. “Well, I’m not really sure why I’m here. I guess I wanted to see how the other victims’ families were coping.”
Her response surprised Luke. “Who else have you met with?”
He wondered if the question was an innocent response or an attempt to get information from him. Thinking quickly, he answered truthfully. “I’ve talked with Brad Thompson’s mother.”
“Anyone else?”
“Not yet. You were the next one on my list.” As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them, knowing what her next question would be.
“You have a list?”
“I think everyone read about the people who were killed.” Wanting to take control of the situation, he quickly changed the subject. “Enough about me. How are you doing?”
She looked up and her voice cracked as she asked, “Do you know what Ablaa means?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“It means ‘perfectly formed.’ She was perfect. I miss her terribly.” She tried to continue but couldn’t.
Luke gave her a few minutes to compose herself, then he said, “Let’s not talk about the bombing. I didn’t come here to upset you.” While she dried her eyes, Luke asked, “Where are you from?”
She forced a smile. “Egypt.”
“Really? I’ve also lived in Africa.”
Surprised, she asked, “Where?”
“I worked in Johannesburg for four years.”
“Southern Africa is much different from northern Africa.”
Intrigued by her statement, he asked, “What do you mean?”
She seemed flustered, and Luke noticed red blotches forming on her neck. “As you must know, there are vast religious differences between the regions.” At that moment her cell phone rang and she politely excused herself, walking into the bedroom to take the call.
Luke knew that part of the world very well, and the differences weren’t just that people quietly believed in different religions. Yes, northern Africa was made up of mostly Muslims who practiced Islam, while southern Africa was populated mostly by Christians. However, after his fellow priests were murdered in Johannesburg, there were rumors throughout the area suggesting that the killers weren’t burglars, as advertised by the local media, but Muslim extremists who hated Christians.
Sharia law was prevalent in the north, and Luke had spent countless hours researching it. The more he learned about Sharia, the more concerned he became. Defined as “the path” or “the way,” Sharia law was derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the divine revelations set forth in the Qur’an, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Luke’s concerns had nothing to do with the law itself but with the far-reaching and extreme interpretations of the law.The openly discussed portions had to do mostly with women’s rights, including covering their faces in public, being subservient to their husbands, and not dating
Flustered, Luke responded, “Sorry, Jamilah, I didn’t recognize you.”
They laughed and shook hands. “Please call me Jami.” Noticing that Luke wasn’t wearing his clerical clothing, she replied, “I almost didn’t recognize you, either!”
She motioned for Luke to sit down on a small couch and offered him something to drink. He politely declined. Sitting across from him in a wooden chair, she became serious and picked up the conversation from the day before. “Luke, my sister was a very peaceful person. She loved the U.S. and its people.”
Seeing tears forming in her expressive eyes, Luke quickly spoke up. “I’m not here because I think your sister had something to do with the bombing. I’m here,” he began, but remembering that Mark Aldridge had warned him about not trusting anyone, he caught himself, deciding to limit the amount of details he would divulge. “Well, I’m not really sure why I’m here. I guess I wanted to see how the other victims’ families were coping.”
Her response surprised Luke. “Who else have you met with?”
He wondered if the question was an innocent response or an attempt to get information from him. Thinking quickly, he answered truthfully. “I’ve talked with Brad Thompson’s mother.”
“Anyone else?”
“Not yet. You were the next one on my list.” As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them, knowing what her next question would be.
“You have a list?”
“I think everyone read about the people who were killed.” Wanting to take control of the situation, he quickly changed the subject. “Enough about me. How are you doing?”
She looked up and her voice cracked as she asked, “Do you know what Ablaa means?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“It means ‘perfectly formed.’ She was perfect. I miss her terribly.” She tried to continue but couldn’t.
Luke gave her a few minutes to compose herself, then he said, “Let’s not talk about the bombing. I didn’t come here to upset you.” While she dried her eyes, Luke asked, “Where are you from?”
She forced a smile. “Egypt.”
“Really? I’ve also lived in Africa.”
Surprised, she asked, “Where?”
“I worked in Johannesburg for four years.”
“Southern Africa is much different from northern Africa.”
Intrigued by her statement, he asked, “What do you mean?”
She seemed flustered, and Luke noticed red blotches forming on her neck. “As you must know, there are vast religious differences between the regions.” At that moment her cell phone rang and she politely excused herself, walking into the bedroom to take the call.
Luke knew that part of the world very well, and the differences weren’t just that people quietly believed in different religions. Yes, northern Africa was made up of mostly Muslims who practiced Islam, while southern Africa was populated mostly by Christians. However, after his fellow priests were murdered in Johannesburg, there were rumors throughout the area suggesting that the killers weren’t burglars, as advertised by the local media, but Muslim extremists who hated Christians.
Sharia law was prevalent in the north, and Luke had spent countless hours researching it. The more he learned about Sharia, the more concerned he became. Defined as “the path” or “the way,” Sharia law was derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the divine revelations set forth in the Qur’an, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Luke’s concerns had nothing to do with the law itself but with the far-reaching and extreme interpretations of the law.The openly discussed portions had to do mostly with women’s rights, including covering their faces in public, being subservient to their husbands, and not dating
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