Umar must be made to dance to his own tune.

One of the things I did during the holidays was to spend time reflecting on the religion-Islam. Especially so after passengers on a Delta Airline Flight to the Detroit, Michigan, fouled the foolish attempt by a 23 year old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, to blow the airline and kill, including himself, the more than 200 passengers on board.

That was the eve on Christmas and had he been successful, it would have been an ugly taste for the rest of the world. How on earth could a 23 year old person from a rich home with all the world’s wealth at his feet allowed himself to be screwed by a spineless group, Al Qaeda?

Like most people who have either written or spoken about what motivated the Youngman to undertake what could have been the ‘Christmas eve’ bombing had he gone ahead, I had equally asked myself the same question.

The perception is that for an African to be lured into such a mess, and then he ought to becoming from a poor background. That can’t be ruled out especially when one takes a look at the levels of poverty spreading across the African continent.

In West African alone operatives of Al Qaeda could get loads of faithfuls, according to a security analyst. Guinea for example is gradually sinking into the abyss and hungry residents will grab any opportunity to move out of that country.

After all an airline ticket and a supposedly comfortable stay in a terror camp will not be too much of an opportunity for one to say no to.
Such places are fertile for terror groups to recruit chaps for their missions.

Even in countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone who are both emerging from a painful war that claimed lives and properties, worries are still hanging in the air concerning most of the desperate and unemployed youths being lured into undertaking terror missions.

Thankfully that has not happened and one does hope it remains so. But for a Youngman with prospects at his feet to be caught in such a mess remains a tough question to answer.

Why did he do? Was he not loved by his parents etc?

His parents are very rich, he looks certain to get the best education and become somebody in life. But he decided to give all up and fight a foolish cause.