A mother tends to think at least 100 times before she has to leave her child to run errands; yet this mother chose to depict a gruesome act of hatred and terror instead of thinking about the wellbeing of her offspring. Tashfeen Malik (27), and her husband, Syed Farook (28), were responsible for the slaughter of 14 innocent lives and injured 21 in California, allegedly inspired by Isis. This is one of the most shocking and devastating attacks since 9/11.
The couple, who were both of Pakistani origin, killed 14 people at a work Christmas party, at the Inland Regional Center, a training and support facility for disabled people that had been hired for the Christmas function.
Syed Farook, who was born in the USA, was an employee of the San Bernadino County Department of Public Health for five years. Prior to the attacks, the couple had left their six-month-old daughter with their relatives, giving them the excuse that they had a doctor's appointment.
A work colleague of Farook, Patrick Baccari had said that Farook had earlier traveled to Saudi Arabia, and returned with a wife and a grown beard.
Baccari was also sitting at the same table as Farook at the Christmas lunch. He described Farook as reserved and that there were no signs of any unusual behaviour until he suddenly disappeared, leaving his coat behind.
At approximately 11am, Farook returned with his wife, dressed completely in black and concealing their faces behind masks, and open fired at the innocent guests.
Denise Peraza (27), who was present at the scene said, “Everyone dropped to the floor. It was during a holiday party. The guys opened fired for 30 seconds, randomly, then paused to reload and began firing again.”
The police had chased the couple and at about 3pm, they died in the gun-battle with the police.
The cause for this attack has left many baffled, especially their family members. Farook's Farhan Khan, stated at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Los Angeles, “I am in shock that something like this can happen. I just cannot express at how sad I am for what happened... Why would he [Syed Farook] do something like this? I have absolutely no idea.”
It has been alleged that while Farook had initially hesitated to initiate the attack, Malik pulled the trigger and started the horrendous massacre.
Tashfeen Malik was a pharmacy graduate from the Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan, Pakistan. It is said that she also attended a women-only madrassa, or Islamic religious school, Al-Huda International Seminary which has branches in Canada, USA and across Pakistan.
Although the school has no links to extremists, the founder of Al-Huda, Farhat Hashmi, has been criticised for allegedly promoting conservative strain of Islam. Furthermore, the region of where the school in situated in is allegedly claimed as the home to several extremist religious schools with links to the Pakistan Taliban and Al-Qaida.
A professor of Malik, Nisar Hussain, had told the Los Angeles Times, “She was religious, but a very normal person as well. She was a very hardworking and submissive student.”
But what seems to be translucent is that down the line, she became radicalised which turned lethal for many lives. Police allegedly mentioned that prior to her death, she had given a social media shoutout Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Isis leader, around the time of the attack.
With the recent catastrophes taking place globally, whether the Paris attacks, the shootings in California, or the most recent stabbing attacks in at Leytonstone Station, East London, people's fear of society has become justified. One cannot be certain of the safety of the environment they live in, nor can they be overconfident that they are invincible and no atrocity can hit them.
30-year-old Swati Bhatt, from the USA, speaks about how the recent terror attack in California has left her, as well as many, fearful for their lives. She said, “As an individual, I feel it is a big concern for all of us here living in America. What happened in California is terrible. And for us, the biggest concern we are facing today is that the government really needs to do something about the gun laws in America. I definitely do fear about my safety since 9/11. Even though I live in one of the most powerful countries in the world, I still fear for my life. It's really hard for us to trust people these days. We strictly need laws for guns because people are using them terribly.”
Bhatt definitely agrees that these attacks which have been taking place globally has made many, including herself, weary about who to trust in life. She said, “I am not a racist person but such incidents makesme think twice before trusting anyone. I have a few Muslim friends who have faced racist comments when such terror attacks occur. Even though I am not a white American, I can definitely understand how they might feel towards other races when such incidents happen... I do have to be careful these days before trusting anyone.”
Although such acts are carried out by a minority of people who are out to destroy, many innocent people have to suffer society's enmity. There are many places in the world where Asians are mistreated for the evil deeds of others. Swati Bhatt adds, “I do feel Asians are being targeted unfairly at times. I have seen many incidents where Asians do not get treated well because of their race. And it is because of such terror attacks that America has been facing since 9/11. It's about trust; if we don't feel safe in our own country and cannot trust others completely, then such mistreatments will happen. If you are different or look different, then you will be questioned no matter what. Either you try to blend in or get noticed for the right or wrong things.”
It may be a long wait until Asians can finally walk without the fear of being stereotyped of discriminated for the atrocities of a minority. And with such outrageous attacks on innocent lives, it seems like a pessimistic outlook.
