Depression and Loneliness Leads to Umar Farouk Attempted Terrorism

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's attempted bombing of a trans-Atlantic flight on Christmas Day was definitely caused by loneliness and depression, his online posts shows. It reveals that the 23-year old Nigerian man feels that he has no one to turn to and that he is turn between Islamic liberalism and extremism.

"I have no one to speak too [sic]... No one to consult, no one to support me and I feel depressed and lonely. I do not know what to do. And then I think this loneliness leads me to other problems." contained one of his online postings on 2005 when he was attending boarding school.

Umar was the son of a wealth banker that is why he has the privilege to study in top schools and go to places to attend events and other types of studies however it seems that being rich has also its toll on the young man.

In a report published by the Washington Post which reviews 300 online postings of "farouk1986" which is presumed to be his online identity it reveals that the young Farouk talks openly about love and marriage, his college ambitions and angst over education and an internal struggle within himself. He sought friends through Facebook and Islamic chat rooms.

The Washington Post article also contained an interview with one of his uncle saying they could not believe why Farouk would do such a thing.

"Farouk was a devoted Muslim who took his religion seriously and was committed to his studies," said an uncle. "He was such a brilliant boy and nobody in the family had the slightest thought he could do something as insane as this."

Whatever the reason was, it is clear that depression and loneliness might drive even the most religious and peaceful human beings to the craziest of actions one can dream of.

Also Visit My Other Blogs
| Pagod Ka Na Bang Maging si Juan? | Ordinary People, Ordinary Day |