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Khitam Bahir, Iraq, “I no longer recognise my insurgent son”

Khitam Bahir, 51, says she was shocked when her 24-year-old son Mustafa (not his real name) became an insurgent. Afif Sarhan/IRIN
    BAGHDAD

    Khitam Bahir, aged 51, says she was shocked when her 24-year-old son Mustafa (not his real name) became an insurgent. An engineering student, he left college in October 2006 to join a local fighting group linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq. She has tried in vain to change his mind.

    “I no longer recognise my son since he turned into an insurgent. He used to be a very popular, easy-going and modern person but now he has changed completely. He has decided to fight US-troops, even if he is killed.

    “I’m desperate because I didn’t raise my son to be a fighter. At home we gave him love and tenderness, good food, education, health care. His siblings always considered him the most lovely person in our family.

    “He left home in November and is living with other fighters but I don’t know where. Sometimes he drops me a line, saying that he is happy and has helped in an attack. It just breaks my heart and makes me cry.

    “My life has changed since he became an insurgent. I never know if he will be alive tomorrow. His brothers and sisters are confused about his decision. He was going to finish college in two years’ time and had great plans to go to Britain to do a PhD, and now when I urge him to go back to university and leave this life, he tells me that he cannot betray God and hangs up the phone.

    “I miss my old son, a person who was always smiling and playful. He was going to get married next year but his fiancée ended the relationship after he told her he was going to help insurgents around Anbar Province, and now she is with her family in Jordan.

    “Mustafa was encouraged into this life by two of his friends from Ramadi. They were filling his head with Islamic extremism. I hope my son can change his mind and return to his old life.”

    as/ar/cb

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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