Perseverance — Page 3
Part I – Life Before Islam 3 believed that the authorities would seize illegal cargo to sell underground. When my father returned, the gang leaders asked him for the money. My father recounted the events exactly as they occurred and the gang members fully accepted his story without question, simply upon the basis of his truthful character and reputation for integrity. This was unusually rare because gang members lived by an unwritten code that mandated death to anyone who took their goods without providing their value or whereabouts. Back then, no gang would tolerate the humiliation that a man could con them out of their own illegal goods, and live to brag about it. My father also maintained his composure at all times and refused to give in to emotional rage. My cousin also informed me that once he was out partying with my father, or woman-chasing as it was called in the streets. My cousin caught the eye of a young lady and began talking to her. When her male companion appeared and saw my cousin talking to her, he pulled out his gun. My cousin ran out of fear, but my father stood his ground. The girl’s companion shot the gun using my father’s shoulder as a rest to stabilize his aim at my cousin. Luckily for my cousin, the shot missed its target. Later, my cousin informed me that he asked my father why he did not move to throw the shooter’s aim off, to which my father replied that the gun was so close to his head that the shot’s fire burnt his ear. He didn’t say anything else. My cousin told me that he had never met a man like my father. When I was between 15 and 20 years old, I recall another incident where I was in a tavern. There was a commotion and noise that attracted my attention. I discovered that the commotion was a fight between my father and a lady companion. I saw the woman