The Story

The Young Terrorist: Journey from Arab Militant to Proud American chronicles the transformation of Nabil, an 11-year-old Arab boy, from a budding militant actively involved in a Palestinian militia group in Jordan in the 1960s to a young adult who travels to America to discover a new life along with a new set of beliefs about western culture.

Born a Lebanese Christian, Nabil spends his formative childhood years in Jordan. In his young life, he experiences the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, as well as civil wars in Jordan (Black September) and Lebanon in the 1970s. At nine years old, Nabil experiences his first loss from war — his beloved friends who are killed during an air raid.   

At the age of 11, Nabil joins the Arabic Liberation Front (ALF) in an effort to stop the harassment he encounters as a Lebanese Christian living among Muslim Jordanian boys. He becomes immersed in the militia’s politics and daily operations as well as their effect on his sense of identity and his parents’ growing concerns. As a militia member, Nabil performs military maneuvers in the desert, regularly encounters violent clashes with other militia groups, and witnesses the assassination of one of his leaders.

At 17 years-old, Nabil moves to Lebanon, which is in the midst of a bloody civil war between the Lebanese Christian and Palestinian Muslim militias. Nabil finds himself in a narrow hallway of an apartment building with family and neighbors on mattresses hiding from the shells and artillery fire of the Palestinian militia.  The year-long torment encourages Nabil to escape the bloodthirsty strife.  

Fleeing a young life already marked by turmoil, Nabil leaves for Spain at the age of 18 with the intention of enrolling in college.  While living in Europe, Nabil’s perceptions of western culture begin to shift.  Nabil’s original plans in Spain are thwarted, however, as he has no funds or work visa and returns to raging civil war in Lebanon.

After his first taste of western culture, Nabil sets his mind on leaving the Middle East. Serendipitously, the opportunity arises to relocate to the U.S. on a university student visa to study engineering.

At first, “American ways” are foreign to Nabil.  He enters the U.S. barely able to speak English, and is completely unaccustomed to the American lifestyle and traditions.  He is astonished at how easy it is to make friends with the opposite sex. Nabil spends some years struggling to stay in school due to financial constraints. Going back to the Middle East is impossible, as it means joining a militia group and possible death. Despite his challenges, Nabil begins to experience the opportunities and freedoms of American life and education, and discovers his own “American dream.”

The Young Terrorist is a “coming of age” narrative, which relates the circumstances under which an innocent Arab boy is drawn into power and destruction.  In doing so, it highlights the effects that societal norms (eastern and western) have on the worldview of an adolescent and maturing adult.  Additionally, this work provides readers with insights into the intricacies of Middle East culture and politics, a region in the fore of the global imagination amidst continuing conflicts.  The Young Terrorist is ultimately a narrative of hope against the backdrop of navigating two distinct regions that generates compassion and appreciation of two cultures.