My heartstrings are torn, and I grieved greatly for / Zeina, Zeina, the ornament of girls, in name, form, content, behavior, interaction, ethics, values, and lineage, how could it not be when she belongs to (Khawat Khadra)? When I first saw her picture, I thought she was my daughter, my only one, the source of my pride and dignity. I was prepared to read a joyful, delightful news about an engagement, or academic achievement, or a notable accomplishment. But I was shocked by the news of the betrayal against her, by whom!? By her brother.
There is no power nor strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Great. Although I do not know her, I felt a profound, intense sadness overwhelming me. And it jumped into my mind how her family could bear the pain of this great, immense loss!?
Our beloved homeland is no longer a "corridor" for the scourge of drugs, ever, absolutely, not at all. Our country has become a "headquarters", a permanent place, and fertile ground for this scourge that brutally devastates the individual and the society, because it robs and obscures the mind.
In many of our homes are "time bombs", their safety pins withdrawn, ready to explode at any second, at any moment, without warning, without need for causes or justifications.
If a family member becomes addicted, especially among young males, the father and the mother are supposed to be the first to notice this change and deviation. There is no one left who is unaware of the symptoms of addiction no matter how ignorant they are. But the problem lies in the cowardice of the parents, not their ignorance. For some parents "cover up" and "conceal" to avoid "social scandal". They do not know that they are covering up a scandal that can be overcome and resolved, to a major scandal and crime combined together by killing an innocent, peaceful soul, who is blameless.
The ignorance of parents is represented in delaying, procrastinating, and dawdling in taking the most effective, safest, and correct action. As if they believe it's a mistake, or a whim that the addict can quit. They do not know, or they know but ignore that the condition of addiction becomes more difficult, more complicated, and sometimes may become resistant to treatment as more time passes on the addict.
They believe, as if starting to use drugs will lead to improvement and rationality and not to the abyss. And that the matter will worsen and the situation will deteriorate over time. And that it will begin with increasing doses then searching for stronger types, more lethal and destructive for the mind, soul, body, and for the family as well. And more importantly, the mind deteriorates and disappears rapidly until the mind is completely gone, turning the addict into a "potential criminal."
I do not know the circumstances and details of the incident that took the life of the young girl Zeina, nor do I want to know, so as not to break my heart further. Also, I am not writing about her, but rather intend to take lessons from the incident on a national level.
Directly, and briefly, cases of murder and commission of strange crimes in our society have repeated, and the majority of the culprits and criminals in them are young addicts.
It is logical to consider that a father who conceals his addicted son is considered "covering up a criminal." Because it is expected of every father to closely monitor his children's behavior and to scrutinize all the involuntary behaviors associated with an addict. As soon as any doubts arise, he should take decisive and firm actions by reporting to the relevant security authorities to commence their role.
Specifically, the father needs to be aware, understand, consider, take heed, and let his mind guide him, and restrain his emotions, by handing over his son to the security authorities as soon as his son's drug use is confirmed, to take care of him and treat him, and they will not release him until he has completely quit addiction and has fully recovered.
I swear by the Most High, the Great, three times, if God forbid, I discovered that one of my sons was an addict when they were teenagers — for they are now grown up and in their thirties — I swear to God I would personally hand him over to the relevant security authorities.
Fathers must realize that handing over their addicted son is entirely the right thing to do, as it protects the addict from harming himself, and in most cases, it resolves his addiction returning him as a healthy person, and it also protects the addict's family and the community at large from the dangers of his criminal actions which reach the extent of committing murder.
Father, by handing over your addicted son to the designated security authorities, you save his life, and the lives of others. Because the end of a free addict is known, where it will end up in committing a crime.
The silence of the father about his son's addiction, and not reporting it to the relevant security authorities, is considered silence, indeed ("covering up a criminal"), and it is supposed to be considered that the father is ("a partner in the crime") committed by the addict. Because addiction has deprived him of his mind, and blinded his ability to act properly, and he does not understand the consequences of his actions, and thus he becomes like the "bomb" from which the safety pin has been removed.
Father, who conceals your son's addiction to drugs, true it is an affliction and a great misfortune, may God help you to bear its consequences, and true that addiction of one of the children negatively reflects on the family's reputation socially, but you must realize that it is less harmful than ending up committing a crime, victimizing one of the innocent family members.
Following repeated heinous murder cases caused by addiction, I see it is necessary for our security agencies to undertake "awareness campaigns for fathers" specifically, and to consider their covering up for their addicted children as them being "partners in the crime" committed by the addict.
