In the Shadow of Allah

This story is written to commemorate the thousands of innocent men, women and children who, over too many years, have been slaughtered by Islamic fundamentalists.  The victims, never able to protect themselves from cowardly acts of would-be terrorists, cry out for some form of retribution.  The families, friends, lovers and acquaintances of bodies torn apart by improvised explosive devices, the vests worn by suicide bombers, and munitions planted aboard vehicles of public transportation need a voice, a champion to carry their frustration and anger to the perpetrators of such barbarous acts based on intolerance.  Such a hero is a man who, if left alone in his devotion to job and family, would never have caused a cloud to hover over some religiously-crazed followers of an Islamic God.  Such men, driven mad by over- zealous clerics, will soon walk in the shadow of Allah.

Our story begins when a man has just been told that his wife, the woman he loves, has committed an indiscretion; she has been unfaithful.  While this recklessness occurred only once and perhaps caused by the man’s over attention to his job and neglect of his marriage, the feelings of guilt brought the wife to realize that a terrible wrong had been committed against the man she loves.  In a quiet and serious discussion where both parties realized the importance of continuing their union, the man and his wife became closer than ever in a willingness to share the rest of their life together.  In an effort to further cement their understanding, a short trip was planned in which husband and wife and their two children would travel and work to reconnect broken ties.