Real pictures of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

The word "Terrorist" and "Nigerian" in the same sentence almost sounds like an Oxymoron. Nigeria is a country with a not so good reputation worldwide. How do I know? Try traveling with a Nigerian passport versus traveling with the almighty BLUE passport. Many Nigerians are subjected to far more rigorous searches and ridicule at several airports because the country has been brandished globally as breeding mainly con artists, fraudsters, & "419'ers".

Nigerians love’love love’ to live life to the fullest which explains why it was once tagged the happiest country in the world back in 200,, not sure. In Nigeria, middle class is pretty much nonexistent. The Rich keeps getting mega rich and could barely figure out what to do with all the wealth they possess. Does that explain why a rich kid would want to blow up a plane? He has gotten everything he wants, got the best education, traveled round the world, and now, he wanted to bomb a plane. The people to whom we entrust to rule the country do nothing but swindle billions of dollars from the country and hoard them in banks all around the globe.

On December 25th, 2009, It was no longer the usual Nigerian scam artist story. The Breaking News revolved around a "Nigerian terrorist," “Nigerian bomber,” “Son of former bank CEO tried to bomb a plane.” Damn! It came as no surprise to me the level of shock exhibited by most Nigerians when this news broke. I mean what Sane Nigerian attempts suicide?? Let alone on U.S. soil?

I see it as a young man (whom I can't pronounce his name to save my life) who had been brainwashed into a dangerous ideology. All I saw was a young man who should be thoroughly evaluated on his mental state of mind. The real deal here is RELIGION. This is really just another situation where another innocent mind has been brainwashed by extremists into the ideology that the United States is somehow in a war against Islam.

Religion is a subject so touchy, so dangerous, and so deadly. So many wars and so many lives have been lost by something (religion) that is supposed to bring about world peace and unity. OH THE IRONY! I am no atheist/agnostic. I choose to believe in God for personal reasons but things like what occurred yesterday remind me of why I harbor no grudges whatsoever towards people who choose to be atheists.

The main stream media is either ridiculously ignorant or just plain evil. The way news is being portrayed sometimes leaves me wondering what exactly their agenda is. For example, "BREAKING NEWS .NIGERIAN MAN COMMITS TERROR." Why the emphasis on his Nationality? Why not "BREAKING NEWS, AN INSANE MAN PLANNED TO COMMIT AN ACT OF TERROR"?

People wonder why there is so much hate for the U.S internationally. It is because of images and messages as such that defame a whole nation that is constantly being portrayed in the U.S media.

By Judith Afonta, also edited for publishing.
pictures from BBC