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Patricia Earl had a front-row seat on her son’s slow descent into radicalism.
So when the mother of John Maguire heard reports this week that the 24-year-old had died near Kobani, Syria, she was heartbroken, but not surprised, she said. Not really.
“I’ve been kind of preparing for this moment since the day he left,” Earl told the Citizen during a lengthy interview Thursday at her home south of Ottawa.
Maguire, who had been calling himself Abu Anwar Al-Canadi since converting to Islam, made national headlines as the latest face of homegrown extremism in this country, appearing in an ISIL propaganda video in which he chillingly calls for attacks on his native Canada.
Maguire’s death was reported this week on a pro-ISIL Twitter account. His family has not received official confirmation from Canadian officials.
On Thursday night, Earl spread photos of her son on her kitchen table, pointing to snapshots of a happy child who loved to race dirt bikes, play hockey and even took up figure skating because he was told it would help his game.
“That does not look like a terrorist,” Earl said, pointing to a photo.
Earl, a friendly woman who grew up on a farm with six siblings, said her son left for Syria four months after he converted in August of 2012.
“I never had a problem with the (Muslim) faith, never dreaming in a million years that this was going to be the result of it,” Earl said.
“If that’s what you’re into and you’re not harming anybody, fine. There wasn’t anything concerning with his behaviour,” Earl said.
Maguire’s family believes his road to Islam began when he became friends with Muslim co-workers at an Ottawa Walmart, but it wasn’t until he started at the University of Ottawa that his interest in the religion really took off.
Earl’s husband, Bill Langenberg, said he remembered Jan. 1, 2012, when Maguire was about to go to bed when the late news showed a story on the conflict in the Middle East.
Maguire sat down beside his stepfather and said, “My brothers are being mistreated,” Langenberg recalled his stepson said.
“I didn’t think that was normal,” Langenberg said.
Langenberg said he tried to speak to his stepson one night about Islam. Langenberg worked hard to develop a relationship with him, but Maguire kept pushing him away.
During that conversation, Maguire told Langenberg that he had moved past his difficult upbringing. The youth had been estranged from his mother after she escaped an abusive marriage after 21 years.
Earl says her ex-husband kept Maguire away from her for six years. She reunited with him in October 2009 after Maguire’s biological father moved to Russia.
“I get my son back and now he is gone,” Earl said.
A year before Maguire left for Syria, he told Earl and Langenberg he wouldn’t be bothered if someone put a gun to his head, but that if he was killed, he wanted to be buried as a Muslim.
The weekend after Maguire left, Langenberg started to blame himself for not trying to stop him. Earl was quick to ease his feeling of guilt — she told her husband she couldn’t have stopped Maguire even if he wanted to.
Once Maguire was in Syria, he managed to stay in touch with his family. Langenberg had asked that Maguire send him an email once a month so they knew he was safe. Eventually, Maguire’s stepfather got Skype so they could chat online to save on long-distance phone bills.
In one conversation, Maguire told his mother he was marrying a 19-year-old Muslim woman and he wanted her to come to the wedding. Since her passport had expired, Earl told her son she just couldn’t be there. Maguire said he could get her into Syria the same way he did.
“That perked my ears up,” Earl said. Maguire told his mother he got across the border by paying off guards.
Earl never got a chance to meet or even see a photo of her daughter-in-law.
The last time Earl spoke to her son on Skype, at the end of August 2014, they got into a fight. She told her son she didn’t understand his beliefs and what he was doing overseas.
“I said, ‘John, how many people do you have to kill? It’s wrong. Why?'”
Earl said her son was smart, sweet and so much fun.
“How does this beautiful kid end up on the dark side? It’s beyond …” Earl said, trailing off.
mhurley@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/meghan_hurley
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So when the mother of John Maguire heard reports this week that the 24-year-old had died near Kobani, Syria, she was heartbroken, but not surprised, she said. Not really.
“I’ve been kind of preparing for this moment since the day he left,” Earl told the Citizen during a lengthy interview Thursday at her home south of Ottawa.
Maguire, who had been calling himself Abu Anwar Al-Canadi since converting to Islam, made national headlines as the latest face of homegrown extremism in this country, appearing in an ISIL propaganda video in which he chillingly calls for attacks on his native Canada.
Maguire’s death was reported this week on a pro-ISIL Twitter account. His family has not received official confirmation from Canadian officials.
On Thursday night, Earl spread photos of her son on her kitchen table, pointing to snapshots of a happy child who loved to race dirt bikes, play hockey and even took up figure skating because he was told it would help his game.
“That does not look like a terrorist,” Earl said, pointing to a photo.
Earl, a friendly woman who grew up on a farm with six siblings, said her son left for Syria four months after he converted in August of 2012.
“I never had a problem with the (Muslim) faith, never dreaming in a million years that this was going to be the result of it,” Earl said.
“If that’s what you’re into and you’re not harming anybody, fine. There wasn’t anything concerning with his behaviour,” Earl said.
Maguire’s family believes his road to Islam began when he became friends with Muslim co-workers at an Ottawa Walmart, but it wasn’t until he started at the University of Ottawa that his interest in the religion really took off.
Earl’s husband, Bill Langenberg, said he remembered Jan. 1, 2012, when Maguire was about to go to bed when the late news showed a story on the conflict in the Middle East.
Maguire sat down beside his stepfather and said, “My brothers are being mistreated,” Langenberg recalled his stepson said.
“I didn’t think that was normal,” Langenberg said.
Langenberg said he tried to speak to his stepson one night about Islam. Langenberg worked hard to develop a relationship with him, but Maguire kept pushing him away.
During that conversation, Maguire told Langenberg that he had moved past his difficult upbringing. The youth had been estranged from his mother after she escaped an abusive marriage after 21 years.
Earl says her ex-husband kept Maguire away from her for six years. She reunited with him in October 2009 after Maguire’s biological father moved to Russia.
“I get my son back and now he is gone,” Earl said.
A year before Maguire left for Syria, he told Earl and Langenberg he wouldn’t be bothered if someone put a gun to his head, but that if he was killed, he wanted to be buried as a Muslim.
The weekend after Maguire left, Langenberg started to blame himself for not trying to stop him. Earl was quick to ease his feeling of guilt — she told her husband she couldn’t have stopped Maguire even if he wanted to.
Once Maguire was in Syria, he managed to stay in touch with his family. Langenberg had asked that Maguire send him an email once a month so they knew he was safe. Eventually, Maguire’s stepfather got Skype so they could chat online to save on long-distance phone bills.
In one conversation, Maguire told his mother he was marrying a 19-year-old Muslim woman and he wanted her to come to the wedding. Since her passport had expired, Earl told her son she just couldn’t be there. Maguire said he could get her into Syria the same way he did.
“That perked my ears up,” Earl said. Maguire told his mother he got across the border by paying off guards.
Earl never got a chance to meet or even see a photo of her daughter-in-law.
The last time Earl spoke to her son on Skype, at the end of August 2014, they got into a fight. She told her son she didn’t understand his beliefs and what he was doing overseas.
“I said, ‘John, how many people do you have to kill? It’s wrong. Why?'”
Earl said her son was smart, sweet and so much fun.
“How does this beautiful kid end up on the dark side? It’s beyond …” Earl said, trailing off.
mhurley@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/meghan_hurley
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查看原文...
