Depending on where his parents settled in the United States, their inability to find work could have been due to their level of education, prospects due to geography, or perhaps, something more insidious, such as racism or xenophobia. In any event, as a result of their failure to succeed in their adopted country, Dad turns to alcohol and eventually leaves the home. Mom, like many single mothers, must work multiple jobs to pay the bills and must rely on neighbors to care for her child, or leave the child to fend for himself.
During the most critical developmental years (through age 7), Shobbit develops feelings of abandonment, since he is essentially raising himself. Mom eventually passes away, forcing this young immigrant into our convoluted foster care system. Like many foster children, he is bounced around from home to home, leading to an even deeper feeling of abandonment and lack of self worth. He eventually gets into trouble, enters the juvenile detention system and grows into an adult with an outlet of a very
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While I do not subscribe to the belief that poverty is the sole root cause of terrorism, (it is well known that Osama Bin Laden came from a wealthy family), I do feel that in many circumstances poverty and a feeling of injustice and disenfranchisement can push someone into committing extremist acts.
Mr. Shabhara may have turned to terrorism due to a combination of poverty and weak family ties, which created a fertile ground for extremist views and a feeling of desperation. His parents dreams of emigration to better their lives, turned into a nightmare. The gap between their expectations and achievements was great and eventually led to the collapse of this family. Perhaps Mr. Shabhara felt cheated by a nation that outwardly promised his parents a better life, but somehow only delivered disappointment and