The Jihadist's Opera

The Jihadist’s Opera by S. Kapoor Daniel Thomas - a man who's been blessed with a loving wife, his own barber shop, a fiveyear- old son Luke and a baby on the way. He's a devout Christian. Church, family and community - these are the pillars of Daniel's life. After he befriends the jovial Azim, a political refugee and single parent at an outreach program run by his wife, Coreen, Azim becomes a close friend and supporter of the program. Helping out the refugees, Daniel is reminded of the horrors he witnessed whilst volunteering in Syria. Unsettled, he seeks counsel with the parish priest but whilst in confession, he is attacked by an unknown assailant who fire-bombs the booth. Daniel barely manages to escape. Later, he receives an anonymous text from a stranger asking him to confess about his time in Syria, or he will divulge details about Daniel’s past. Desperate to keep his former mistakes hidden from Coreen, Daniel sets out to learn the stranger's identity. He reconciles with Jonathan who volunteered with him in Syria, who's also being blackmailed. They suspect Nafeez, a former colleague who served alongside them but soon learn that Nafeez was killed a few weeks before but discover he was being blackmailed by ALNaquar, an infamous Syrian mercenary who's now in the UK. They manage to track him down and in the ensuing struggle, Jonathan kills Al-Naquar. They burn his remains along with any evidence and go their separate ways, relieved, the nightmare is over. Finally, whilst preparing to leave London, Daniel is contacted again by the elusive stranger who sends Coreen, footage of Daniel's time in Syria, revealing he was never a charity worker but a jihadist who helped organise a massacre. Devastated at this deceit, Coreen breaks-down and asks Daniel to leave. He moves out and realises he’s lost everything he values. In an ironic twist of fate, the assailant abducts Luke then gives Daniel an ultimatum - he receives a suicide vest and instructed to go to a shopping centre and detonate himself in order to save Luke. Daniel discovers Coreen is in the vicinity and realises he's caught in a predicament - he can save Luke or save Coreen. The stranger then reveals his identity - it's Azim, the lone survivor of the massacre in which he lost his son. In a breath-taking climax, Daniel detonates the trigger but it's a dud. Azim appears and releases Luke. He was testing Daniel's faith comparing his dilemma to the prophet Abraham who was instructed to sacrifice Isaac. Azim forgives Daniel for murdering his son but leaves him to live with the consequences of his past, alone. The Jihadist's Opera is a thriller which explores sensitive race-relations and comments on faith and forgiveness, flipping cultural stereotypes in a modern Britain.