Mumbai: A Mumbai man who had sent his resume to the Islamic State in hopes of getting a job as their political spokesperson in Iraq, has managed to find a job in his own city with the help of the Anti-Terrorism Squad, according to a report.
48-year-old Zubair Khan had been detained outside the Iraq embassy in August 2015 and further probe revealed that he had misguided ideas about the ISIS. He seemed to be a regular bloke who took the drastic step of applying to the terror group due to despair and unemployment.
Khan is a well-educated man, who has a master's degree in mass communication and was a journalist at one point of time. He had even worked as a secretary of a NCP leader for a few years.
In 2007, he was fired from his job, due to alleged display of religious fervour and because he constantly kept talking about Islam and scriptures.
After an extended period of unemployment, Khan decided to join the Islamic State and sent his resume to the Iraq embassy and asked them to forward it to the terrorist organisation. He claimed that he was the editor-in-chief of a newspaper and that he aspired to become ISIS’ spokesperson. He reportedly felt that it was ‘good job opportunity’ for him and was lured by the idea of being paid in gold coins for his service.
After he was detained, he soon changed his stance and said that Islamic State was against humanity. He was let off by the police but was ostracised by the society for his act.
Khan who resides Khargar with his wife and two children, was shunned by those who knew them and it became extremely difficult for him to get a new job. Nobody wanted to employ him after he made headlines for all the wrong reasons. He tried hard to plead his innocence and told people he was no terrorist, but his appeals fell on deaf ears.
After several months of despair, ATS officers from Thane decided to take the matter in their own hands and turn his life around. They ensured that he was de-radicalised and sent him for counselling sessions so that he could settle into a normal life. The ATS then managed to get Khan a job in a Navi Mumbai showroom where he now works as a salesman.
Life is slowly returning to being normal in the Khan household, with the promise of a steady income and some acceptance from the society, his relative are relieved that he has found his feet again.
