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Post by Admin on Mar 19, 2019 18:38:30 GMT
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Post by Admin on Mar 19, 2019 18:50:20 GMT
web.archive.org/web/20140727140346/www.stuff.co.nz/world/middle-east/10310496/A-Kiwi-lads-death-by-droneWhen the Jones boys converted to Islam, it caused quite a stir in Christchurch.Suddenly Daryl and his younger brother Nathan, who grew up in a strong Christian house, were sporting beards, learning Arabic and wearing flowing robes. Carloads of Muslims, including immigrant women in veils, would turn up at the family's home in a smart east Christchurch suburb, neighbours tut-tutting and muttering about terrorists.Some who knew the family accepted the conversion, others struggled. When Daryl was in his early 20s and still flirting with Islam, he surprised the family of a Christian friend he was visiting when he suddenly declared he had to go to the far end of the house to pray towards Mecca. "We thought it was weird," said the friend's mother.All of this upset the boys' parents - the father a former Australian police officer doing security for a government organisation, the mother employed by a Christchurch tertiary institution. The Sunday Star-Times has decided not to name the parents to protect their privacy. They declined interviews and have told friends not to speak to the media.Daryl, 30 when he died, moved to Sydney around 2008 and converted to Islam soon after arriving. Nathan, still in Christchurch, converted soon after with the help of Saudi Arabian students he was friendly with."The parents desperately wanted both the boys to leave Islam. They had seen their sons change dramatically in appearance - it's scary for parents when that happens," a source said.Mr and Mrs Jones turned to their New Life Church for help, and were put in touch with some people with knowledge of Islam to teach them more about it and hopef
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Post by Admin on Mar 19, 2019 18:50:54 GMT
assholes deleted it but its at archive
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Post by Admin on Mar 19, 2019 18:53:04 GMT
Mr and Mrs Jones turned to their New Life Church for help, and were
put in touch with some people with knowledge of Islam to teach them
more about it and hopefully convince Nathan to re-think his decision.
He listened politely to the delegation, but rejected the advice.
In Sydney, Daryl began attending the Lakemba Mosque, known as a hotbed
of radicalism, and drew the attention of counter-terrorism authorities
because of the company he kept.
He changed his name to Muslim bin John, married a Somali woman and
around 2009 headed to Saudi Arabia and then Yemen, ancestral home of
Osama bin Laden and home base of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
(AQAP). He told his family he wanted to teach English and help people.
But a source said Jones was thrown in prison in Yemen because he was
not a registered teacher, leaving his wife and four children stranded.
His parents arranged for the family to come to Christchurch, where
they remain.
The family last heard from Daryl around May 2012, then lost all
contact. The strain on his parents' marriage was immense, and they
separated.
After the 2011 earthquakes Mrs Jones spent time in a motor home,
staying at a caravan park near Christchurch. She gave the impression
of a lost soul, said those who knew her. Residents of the park
remember her saying her son was "missing" in the Middle East and she
had asked church groups to help find him. She seemed very depressed
and had had some sort of falling out with her daughter-in-law.
When news of Daryl's death finally filtered through after DNA was used
to identify the remains, Mrs Jones fell apart.
"No-one really has any answers, it makes the grieving process very
difficult," said a friend. "As a parent, who wo
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