BENGALURU: Ever since it was reported that three men from Karnataka have died fighting for the Islamic State, those who knew Faiz Masood, one of that trio, have been in a state of shock.
One of his high school teachers described Faiz as “a good boy” and “a normal student” even as his friends wondered what might have led to his radicalisation. Faiz, a resident of Cooke Town, Bengaluru, and Mohammad Umar Subhan of Shivajinagar, have been confirmed dead by intelligence agencies.
Faiz hailed from an affluent family. Attempts to contact his relatives, who live in the city, failed as they have refused to interact with the media. All they are willing to say is that they have no information on him or his whereabouts.
Uday Kumar, who taught Faiz at St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, said, “He was a very humble student and hailed from a good family. He was about average in academics and never had radical ideas at school.” Kumar recalled that Faiz mingled well with his fellow students as well, and said Faiz might have turned to extremism after his schooling days. “Such changes occur over a period of time. Some reasons, which are best known to him, might have compelled him to do the things he has,” he said.
Express contacted three of his classmates, all of whom preferred to remain anonymous. One called the news a shock, while another said it was probably the result of Faiz embracing an ultra-orthodox version of Islam. “Even though Faiz was always religious, he was very normal in school and during PUC. However, he later became influenced by things that we did not understand. He left his family last year. We hadn’t heard from him since,” he said.
“It is shocking to learn that Faiz, who was a good friend, turned into a religious fanatic. He may have been influenced by the aggressive propaganda spread through the social media,” he said.