All Chapters of In the Name of the Sacred Tree: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

"WE only act firmly against immorality," replied Shahryr."The same!" exclaimed Eugene."What about the Guysville incident?" asked Aaliyah.Aaliyah said, four years ago, in 2016, there was a raid on the Guysville prostitution complex in Newton Regency. The perpetrators were all wearing thawb and turban attire.The perpetrators claimed that their actions as a jihad against immorality. Three local residents died in that brutal raid. The Guysville incident had attracted national attention."Should that firmness cause casualties?" asked Aaliyah."It's a shame," replied Imam Shahryr."You were there then?" asked Aaliyah sarcastically."No," replied Imam Shahryr.“There is video evidence that clearly shows people wearing turbans and the leader wearing guthrah," Solomon interrupted. "The question is, what group that when destroying other people's property, its members wear turbans and guthrah.""It's not me," said

AT night, I just laid down in my room. I was fiddling with my cellphone by scrolling through my colleague's Facebook. I kept scrolling because there was very little that interests me. As usual, my Facebook homepage was filled with selfies, minor complaints, to expletives.

I could hear the crowd. But, I was still reluctant to move from where I sat. I felt like I was falling into a bottomless abyss and floating in an ocean of confusion. I was in a daze. But then, I remembered a video showing several junkies in a drug rehab center, last time.Then there was the scent of the smelly armpits being exposed freely in the air, followed by palms tapping my shoulder heavily. There was only one person who could release such poisonous gas. And there was only one person who had excess power for a trivial job. I turned around."Skipping class?" offered Mr. P."Agree!" said Matt.I nodded in agreement. However, I was wondering when they had been next to me? Anyway, right now I had to get rid of my passion for learning first. At least, l could leave campus with Mr. P and Matt to fi

KACEY and I then passed a large swimming pool, which I thought shaped was like a mango leaf. The water was so clear, so it reflected the blue sky, like Kacey's eyes. All around the pool, palm trees were waving by the wind. I could also see several helpers were busy at the back of this giant luxury house.Farther back, there was a building the size of a mini-market franchise that appeared to have been recently built. I could smell the new paint. Up close, I could hear the low sound of the musical instruments inside. I believed this building was a private music studio.When Kacey opened the double doors of the building, there was a booming sound of musical instruments. Knowing people were coming, the sounds suddenly stopped. Inside, there were already three young people who were ready in their respective positions. Kacey introduced me to them.They were Carson the drummer, Andy the guitarist, and Fanny as the keyboardist."Hi," I cupped my palms.The

HAJI Abdul Rasheed’s house was like the Nurul Iman Palace of the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. There stood firmly high walls with a line of large vents. Apart from the towering main building, the courtyard was also extensive. It was approximately one football field. The yard itself was planted with papyrus and date palms. Anyway, it really looked like the middle east.In this part of the courtyard laid giant carpets and tents. Also, there were standing fans and portable air conditioners that filled every corner of the yard. People flooded from the front of the house to the end of the street. It was very crowded.Located in the Royal Certajava housing complex, Haji Abdul Rasheed’s house was right on the edge of Great Certajava Street bustling with traffic. This street was surrounded by fancy restaurants, like dim sum and pork satay restaurants. There were also fast and junk food outlets, showrooms, car modification workshops, and cafes that were only open