Infidel's Corner Read online

  Infidel’s Corner

  Copyright © 2018 by David Morais.

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The hypothetical sciences used in this book are created by David Morais, formally known as David Robert Coles.

  Book cover design by David Morais

  Book cover image by bookbeaver.

  https://bookbeaver.co.uk/

  This book was made possible thanks to my supportive friends, some of whom I’ve never met. I would like to credit my wife, Andreia Morais, for her reading and unbiased reviewing.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  CHAPTER 1: In the beginning

  CHAPTER 2: Leila’s Story

  CHAPTER 3: Sallace’s Story

  CHAPTER 4: Alexshi’s Story

  CHAPTER 5: Angela’s Story

  CHAPTER 6: Rise of Theocracy

  CHAPTER 7: Exodus

  CHAPTER 8: Fourteen Years Later

  CHAPTER 9: The Technician

  CHAPTER 10: The Director

  CHAPTER 11: The Shack

  CHAPTER 12: Revelation

  CHAPTER 13: The Atheist

  CHAPTER 14: The Gamble

  CHAPTER 15: Dark Ambitions

  CHAPTER 16: Home

  CHAPTER 17: In the Footsteps of Heroes

  CHAPTER 18: The Hypatian Realm

  CHAPTER 19: Our Home

  CHAPTER 20: Day Four

  CHAPTER 21: Luck’s Not-So-Perfect Streak

  CHAPTER 22: Otherworldly

  CHAPTER 23: First flight

  CHAPTER 24: Fifteen Months Later

  CHAPTER 25: Throne of Power

  CHAPTER 26: Battle of the Pennines

  CHAPTER 27: Paradigm Shift

  CHAPTER 28: The Essence of Trust

  CHAPTER 29: Three Years Later

  CHAPTER 30: Yes, Captain

  CHAPTER 31: Kidnapped

  CHAPTER 32: Great Preparations

  CHAPTER 33: Mother of all Battles

  CHAPTER 34: A New World

  About The Book

  My story explores the dangers of theocracy having overcome its hurdles. For instance, major denominations unite to form a coalition of Christians. Their mortal enemies are those of the Islamic Empire that have gone through something similar. In reality, any fight for theocratic power would see these chief denominations at one another’s throats. We see this often across the Middle East between Sunnis and Shiites as one example. Where neither sect holds close to a majority, they get along just fine. It’s for this that secularism’s essential – if no religion can take precedence of political legislation and public life, then, hypothetically, there’s no reason to fight.

  Of course, things are never that simple. Countries like Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey are self-declared Muslim majority secular countries. However, secular principles remain under a constant threat. We see occurrences that don’t correlate with secular tenets emanating from these countries on a regular basis. Secularism is either under threat from political leaders or and group(s) within their general populations.

  Theocracies are inherently dangerous. If a cleric’s deemed infallible and made supreme leader, many dangers lurk – as with any system of autocracy. Power gets to peoples’ heads. I once worked at a retail store and saw lovely individuals turn into nasty little dictators just because they made team leader, so imagine that when becoming ruler of a nation and answerable to no one.

  Democracies have had their share of something similar, but political leaders are answerable to their general populations. Hitler’s rise is often levied against democracy, but he was appointed as Chancellor in 1933 by the then president of Germany. Only after a passing of the enabling acts was the Nazi party made the only legal one left standing. Hitler could have his way. The system of democracy did see Hitler’s rise, but one crucial factor bound the Nazi party with theocracy; fundamentalist ideology

  My claim to future success in the world is a surrendering of falsehoods – Yes, I understand that’s impractical. What I would therefore suggest is that we tackle untruths via dialogue and education – its greatest enemy. The best we can do is diminish the level of fundamentalism and block its ability to flourish. Only the most intellectually dishonest and mentally unstable individuals would pass unscathed

  Evidence should stand as the one means to supplant doubt. Some assume that evidence can be conjecture, hearsay and another’s opinion. What I mean is empirical evidence – data that can be falsified by new evidence (by repetition of an experiment or something counter to it). And even then, some doubt must remain as we continue to test their precision and accuracy

  Today, we have people doing it all wrong. I still find this hard to understand, but there are those that believe the earth is flat. These people actually fancy themselves as those that follow the evidence, which is nothing more than the weakest forms of inductive reasoning. It must stand as common knowledge for what constitutes as evidence. I seldom find anyone that understands the concept of empirical evidence.

  The earth is round, evolution explains the array of life, the sun is a star and humans are responsible for climate change. These are facts. The only debate within these areas of science exists within their detail. We may not understand every facet of evolution or climate change, but the evidence in support of them is astronomically overwhelming. We can observe evolution occurring today in the Mus Musculus populations or Drosophila fruit flies. Creationists are fixated on the idea something must change phenotypically on a grand scale within a short time frame. That’s not how it works.

  In college, one science teacher insisted that microbes could evolve, but not multicellular life. My question was, in relation to her claim, what mode of action distinguishes the two on a genetic level? No answer, of course.

  I made a young Muslim lady cry. She challenged another teacher about the merits of evolution – in a biology class - again and again, holding everyone back. I worked during the night and studied in the day, so I had little patience. I had to debunk her claims. She stormed off claiming that I was berating her family. I looked around believing others would agree how ridiculous her non-sequitur was, but nope. Her non-Muslim friends tutted me. And oh, I’m not one of those self-righteous idiots that will bow in silence for the preservation and protection of childish feelings. I have also had a young Mormon from America leave my house crying, and a Jehovah Witness. And when I say “cry,” I’m really not exaggerating.

  Claims of Islamophobia are met with derision. Such people who so readily throw out such names are hiding out for their own inadequacies. I am religiophobic, and that’s not an irrational position as phobias usually aren’t. Corner these people for a one on one, and they’ll magically transform by engaging in meaningful dialogue. If in a group or public domain, things change drastically. These people act desperately to appear righteous.

  The next level of stupid is when “racist” gets thrown around. Same again, except, I believe these are racists themselves – like homophobic preachers getting caught having sex with another of the same gender, they engage in diversion tactics. I’ll explain.

  Racism is discriminating another race in the belief of one’s superiority. This is the only valid time you can throw out the race card. Ideology is not a race. It may form part of a culture, but that doesn’t make it immune to criticism. Some Amazonian tribes will bury unwanted children alive. Could you really stand there and tolerate it under the guise of cultural practice without flinching? If you’d want to save that child, welcome to the beginnings of humanism. You aren’t obliged to
tolerate the intolerable.

  A change of beliefs does not alter your ethnicity. I have met plenty of ex-Muslims, Hindus and Christians. To say otherwise is the reassigning of an individual, implying an adjusted level of worth. An Atheist person from Pakistan can still get labelled “racist” against his own people for criticising Islam. Religion, or lack of it, doesn’t define your worth nor the whole aspect of one’s culture. To say otherwise implies the issuer of labels is the real racist. And what race is Islam, exactly?

  Atheists and Theists have a mix of good and evil people. Religions are simply bad ideas that I don’t agree with. They are challenged for the purposes of truth and a reduced corruption of minds. Why? Because people care about their world and how it’s affected by faith. And when people wish to rule and gain power through such untruths, you can expect contestation. Religion will not get a free ride because we were afraid to speak our minds for some apologetic pseudo morals.

  My book involves nothing of the supernatural. I’m hard to please when it comes to fiction because, all too often, reality’s skewed beyond comprehension just to make a storyline work. This creates glaring plot holes. There are stretches of the imagination, such as the introduction of an alien. She adds perspective to the protagonist beyond those around him. It is fiction after all, but I understand some will fail to see that.

  I hope you enjoy the story.

  CHAPTER ONE

  In The Beginning

  The twentieth century bore witness to humanity’s most significant rate of technological progress. However, it’s easier to fall than it is to stand. And one falls faster than they can rise.

  A combination of factors led to humanity’s great demise. Ignorance, or any other synonym, would suffice as their common denominator.

  Up until the mid-twenty-first century, humanity remained progressive. It valued egalitarianism, tolerance and science.

  Over time, the population became unstable. It grew with an ever-greater appetite for energy and food.

  A higher population and its consequences don’t require a lot of predictive power. The impending disaster was identified long beforehand.

  There were a few that sought action and a change to laws on reproduction. No proposal could ever be easy to install. All resolutions were treated as totalitarian in nature and its advocates as communists. The people had decided to maintain one privilege so their many offspring could lack several in future.

  The changes weren’t dramatic from one day to the next. The issues crept as the world pretended to sleep, believing the monsters would disappear if ignored. The problems wouldn’t abate themselves. Many continued to snore as the teeth of change sank ever-deeper into their throats. And still, they did not flinch.

  In 2062, the world’s population reached a staggering eleven billion mouths. Not too surprisingly, dwindling resources was the result. With fewer materials to manufacture products, industries ebbed from existence - along with their jobs. Unemployment rates rose by about one percent every three years. Lower employment resulted in less income for the government. Those in work had to foot the bill via steeper taxes. Indignation ran high among them.

  Soon enough, government cutbacks meant fewer teachers, nurses and research and development programs. This heightened societal ignorance had exacerbated an already precarious situation. It led to our third factor: denialism.

  The people weren’t afraid to pinpoint a source of blame. It was their repudiation of evidence that saw them miss the mark. Instead, science became the new enemy. It was responsible for aiding survival rates.

  Conservative ideals once pushed into the shadows could emerge and even prosper again. In an ironic sense of fate, self-righteous, politically far-left adherents played into their hands. Their insistence on closing off debate to protect childish feelings would allow the resurrection of a theocracy that would turn on its enablers.

  The Middle East offered a real taste of things to come for the West. Endless religious and political turmoil had ravaged the region. Then, as the flow of oil ceased, so did their source of income. Stranded and destitute, Saudi Arabia used its military might to coerce other Islamic nations into the formation of an empire.

  Global warming had resulted in temperatures exceeding sixty Degrees Celsius across the new empire. Their growing appetite to conquer its cooler neighbours had installed a new sense of paranoia across the West.

  Europe’s various ethnic and non-Christian groups were forced to flee or face growing antipathy and persecution.

  In 2072, a longstanding quarrel between Russia and China had reached boiling point. They fought a three-year war over disputed territory that held thirty billion barrels of oil. War was worth the price when each barrel had a two-thousand dollars plus price tag.

  Few nuclear weapons remained in existence. Their warheads provided a quick top-up of enriched Uranium 235 and Plutonium 239 for energy production. Such fuels were reserved only for the military’s energy needs.

  Had the war between Russia and China involved nuclear weapons, the story would have ended here.

  At the war’s conclusion, both nations were so battered that none had the infrastructure left to extract the oil.

  The Caliphate seised an opportunity to invade their limping neighbours. In 2081, the whole Russian and Asian Peninsula belonged to the caliphate. Their thirst for more land was far from quenched.

  Although Western nations came close to fighting each other, they too would unite into what was called the ‘Christian Alliance.’ It comprised of thirty-eight nations led by the United States. Many would provide up to a third of their national resources to support such a vast army. The Alliance was the West’s solution to the caliphate.

  Recruits were easy to find. The promise of regular meals enticed many vulnerable young men in a world stricken with rampant poverty.

  A woman could also participate if granted unanimous permission by her father, brothers and male cousins. Their roles involved meagre duties; such as food preparation, cleaning and, on occasion, monitoring of air and sea traffic.

  With twelve million soldiers, fifty thousand jets, three hundred destroyers and aircraft carriers and sixty thousand tanks to name a few, the Alliance had reached its zenith in 2094. Two years later, it staged a land and sea invasion. Their objective was to strike the caliphate’s heart in Saudi Arabia.

  The war began well for the Alliance. They were like a tsunami, devouring all within its path. However, similar to all waves, they weaken with distance travelled. At fifty miles from the Caliphate’s capital, Riyadh, the tide began to turn against them. Islamic divisions from the freshly conquered north had returned to join the fight. Battles were almost perpetual and chaotic.

  After a year of fighting, what remained of the Alliance made its retreat. Over twenty-one million personnel and civilians died on both sides.

  More than two-hundred thousand allied soldiers were captured and subsequently executed. Mass beheadings took centre stage as the gladiators once did across the Roman Empire. It took another year for their complete annihilation. None could save them from their gruesome fates.

  The people were told to expect an overwhelming victory. The Alliance’s failure to deliver angered them to the point of near revolt. Tempers waned with a fresh commitment to return for another fight. Religious advocates itched their fingers with glee and pious certitude that judgement day would happen.

  The Alliance planned to rebuild before their return and to do so with a vaster army. The Catholic Church held a majority share of power. They held no qualms about investing all of its wealth if Islam’s Eastern dominance were to fall as a result. Other denominations also had to demonstrate their commitments.

  One of those other denominations was the Protestant Church of England. While many countries had no remnants of democracy left, England’s parliament hung by a thread.

  The Archbishop relished more authority, aiming to tip the balance of power into his hands. With that, his share of power within the Alliance would also grow. It was a
matter of time before his influence would extinguish the final bastion of Western democracy.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Leila’s story

  El-Hamam, Egypt. 2083.

  Mortars rained upon a city that refused to federalise under the Caliphate. The siege spurred local defence forces into action. They fought valiantly in an attempt to slow the Empire’s advance, allowing their families a chance to escape.

  In a house near the city centre, a woman, named Leila, remained huddled with her two sons, Sallace and Alexshi, only ten and six years of age.

  She intended to await the return of her English husband, Jack Watson, who had joined the fight. The approaching crackle of gunfire sent a chilling realisation; that no defenders would return. And if she didn’t make a move soon, the fate of her and her children would also be sealed. She mustered all courage to make a move. To wait around with shaking legs was a battle in itself. Leila’s children had no desire to move either, adding to her struggle.

  Out the door, a splash of blood and body parts sent them picking up the pace. Overcome with fear, a run to the nearby beach turned into a marathon ladened with death. There was no blocking the sound of limbless victims as they writhed in agony upon the streets.

  They ran for two-hundred yards before Alexshi required carrying. His eyes closed to shut out the horror.

  On the beachfront, various boats awaited with their ramps down. Most had filled their load and departed.

  Leila joined a flow of fellow refugees towards an awaiting ship. Many of those against the barriers were pushed off into the water.

  A tight squeeze through a bottleneck and they were on, but their troubles were far from over. On the Eastern horizon appeared several Caliphate destroyers. Bullets whizzed overhead.

  In a panic, the ship’s operator engaged maximum throttle. The destroyers engaged the boats closest to them. Dozens went down.