Comedy | June 03, 2009 | 20 comments

Merciful storekeeper changes robber's mind, religion

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/02/new.york.robber.mercy/index.html?imw=Y&iref=mpstorye...

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A potential victim became a compassionate counselor during a recent robbery attempt, changing the would-be criminal's mind -- and apparently his religion.

Storekeeper Mohammad Sohail was closing up his Long Island convenience store just after midnight on May 21 when -- as shown on the store's surveillance video -- a man came in wielding a baseball bat and demanding money.

"He said, 'Hurry up and give me the money, give me the money!' and I said, 'Hold on'," Sohail recalled in a phone interview with CNN on Tuesday, after the store video and his story was carried on local TV.

Sohail said he reached under the counter, grabbed his shotgun and told the robber to drop the bat and get down on his knees.

"He's crying like a baby," Sohail said. "He says, 'Don't call police, don't shoot me, I have no money, I have no food in my house.' "

Amidst the man's apologies and pleas, Sohail said he felt a surge of compassion.

He made the man promise never to rob anyone again and when he agreed, Sohail gave him $40 and a loaf of bread.

"When he gets $40, he's very impressed, he says, 'I want to be a Muslim just like you,' " Sohail said, adding he had the would-be criminal recite an Islamic oath.

"I said 'Congratulations. You are now a Muslim and your name is Nawaz Sharif Zardari.'"*

When asked why he chose the hybrid of two Pakistani presidents' names, the Pakistani immigrant laughed and said he had been watching a South Asian news channel moments before the confrontation.

Sohail said the man fled the store when he turned away to get the man some free milk.

He said police might still be looking for the suspect but he doesn't intend to press charges.

"The guy, you know, everybody has a hard time right now, it's too bad for everybody right now in this economy," said the storekeeper.

*lol
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20 comments // Merciful storekeeper changes robber's mind, religion

  • SamuraiDave
    • 0
      SamuraiDave  

    • i like that shopkeeper. He realized this guy was bad off and decided to help him like a true religious person should do. Many tout they are religious but when faced with something like this will often show their hypocrisy.

    • 2 years ago
  • tom_han
  • fun_size
    • 0
      fun_size  

    • Im just glad he didnt shoot the guy in the head, then unload a clip into his lifeless body like some other shopkeeper that was in the news recently...

    • 2 years ago
  • GodsnLiberals
  • OmgItzOmar
  • el_chivo
  • RickDemocracy
    • 0
      RickDemocracy  

    • "but you cannot reward this kind of behavior"

      You see reward, others see merci or forgiveness and assistance.

      Fact is unless you live in scandinavia then your prison system is shit, dumb, cruel and totally defeats its own purpose by making people worse than they were & creating criminals more than anything else by destroying rather than rebuilding.

      So, bottom line is this: shopkeeper could
      either shoot & kill,
      or call the cops & the guy would go to jail,
      or let him go & show some understanding and try to make a positive mark on the guy rather than to destroy his life.

      To think that people go robbing shitty little corner shops because it's fun or because they can't be bothered to fill in a form for some welfare is just a lame excuse not to examine the problem and to rest comfortably in 'self-deservance', ie i have what i have because i deserve it therefore anyone else can and they too deserve what they have or don't have.

      In Sweden or Denmark they spend much more per prisoner than say the French do (3 x more), but guess what? Their prison works: it deters people from starting again. 97% of prisoners stay one-time prisoners and then get on with a normal life.
      What's the rate in the USA?
      Prison in the USA and most countries just makes things worse for people than mostly need a mix of help and sanction, not just sanction. A sanction than increases the problem is a very dumb sanction. If a kid's messing around in the classroom and your only 'solution' is one that makes him do worse then you're not thinking right. He needs to find a limit, sure, but he needs to be spoken with, not just spoken to. Somewhere he is demanding help or something is not right and needs to be fixed, most likely. And that demands a whole lot more intelligence & effort than to just slap him in the face and confine him in confinement with a bunch of bad-influence kids.

      I'd add that in prison you're subject to things that no one should be subject to -- ever. Being imprisoned should not mean getting raped or contracting AIDS or being beaten up or tortured, be it physically or psychologically. Being locked up means exactly that. It should not mean being treated like a weak wild animal in a jungle.

    • 2 years ago
  • chasingame
    • 0
      chasingame  
    • RickDemocracy:

      Was all that aimed at me? It's OK if it was. I was not trying to say he should have shot the guy or that they should dump him in prison and have him gang raped. I never even mentioned prison. I agree that our prison system is messed up and does not help most people that are sent there. I am also not going to get into how to fix the system or what should have been done in this case because I honestly do not have the answers. My only point was that crime should not be rewarded.

    • 2 years ago
  • emilio
    • 0
      emilio  
    • RickDemocracy:

      I understand what Rick was saying though. It's not so much reward as much needed compassion. Instead of making the violent more violent and the desperate more desperate we can lend a hand, or 40 bucks; we can see our own suffering in others and by alleviating theirs we are alleviating our suffering (and the suffering of everyone else!)...

      People are doing weird (and by that I mean crazy desperate) things right now. Some are murdering their families and then themselves.

      With so much intense sh*t going on right now -- I found this story heartwarming. That's an indicator of the times.

    • 2 years ago
  • GodsnLiberals
  • emilio
  • chasingame
    • 0
      chasingame  

    • Not sure what to think. Obviously the would be robber was on hard times (if you believe his story) but you cannot reward this kind of behavior.

    • 2 years ago
  • islek
    • 0
      islek  

    • Interesting story.

      People will resort to stealing if hungry enough... it's not just a story line from Aladdin. Sometimes it's good to have compassion on others. I'm just glad no one got shot. I hear about way too much of that.

    • 2 years ago
  • chmk
    • 0
      chmk  

    • "Why the hell do people think robbing is the long-run sustainable answer or wise choice?!? "

      Obviously it's not (at least not on this kind of scale), and crooks know that too. Don't assume that that was their first course of action. He probably did apply to jobs! Any number of circumstances could lead, rather, back someone into criminal activity.

      Constant rejections, firings, car fails, no heath care, child needs surgery... the list could go on forever.

    • 2 years ago
  • polochick85
    • 0
      polochick85 [removed]  

    • He changed his religion?!? Through coercion?!?

      Way to subsidize robbery Sohail...

      Don't get me wrong, feel horrible for the robber's position in life but how did he get there in the first place? Maybe they should attempt a different approach like asking for job applications or applying for welfare. Why the hell do people think robbing is the long-run sustainable answer or wise choice?!? Reminds me of the government!

    • 2 years ago
  • RickDemocracy
    • 0
      RickDemocracy  
    • polochick85:

      "feel horrible for the robber's position in life but how did he get there in the first place?"

      Precisely: you don't have a clue.

      So, instead of just asking the question with judgement in your tone, ask the question. Then you will not even try to give the answer in the same paragraph...
      True questions usually shut us up because they remind us how ignorant we are.

    • 2 years ago
  • richjm
    • 0
      richjm  

    • Wait, wait, wait... he robs a store, gets away with not being shot, gets paid to leave AND a new identity to help him evade detection? Robbery-kinda-win!

    • 2 years ago
  • SamuraiDave
  • Dersex
  • pjacobs51
    • 0
      pjacobs51  

    • They say hunger is the best of spices, but it will make you crazy after a while. The store keeper must have realized this and let him go, with cash in hand.

      Good people this storekeeper is.

      As far as the conversion to Islam, I think the keeper was just messing with him, he got his $40 worth I'd say.

    • 2 years ago
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