El Hadj Kheznadji

I recently watched "The Kite Runner" for the first time. What a touching film. It's one of those stories that helps you gain perspective by reminding you how good your life is, and how much suffering happens while you are casually hanging out with your friends.

I think that whenever we are exposed to new things, we try and associate them with familiar things. In this case, I thought about someone I haven't thought much about for five years or so: a Muslim man named El Hadj Kheznadji. A mouthful, I know. Sympathizing with my inability to pronounce anything Arabic, he allowed me to call him "Hahs". He was a dear friend of mine and I regret to say that I have no idea where he is now or what he chose to do with his life after we lost contact.

I shared an apartment with Hahs during my mission in Spain. We shared many meals and evening chats on our balcony, looking up at the castle in Antequera. Hahs was a great friend to me in a town where nobody knew who I was. He was a genuinely kind person who valued honesty, integrity, and believing in something. Hahs had lead a difficult life, but never failed to make us laugh when we came home from a hard day of work.

Being a muslim, he did not see eye to eye with us when it came to religion, but we exchanged beliefs and passages of scriptures often. Hahs helped me understand the strong convictions of good, Muslim people. He shared with me stories and passages from the Quran. He read the Book of Mormon in Arabic, and held great respect for Joseph Smith, who Hahs believed to be one of many prophets.

I left Antequera and lost touch with Hahs. Seeing a film with so much Muslim culture reminded me of him. He was a blessing in my life, and helped open my eyes to the goodness in people in all parts of the world.

I hope he is well.