Haaziq Muhammad Sayf*

[Nealosi*]

((I feel bad doing this knowing how busy you guys must be, but I gotta get at least one profile in there so I can get back into the swing with pre-game.))

Name: Haaziq Muhammad Sayf
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Grade: 12
School: Bayview Secondary School
Hobbies and Interests: Reading, writing, basketball, pencak silat sharaf (Muslim martial arts), prayer, music and meditation

Appearance: Haaziq's unique heritage gives him a handsome, exotic look. His caramel skin is accented by his dark brown eyes and shoulder-length black dreads, which sit in a messy bun above his head whenever Haaziq needs to be active. Maturing earlier than many of his peers, Haaziq is about a head taller than most other students at 6'2 though his rapid growth spurt also cursed him with lankiness. His face has a sharp look to it, partially because of his nose, which comes to a steep, hawk-like tip.

Haaziq usually wears dark simple clothing over his sleek frame, black cargo pants and a plain t-shirt. Occasionally, Haaziq wears his rasta-coloured kufe around town and in school, though he reserves his white prayer outfit for services at the mosque.

Biography: Haaziq is the only child of Egyptian-born Nadia Sayf and an estranged black father. His early childhood was rough, as his mother and grandfather Zaheer struggled to raise Haaziq without a father in a new country. Haaziq remembers very little of those early years, because by the time Haaziq was old enough for kindergarten his mother had finally established a career as a legal secretary. From then on, Haaziq's was able to prosper in school and in his home/social life. Today, his home life is happy and stable.

While his family is also Muslim, nobody in Haaziq's family had ever been devout or even religious, which made it even stranger when Haaziq began to take personal interest in Islam and The Nation of Gods and Earths (Five-Percent Nation). Initially, Haaziq's interest was driven by a lingering feeling of emptiness in his life and by the common teenage desire to stand out. The more Haaziq learned the more concerned he grew for his own spirituality and the more devoted to his faith he became.

Faith inspired Haaziq - who was already a talented athlete with friends in ample supply - to expand his horizons. Reading anything he could find that would spark his interest, Haaziq began to develop a taste for literature, poetry and music, especially when the message resonated with his own beliefs. Eventually, Haaziq began attending services at the local mosque. The local Muslim community welcomed him with open arms and nurtured his faith and learning. More recently, Haaziq has taken up pencak silat sharaf, a Muslim form of martial art in order to discipline and purify his mind and body in the name of Allah.

With many natural gifts, Haaziq has always been popular, though it was never something Haaziq choose to acknowledge or take advantage of. His conversion was not done with the popular support of his peers, and many of his old acquaintances lost their customary friendliness when they found out one of their fellow students was a Muslim. Haaziq's inner circle of friends and family were initially worried and confused, but were quick to accept Haaziq as the same person they had known and looked up to before.

Politics had never interested Haaziq in the past; education and contact with the community changed that. On a political spectrum, Haaziq would be placed somewhere in the far/crazy left given his humanistic opinions. He stands in adamant defense of what he believes to be right and scorns the small minded, business-as-usual politics of the day.

Uncompromising, is the one word that would best describe Haaziq's personality. Measured by his reason and his compassion, Haaziq's stubborn nature still gets the best of him sometimes. Haaziq is the kind to only speak when spoken too, but when confronted, a fire stirs in his heart and compels him to fight for his cause. He has never been prone to violence, though he has grudgingly fought to defend himself and his friends. Nine times out of ten however, he puts on a calm, aloof demeanor. Though even this is a product of his stubbornness.

As a talented athlete, and a religious person, people usually assume Haaziq isn't that bright. While he does little to beat the bum rep, Haaziq is both cunning and wise. He has just the right words when the chips are down and his cool attitude gives him the chance to listen and reason, only sparing the best of his advice when someone is in need. In the end, he just wants to live a just, moral life in pursuit of Allah and has no desire for conflict.

To Haaziq, Islam is not about the religion itself, in fact all his pursuits of faith are driven by his spirituality. Haaziq desires a code of conduct for living morally and a religion that can satisfy his belief that Allah is all encompassing. Islam and The Nation of Gods and Earth made sense of the terrible things in life that seem incomprehensible and put Haaziq on the path of tranquility, truth, justice and most importantly, knowledge of self.

Advantages: Haaziq was born with many natural gifts; his training, knowledge and self-discipline combine into a deadly dichotomy. He is moderately well liked among his peers and his faith is not a burden but an asset to his otherwise contradictory nature.

Disadvantages:: Haaziq has a strong sense of duty to himself and Allah, and is diametrically opposed to the principles of the SOTF program. While he may be cunning and wise, Haaziq is lazy in pursuing things, which don't immediately spark his passion. He can be naïve and arrogant, and his natural gifts often inspire jealousy in others.