Aisha Khan, the 19-year-old Kansas student who was allegedly abducted from her college campus after leaving a frantic voicemail for her sister last Friday has been found safe and sound. It is a happy ending by all accounts and yet a very odd one, too. Why would Khan have disappeared for so long? What made her come forward and what was she doing over those five days she was missing?
The answers, which have not yet been revealed by her family or by law enforcement may be simple. Maybe she just wanted to get away. We may never know the real story, but we do know this: Khan is a newlywed, only married five months. She was willing to lie to her sister (presumably, anyway) to create the illusion of an abduction and she was willing to let her family worry that much for so long.
What creates that kind of desperation?
A commenter here last Monday suggested maybe the whole thing was a scam for money and while that seems unlikely, there are many other explanations. She is 19. Maybe her finals were overwhelming. To us, that may seem insane (and it is a little bit), but it is possible.
Police say she was not abducted or hurt or held against her will, so whatever the reason she was gone, it was on her own volition. Police wasted hours and hours of manpower and tax dollars trying to find her. Of course there are going to be some angry people. But as yet, no charges have been filed because there are none to file. She did not report herself missing.
Naturally, people are furious. Her Facebook page Help Find Aisha Khan is full of some sympathy, but mostly angry people saying things like “she wasted taxpayers’ money!” and:
I stated when this story first appeared that it was a fake abduction. I was called racist and that I disliked the Muslim community. She needs to be brought up on charges. Plain and simple. It wasn't Allah that brought her home. It was the police. Give credit where it is due.
It's not good all around. But we also don't know the truth. We have to be patient before jumping to conclusions.
When a child goes missing and is found safely, very often the relief parents feel upon hearing the news becomes anger very quickly. It is completely understandable. We are frustrated with the person for being reckless with our feelings, for not taking how we might react to the news they were missing into consideration. But it is unrealistic to expect someone going through a hard time to think of us or to think that far ahead.
Khan is 19. Let's not jump to evil conclusions and assume the worst. Before we know, let's give her the benefit of the doubt and be grateful she is safe.
Does this story make you mad?
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Comments 17
I am rather angry. This is not even the same as someone who simply just ran away. If you are so overwhelmed by life and feel you have no one to turn to by all means you have a right to leave for a "break" to regroup. But to do so in what appears to be a calculated attempt to make it seem you were taken and in danger, that crosses the line in my book. Your statement "We are frustrated with the person for being reckless with our feelings, for not taking how we might react to the news they were missing into consideration." is the immediate reaction. However I disagree with "But it is unrealistic to expect someone going through a hard time to think of us or to think that far ahead." It is most definitely not unrealistic. She is 19 years old. She is old enough to know that her family, including her sister, mother, husband would be frantic and scared for her life. She thought ahead enough to leave a voicemail as a ruse. She could have simply left one saying that she needs to leave for a couple of days please don't try to find her. I would be less angry if she had left nothing at all. She may not owe us an explanation but most definitely owes her family one for the fear the left them with. She appears to be a coward and or a very selfish person.
I'm not mad, but very curious. Why did she just up and disappear without telling anyone where she was going? Didn't she think her family would be worried? Maybe the reasons are sinister - maybe she was trying to escape her marriage - or maybe they were stupid and shallow. Who knows. But I don't think we can judge until we know what she was thinking.
My first though upon reading that she was 19 and a newlywed was that she was trying to escape the husband. I would be interested to know if she had any say in the match or was forced to marry. It would not be in the family's interest for her to have just "run off" if they are very traditional and this was an arranged marriage. Maybe she lied to her sister to deflect some of the complications from that.
Obviously, this is all speculation, but it's the first thing that comes to my mind.
There's a difference between being "overwhelmed by life" as we know it, and being forced into an arranged marriage inside a culture (the more extreme sect) who still view women as chattel and justify their murder for offenses perpetrated against the women themselves. We have no idea what threats of violence this young woman was faced with. This could be a far different situation from a young, careless Western woman getting married too young and regretting it.
If we are all trying to jump to extreme theories then I'm shocked no one has said what If she was abducted and in danger but maybe convinced her abductor to let her go and that in turn she would not say anything to anyone or file report. Extreme thinking but hey I have heard worse cases and with it being close to holidays perhaps some crazy abductor also realized it wasn't worth it? Just another theory to put there since the arranged marriage Muslim theory Is all people seem to be thinking.
She didn't think it thru being too young and afraid. I don't think she anticipated the high-profile coverage her "abduction" received and where it would lead, and just got in over her head.
When I heard it my first thought was "Why didn't she call her husband?". I know that some marriages are arranged and so maybe she was unhappy with him? Who knows I'm just glad she's safe/alive bless her heart.
I for one am interested in the outcome because an anonymous poster on the original article called this a farce and several of us stuck up for this girl. :( Next time I'll be more careful who I stick up for!