When I was in high school, we decided to do it as a prank. I can still vividly remember. We were all kids back then. We did not make the right decision, and as a result, we paid a price. It was a very shameful experience.

My class was on a group excursion and we went to the zoo. We were divided into groups of fours. My Muslim friend, myself, and my other two Chinese friends were in a group. During the free roam period, one of my Chinese friends dared my Muslim friend to shout “ALLAHU AKBAR” in the canteen. We thought it was going to be funny and that other people would laugh with us, too. I mean, it’s just a prank bro. Wrong, we were so wrong. The people around us were shocked. They had this horrified facial expression on their face. Suddenly, one of the adults tackled my Muslim friend onto the ground, and then moments later security and police arrived. I tried my best to calm everyone down, but no one would listen. We were then taken away and interrogated in a police station for roughly an hour or two.

Of course, the police could not find any traces of bombs or explosives. They let us go home and sent a clear warning to us. My parents were extremely mad at me. I thought I could’ve been charged for attempted murder. But I was not an adult yet. The school gave all four of us detention. Can’t remember how long it was, possibly weeks. I could’ve been expelled, too. What a dumb decision …