Eraj Alisherov
False Gods of the Classroom
The Story of Skullcap Beardman Bobo (SBB)
December 2025
— I am recalling my childhood of 2015 and asking myself a simple question: “Who the fuck were these people of the past who scammed each child of my school into paying 0.35 USD for a kind of competition that didn’t even exist? Why did teachers help them achieve their goals, and why did they even access our classrooms? Why was I taught that some events celebrated on a global scale were not good for us by a teacher who tried to radicalize us? Who took action to find them and remove them? Why did they become false gods of our trivial beliefs, taught exactly by them? Today, you are going to learn really good things that will teach you to ask your children more and more questions.
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Where It All Began
Everything starts here in the dusty streets of Dangara City, 56th School. Eraj of 5th grade, full of hope and passion, loves reading, loves the best grades, doing everything to achieve his future dreams. And I was particularly good at Russian at the time, knowing nothing about English that I am speaking in while writing this text to you. We entered the Russian classroom and started the lessons. Suddenly, a man with a white beard and traditional skullcap entered the classroom after the teacher told us about a 5555 TJS competition, with much joy in his eyes. So, 5555 TJS was approximately 565–570 US dollars at the time. This scammer handed us flyers indicating the rules of the game: four to five stages, and if you won, you would get fucking bucks. But to enter, you had to pay 0.35 or 0.50 US dollars, which is 5 TJS. Okay, I said, let me try this.
We paid, we tried, some people failed, some got to the next stages, and we said, okay, let’s see what happens next. The skullcap beardman suddenly disappeared. We started asking our teacher where the fuck he had gone, but got not a single clear reply. It turned out he just fucked us all off the money, which was then obvious, though we hadn’t realized it before. He managed to gather enough money from everyone, plotted a conspiracy with the teachers, and distributed the money he made by exploiting us. And now, after 11 years, I am asking: did this old man already die? Because I want him to burn in hell with his wife and mother, since he deceived children like me.
I am telling you this for you to know that your child is not necessarily disciplined just because they attend school. Believe me, scammers will rob you even in the grave, like they did with all the gold and clothes of Cyrus the Great. Even his writings on the grave could not help him avoid these people.
Know the Difference
Looking Deeper and Refusing to Take Things at Face Value
I am telling you this so that you understand the words “identification” and “verification” correctly. If you are embarking on some kind of endeavor, before even starting, ask yourself a simple fucking question about the eligibility and credibility of what you are setting out on. You might get nowhere, driven only by downward excitement and a feeling that you belong to a herd of sheep—or even worse, donkeys, like in our case. The false gods of our pure beliefs—that teachers won’t lie—made us pay them money that our parents earned with sweat and blood. No matter what, dear parents, always ask your children questions, since it might rescue them from these people full of hatred and schemes.
2015 was a year of brain development for the people of Tajikistan, allowing them to realize that not everything needs to be believed in when it comes to schools. We thought that teachers were teaching our kids something good, but we didn’t realize that some of them just steal money.
Knowledge Is Within, but the Place Fails
We had a library where you could pay to rent books, which we did each year for our classes. Our teachers would casually gather the money and then just disappear from the school, without even notifying the management that they were resigning from their position. The money was now with them! Can you imagine this? You pay with your whole heart, waiting for the books to be distributed, only to find out that the teachers of early schools scammed everybody, even the director, and just disappeared!
The rage was obvious among the parents and the school, but of course, they would resolve it themselves without us paying twice. Be careful: even when you know the money goes to the library, it can be a scam too. Always be aware of what teachers do in class. If they are responsible for a group of students and behave abnormally, it’s time to step back and observe the situation.
Do you also remember the Arabic lessons of the alphabet you learned? History goes a long way back, when the Islamic empire devoured the Persian people, ultimately converting all of us into Muslims (I am not regretting this; it’s just a fact I am outlining). Then the Russians came into our lands and changed the Arabic alphabet into Cyrillic. Yeah, anyway, we still preserved our language.
It’s Only the Alphabet; Nothing Else
Back in 56th school, we had Arabic classes, where the teacher would tell us how to read and write using those fancy letters. You might think these lessons were only for learning letters. No. We were radicalized by him. Since it was Arabic and related to Islam, he would tell us different stories, including that the International Day of Women is haram for Muslims. Why would kids need this shit? Who cares if it’s just a day dedicated to women? He would tell us fancy stories about women in Paris going out to get their rights and establish this day, and this very teacher would call them bitches. Can you imagine that? He used the Arabic word “fahish” (women of the night or Plain Jane), which is pretty close to the word “wahish”, meaning beast or animal.
The students of 9th, 10th, and 11th grades found out about this and went straight to the director. The teacher was removed, and the notebooks were burnt immediately by our own hands to avoid problems. Here’s something valuable for parents: if the lesson is about learning letters, let it be just that. If your kid is learning Arabic, make sure the teacher talks only about Arabic and remains neutral, without mentioning religion, since kids can be taught false things that come out of teachers’ mouths—because children believe teachers cannot lie. Protect the open gates of your kids’ beliefs and let them learn to question everything—something we didn’t know at the time. And now, looking back at all those shitty experiences, I understand that 90% of the things taught in school were absolute bullshit that could have deviated many of us, if we had not changed our situation.
The Land of Ajam
''We often think that God cannot lie and that everything He says is pure truth. But you must not forget: He is the same God who created a variety of conditions, including the ability for biological organisms with reasoning to lie. Yes, even God can create lies around you, and you cannot even imagine where exactly. Question everything. Don’t believe anything—not 100%.'' — Eraj Alisherov, The Patriot
My Final Words
''This is not unique to Tajikistan. In 2008, a similar scam in a primary school in Kenya forced students to pay for a “scholarship exam” that never existed. Local teachers endorsed it, convincing parents that the competition would secure university placement. Psychologists studying this case later concluded that children’s natural trust in authority figures can be exploited, especially in environments where questioning elders is discouraged. In the U.S., several charter schools in the 2010s faced lawsuits after teachers pressured students to buy books or uniforms from specific vendors under the guise of “mandatory school requirements,” often for personal gain. Behavioral psychologists note that children’s belief in fairness and structured authority makes them highly vulnerable to manipulation, especially if rewards or prizes are promised.''
— Eraj Alisherov, The Patriot
Even in Europe, in countries like Italy and Spain, there have been cases of “extracurricular fundraising” scams where teachers or staff exploited students’ enthusiasm for art, music, or sports competitions. In every case, the underlying principle is the same: children are wired to trust adults, and without critical thinking skills, they can be manipulated into supporting unethical practices.
Remember one simple truth: question everything around yourself. From the very beginning of our lives, we are taught not to question elders, God, or someone else. No. You can do it 200%. Not questioning anything makes you blind, even if your eyesight is 20/20 and you see everything like an eagle. The systems around you as a child make you a sheep among wolves. If you are surrounded by teachers, elders, God, etc., always have a rational view and ask yourself one simple question: Can they lie if they had a choice? Since choices always exist, they will ultimately lie, mercilessly.
The Number of Students Proficient in Critical Thinking
The Number of Adults Who Rarely Question Teachers
