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Excerpts from: 5-year-old eyes youngest smoker record

By  UPI News Article: 5-year-old eyes youngest smoker record  [02/28/01]
 

The parents of a 5-year-old Lebanese boy
 have been encouraging their son to smoke with the hope of entering the
 Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest smoker in the world,
 according to Wednesday's editions of the As Safir newspaper.

  Abdel Karim al-Ali, who lives in the south Lebanon village of Majidiyeh,
 started smoking at the age of 3. The newspaper said al-Ali's parents could
 be "dazzled by their son's achievement for he is so skilful in smoking all
 kinds of cigarettes" and the region's traditional water pipe.

  It said the boy does not hesitate in smoking in front of his friends and
 parents, and thinks that "the cigarette is better than child toys."

  "Who would need advice? The boy Abdel Karim al-Ali or the parents who are
 promoting their innocent child's novelties?" asked As Safir.