I want to begin this week’s post by giving a warning. There will be some pictures that might be disturbing to look at within the next two posts, but we have to embrace all the parts of our past (even the gory) to embrace a better tomorrow. We will be talking about the terrorist attacks in Paris this week and their impact around the world. I will try to link as many news sites as I can on both topics as there is no way I can cover all of the complexities in one post. I am going to save Nice for next week, as it is the lesser known of the two attacks and will need more attention to the finer details.
I highly recommend reading the first CNN article I have linked below. It gives a breakdown of the events of the night in Paris and the people involved (both the victims and terrorists). We are going to discuss the growing causes for terrorism in developed countries. We often forget that bombings like the one in Paris happen almost every day in “third world” countries because of living in close proximity to the terrorist organizations or because of the regimes ruling the countries. The outrage and cry for action is much less than the one we saw after Paris. Death is never easy, but it is often explained away. The deaths in France, however, solidified ISIS as a world power that needed to be ended.
The Islamic State uses force to take back the world for Allah. They ignore the peaceful nature of Islam to enforce their superiority upon the world, and they claim it is all for His glory. Terrorist groups are nothing new to the world, but with increasingly dangerous weapons of mass destruction the devastation continues to grow. With the degradation of the quality of life for some individuals in their home country or due to discrimination and prejudice in others, many are drawn into the organizations to retaliate against those that have wronged them in the past.
We have looked at the French pride and their “natural” prejudice against anything non-French. Muslim immigrants become ostracized in the country they now call home, especially due to laws against their religious dress. One can recognize the frustration of a people. It does not justify the murders, though.
I want to highlight the aftermath and the cry heard around the world. Within hours, people around the globe changed their Facebook profile pictures to the following filter as a show of solidarity with France.
People rushed forward to finance victims’ families. Flowers were left at the sites of the bombings. World dignitaries came to the city to show their support. But what did any of it do, the people were still gone and the damage done? It showed humanity’s unbreakable spirit. Their ambition to do something, even if they can’t physically help. The world showed its adversaries that they had lost.
We told them that we were not afraid. We would stand united. We were wrong. Acceptance of Syrian refugees to the states and other countries was questioned. Prejudice against Muslims increased and there was an air of guilty until proven innocent when my devout Muslim friend walked into a building. Where is the unbreakable spirit as we break apart from each other? We let hate break us apart. France continues to allow the refugees to come into the country, setting an example of what it means to be a world citizen. France keeps fighting. France keeps living. France won’t let them win.
Up next: The Nice attacks… Sorry, that this post was more opinionated and less about the story than the past few weeks. One of my best friends is Muslim and I have had to watch her suffer through increasing prejudices from many people who were her friends previous to the attacks. When looking at the events of the past, please remember that everyone is an individual and not made up of the actions of others. If you take nothing else away from my blog, I ask you to remember that we are all humans. Stand with your fellow humans and don’t be afraid. We are stronger together than we are apart. Thank you for reading.
Links:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/08/europe/2015-paris-terror-attacks-fast-facts/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34818994
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-paris-attacks-affect-refugee-policy-2015-11