I write this not as a form of banter or of ranting, but of what
I believe is the true state of affairs in a society that is largely
superficial. The very recent massacre in a Kenyan university has provided me
the scintilla to write what should have been, or has been said many times.
On September 11, 2001, the United States (“US”) suffered the
worst terrorist attack in its history which resulted in the loss of
approximately 3000 lives. The attack drew opprobrium from all corners of the
world. The US reacted with a war against “terrorism”, and a wave of
“islamophobia” insidiously swept in. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan claimed
approximately 115,000 lives. Dreadful human rights violations betided in
Guantanamo Bay, where victims were innocent Muslims. Putting that on hold,
let’s look at what happened in Palestine. The conflict in Palestine has taken
tens of thousands of lives since 1948. In the Gaza hostilities alone, the
United Nations reported that 7 out of 10 Palestinians killed were civilians
(approximately 2,100 Palestinians were killed). Considerable support for
Palestine and carping against Israel came from the Muslim community. The US
threw its support behind Israel, and has from the very beginning, employed
various tactics to impede Palestine’s access to an effective forum for the
discussion and possibly, a fair solution to the conflict. The reactions from
the rest of the globe were largely divided, when it clearly should not have
been so.
Moving to a much smaller scale, on 7 January 2015, two
assailants killed 11 people in the offices of the French satirical weekly
newspaper, Charlie Hebdo. The international community reacted strongly. On 11
January 2015, approximately 2 million people including more than 40 world
leaders led a rally of national unity in the heart of Paris. In contrasts, the
international community, albeit reacted, but in a more subdued way, towards
numerous other massacres which claimed more lives. The Sri Lankan civil war
claimed the lives of approximately 40,000 Tamil civilians. The Muslim Rohingya
people in Myanmar have continued to suffer from grave human rights violations
since 1978, with hundreds massacred and over a hundred thousand forcefully
displaced. Countless massacres have occurred throughout the Middle-East. The
civil war in Sierra Leon has left over 50,000 people dead. The massacre in the
Kenyan university has claimed the lives of approximately 150 students. The
middle-east and the African region have seen countless massacres.
The impetus of providing the above facts is to outline the
dissimilitude of the reactions of the international community towards different
events. It could be due to, amongst others, political, racial, religious or
financial reasons. At a slightly different dimension, individuals seem display
the same level of thought, albeit for different reasons. For example, I
couldn’t help but notice that almost 70 percent of my Facebook friends mourned
the passing of Paul Walker on their Profile Page. However, when Irene Fernandez
(leading Human Rights activist) passed away, only a few Facebook friends shared
similar sentiments. The same can be said on the various massacres taking place
all over the world.
Everyone has the right to express on what they believe
claims priority. However, I believe that as human beings, we have an innate
obligation to uphold humanity in its basic form, in which ever way suits us
most according to our individual strengths. Society, at all levels,
particularly in regards to the human rights violations and the loss of human
lives, needs to act and react regardless of race, religion, and personal gain
in all its forms. In an era where boundaries between the international community
are diminishing, the need for society to fully comprehend that all human beings
are equal is crucial.
Some, or many, might disagree with me. Some might see it as
a utopian ideology. However, hope is what drives us when all else seems bleak.
After all, it is humanity that makes us human beings, for without it, we are no
different than any other being in this world.
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