The majority of us have heard about the terror attacks that occurred in Paris last week. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this horrific event; however, they are not the only ones that deserve empathy. Another heartbreaking event occurred in Lebanon only days before, yet very few people seem to know about the bombings that left 43 dead and nearly 200 wounded.
How is it that the situation in Paris got overwhelming media coverage while the situation in Lebanon got very limited media coverage? People might argue that the bombings in Lebanon got a lot of exposure, and to an extent I can agree with that, but it is not for the reasons one might think. The attacks in Lebanon were exposed only when people began writing articles about the attacks not being exposed enough. It is disheartening to know that Lebanon is not deemed important enough to get the attention it deserves.
I cannot help but think that Lebanese lives, my people's lives, do not matter. Lebanon has been war torn for ages, but that does not minimize the effect this tragedy had on the people of Lebanon or anyone affected by this. The bombings were treated as insignificant; merely another terrorist attack in a country occupied by terrorists. Even Adel Termos, a bystander who sacrificed his own life to save his people did not receive the recognition he deserves for his heroic act.
As my people blew up on the streets of Beirut, as their lives shattered due to the loss of a loved ones, no country stood up for us or expressed their sympathy. Instead, Everett Stern, an American senator tweeted about how grateful he was for the attacks. I tried to put things in perspective, but what this man said was absolutely jaw dropping and unacceptable. Innocent people were killed by the bombs, and Lebanon deserves an outpouring of sympathy.
Elie Fares, a Lebanese doctor commented on his blog that, “when [our] people died, no country bothered to light up its landmarks in the colors of their flag. When [our] people died, they did not send the world into mourning. Their death was but an irrelevant fleck along the international news cycle, something that happens in those parts of the world.” It hurts me to acknowledge that my country, the place I love so passionately, and my people do not matter. This is more dehumanizing than the attacks themselves.
