Multiple reports have confirmed that two fatal explosions in Brussels Zaventem Airport and Maalbeek Metro Station resulted in at least 31 people dead and 330 injured on March 15. According to Reuters reports, the Islamic State has assumed responsibility for the attacks, and two brothers have been identified as suicide bombers.
In time, the headlines regarding this attack will disappear as it did back in November with Paris and Lebanon (barely), and the world will forget about these attacks until the next. However, there is a continuous physiological damage and hateful anti-Muslim rhetoric that perpetuates in our society.
Terrorist attacks have a way of dividing people of different religions, races, and nationalities, even further than they are now.
It’s normal to feel fear, shock, or anger after an attack like this happens, even if you are not directly affected by it. It’s also normal to feel worried that more attacks will follow. Europe alone has suffered two major attacks in a short time frame, which can increase these feelings of fear and anger in some.
The point is, terrorism changes the way we perceive others. People start to fear those who are different from them. However, as valid as that fear and unease may seem, it is very important to remember that terrorism has no race, religion and/or nationality.
Michael Williams, a research associate at the Center for Terrorism and Security Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, states that when people are reminded of death, they tend to occupy themselves in activities that lessen the fear of death. Williams said, “for anyone aware of the recent attacks in Brussels, we could expect greater bias against those perceived as outsider – For example, immigrants, or merely those who hold beliefs other than our own.”
Terrorist attacks bring out the worst in people, as it should. Understand, however, that these statements and acts are driven by fear, not by reason.
In response to the Brussels attack, presidential candidate Ted Cruz proposed increased patrols on Muslim neighborhoods before they become “radicalized.” While Donald Trump, in agreement with Cruz, is calling for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S.
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, speaking on The Jimmy Kimmel Show, responded to Trump, by saying “At the end of the day, we cannot allow the Trumps of the world to use these incidents to attack all of the Muslim people in the world. That is unfair – to imply that if somebody is a Muslim they’re a terrorist, that is an outrageous statement.”
Condemning Muslim communities for these acts of terrorism does not help an already tense situation. The idea that 1.6 billion people are terrorists is both ignorant and dehumanizing. It fuels more hatred and hostility towards this specific group of people.
Instead of using these attacks as a way to unify, people take it as an opportunity to divide and inflict more suffering on those that have absolutely nothing to do with it. As so much terror and destruction is consuming the world, what we can, (and should) do is show an act of solidarity and support to those that need it most.
Whether you are on social media, or in real life, do not be afraid to stand with or stand up for innocent Muslims who will undoubtedly be subjected to ignorance and violence from people who will blame the attacks on them, their families and their way of life.
Do not equate Isis to Islam. And remember, terrorism has no religion.
We remember those who have lost their lives due to the Brussels attacks and their loved ones as they cope with loss. We also remember the injured and hope that they get well soon.
