This week has been a very sad week for those in Brussels, Belgium, Turkey, Ivory Coast and the northern part of Nigeria. I pray that the people that lost their lives shall rest in perfect peace. I also pray that their families and friends shall be filled with peace and comfort. Amen,
We live in a tough age all over the world with the constant Terrorist attacks happening all over the world. People live in complete fear every day not knowing where and when the next terror attack would happen. However, in the world we live in today, people tend to have selective sympathy and amnesia. During the attacks in France last year, the world exploded in pain and sadness and everyone showed remorse to those in France, but no one remembered worse attacks that happened in Nigeria, Kenya or Turkey. This same situation has happened again this year, the attack in Brussels was one of three attacks by ISIS agents that happened that week. Why did not we have a global outcry in those other countries? Has the world become so accustomed to attacks in those countries that they do not care what happens anymore?
It is really sad the world only remembers ISIS when it affects the major countries. Why aren't we talking about Turkey and other cities racked by violence, many of them ISIS related, like the Brussels or November Paris attacks? As reported this week, in the past ten days alone there have been terrorist attacks in Nigeria, Yemen, the Ivory Coast, and two in Turkey. The attacks were led by Boko Haram in Nigeria, a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, and Al-Qaeda in the Ivory Coast. In Turkey, a splinter group led an attack on March 13 in Ankara, while on March 19, two suicide bombers with ISIS affiliation carried out a second attack in Istanbul.
Yet, the world was mute when it came to these places. Why is this so? Who is to blame for the silence around the world, when it comes to these cities? For a second, it might be so easy to blame the media. I refuse to blame the media entirely for this problem. The media is actually trying as oppose to normal beliefs. The problem is that people overlook these publications by these media outlets. People scroll on as it does not affect them, so they do not care what happens in those places. So I blame the people around the world, why do we turn a blind eye to these other attacks. Is human life in those cities less valuable than others? i doubt that might be the case. Maybe it is because most people have been on vacation in the more developed places and those attacks could have easily happened to them. I guess it is human nature to connect more with those places.
I believe people do not care because these sad atrocities that happen in other cities because they do not seem to connect emotionally to that side of the world. They can not do much about it and do not want to talk about it because they do want to feel sad and hopeless.
I understand why people feel this way but we should not turn a blind eye, let's continue to show love to those around the world. Let us continue to pray for all countries around the world even if you do not know anyone there. Let us send relief to those people that have suffered from the atrocities ISIS have committed around the world. ISIS wants us to give up and be accustomed to the sadness in the world. We should not give up in showing love no matter how many times these attacks happen.
So I appeal to everyone that the next time you almost scroll through a headline showing a location you don't know much about, it might be worthwhile stopping to take a look about what happened.
