I was surfing through my Facebook feed a couple days ago when I saw it. It was something so disgraceful that it provoked feeling of burning rage, deepest grief, and something that would best be described as true disgust within me. It was a CNN story about a female journalist who was put to death by ISIS for simply writing about her experiences with daily life. Ruqia Hassan was only 30 years old at the time of her untimely death.
I have always fought for the idea that freedom of speech is an unalienable human right. The means to express ourselves is a fundamental characteristic of being human. It is something our species has done from the beginning of time and will continue to do. Every famous work of art, piece of classic literature, and measure of music was the product of free expression.
As Americans, our first amendment, freedom of speech is something we take for granted every day. Never had we had to watch what we say, read, or write in fear that we would lose everything we love. We uncover injustice and disagree with political policies without fear of prosecution from the government. But clearly, this is not the case for everyone in our world.
Although injustice like this is not necessarily a new issue, I will never get over the shock and disgust that I feel when these stories surface. Every day, journalists, especially women, are being persecuted for voicing the truth. In the case of Hassan, she paid with the ultimate price of her life. This incident is nothing short of a travesty and a disgusting disrespect for human rights.
Yet, when ISIS decided to take it upon themselves to perform this mockery of justice, they made one huge unavoidable mistake. They proved that Hassan’s purpose and story was important. By stopping her from talking, they proved that they have something to hide. They proved that the work she was doing was justified and necessary.
Now, as a society, we have a choice. We could either sit by and let these travesties keep happening or we stand up and refuse to buy into the message of fear that these terrorist organizations try to push upon us. The choice is ours, but I hope that the right choice is clear. We must refuse to be intimidated by ISIS’s tactics. Think about Ruqia Hassan as if she gave up her life in order to stress the importance of fighting for what we believe in through freedom of speech.
