Imagine being at a park with your family celebrating the Easter holiday. Little kids are playing tag and looking for Easter eggs, picnics are being set up, friends and family are catching up, when all of the sudden there is an incoming explosion. Suicide bombers decided to attack men, women and children at that specific park--no mercy is shown. Now imagine being at an airport. You could be there for a business trip, a honeymoon or a family vacation with your loved ones. When suddenly two suicide bombers bomb a few of the airport terminals. Your family members are injured, bleeding out, or worse and you are severally injured as well. This is the reality for many people around the world due to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS.
On March 27, 2016, there was an attack in Lahore, Pakistan where 72 people were killed while 320 other people were injured while celebrating Easter at a park. This is just the latest in a long list of attacks. A few days before, on March 22, this attack is the Brussels Airport Bombing attack which claimed the lives of 31 people and wounded 270 people. There was also a suicide bomber attack on March 25, at a soccer game in Iraq, where 26 people were killed and 71 were injured. These are just the latest attacks within the past few weeks.
It is worrisome that every time the news is on there is a new report about innocent blood being spilled. It doesn’t matter if these people are Americans, French, Muslim or Belgian--there are innocent people dying and there needs to be an end. When I think about those families at the park on Easter, the friends at a soccer game, travelers and workers at an airport, or concert goers in Paris who lost their lives, I want to honestly cry for them. I could not begin to imagine being in a situation where everyone around me was injured or dead, especially when some of those people were people I loved.
How we as a world handle ISIS will define us for years to come. The ISIS situation needs to be planned properly, with minimal innocent lives lost in the process, but the world cannot sit by and ignore the situation anymore. I know that the American government among other countries have intelligence agencies that are looking into ISIS, but we need to do more. I’m not necessarily arguing that we need to drop bombs or start another war. I know plenty of people who are searching for a peaceful approach. While that is a nice idea, it is becoming less possible every day, when more innocent lives are being lost as we wait around for a solution. The American election has been filled with promises to eradicate ISIS, but we need a solution now rather than later. With the upcoming American presidential election, voters need to consider which of the candidates’ best reflects their views on how to handle terrorism. We need strong leaders who are willing to stand against ISIS.
I am by no means the answer person. I try to stay informed on current affairs as much as possible, but I do not know everything. All I know for certain is that I am disgusted that I live in a world that ISIS is a part of. I ask each reader to remain vigilant in their everyday lives and if you see anything to please say something--it could save a life.
