It was 8 a.m. in Brussels, Belgium, and people were living their lives with very little thought that they would become the next victims of a terrorist attack. They woke up thinking it would be just another day at work, or that they would travel safely to wherever their destination was. That was all interrupted when chaos hit a metro station and an airport as bombs exploded, and once again, innocent lives were taken by a deadly terrorist attack. These attacks are becoming all too familiar and are happening way too often around the globe.
In the wake of the recent attacks in Brussels, the #prayfortheworld hashtag has begun to trend on social media once again. This hashtag was also trending during the Paris attacks this past November. The attacks in Belgium took at least 30 lives and left over 200 others injured. These attacks will not be forgotten about or brushed aside, as more and more people realize the importance of this global issue we face concerning terrorism. The trending hashtag is a global demonstration of the grief the world shares, as well as the hope the world shares for an end to these brutal attacks.
Though the Paris attacks and Brussels attacks have received the most media coverage, they are not the only deadly attacks carried through or inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS). According to CNN, ISIS has "conducted or inspired nearly 75 terrorist attacks in 20 countries other than Iraq and Syria." The total death toll of all the attacks is about 1,280 people and they have left many more wounded.
Most of the deadly attacks that have been directly conducted by ISIS have taken place within the Middle East. Other attacks that have been inspired by ISIS, but not directly conducted by ISIS, have taken place in European countries like France and other countries such as The United States (which included the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, this past December).
Tweets have flooded Twitter regarding how serious of a global issue these attacks have become and how they are happening in countries all over the world, not just in France and Belgium. In order to take down ISIS, the world must unite and not back down to this savage-like terrorist organization. They can't destroy us or our unbreakable spirit and resilience with bombs, guns and violence.
Many countries, including the United States, remain on high alert because no one is certain what's around the corner or what could happen next in any country. It's sad that the world has come to this sense of fear and worry. It's sad that normal life is hard to lead for some countries because of deadly terrorist attacks happening so frequently. We, as a world, must stand together in solidarity with those impacted and in strength that we will overcome and end this terror.
