Friday, November 13, 2015 should have been a normal day in the world. In Paris, France, soccer fans gathered at the French national stadium to witness the game against France and Germany. Others came together at the Bataclan concert hall to see a rock show that would be happening. Even more unsuspecting people met at various bars and restaurants around the city to eat, drink and spend time with friends and family. What started out as an ordinary day in the City of Lights ended as a horrific night that people all over the world would be hearing about, trying to wrap their heads around such senseless acts of terrorism.
Three coordinated attacks have now killed 132 people with updates on the conditions on the wounded coming out every hour. Since nations across the globe showed their solidarity with France by using blue, white and red lights on buildings, monuments, and other structures. A timeline of events has also been created based on all of the information received thus far and the identities of the victims have also begun to come forth. Facebook activated its Safety Check feature and allowed its users to place a French flag overlay to show solidarity with France. From the news to social media, the attacks in France are all anyone can talk about.
Terrorism and ISIS have once again come to the forefront of any conversation people are having but I can’t write about these acts of terrorism in Paris without also addressing another act of terrorism that has gone unnoticed by Western news: the terrorist attacks in Beirut, Lebanon that have killed over 40 people and leaving over 200 more people injured.
This isn’t to say the attacks in Paris are any more or less important then the attacks in Beirut or vise-versa. No one can say that the loss of life in one country is more important than the loss of life in another country. However, It is notable that the outcry of a terrorist attack in Paris, France creates such an instant reaction but an attack in Beirut, Lebanon the day before does not. Why did the news not cover the deaths of over 40 people by suicide bombings? And if the news did cover these bombings, why did they not get more attention? In a way, I believe, it’s because we have become almost desensitized to these events in countries like Lebanon where people assume bombings and killings to happen more often than they do in countries like France. We have been hearing about bombings and shootings from this region for years and at this point, it is nothing new. But the aftermath of a shooting or bombing in a place like Paris is swift and dangerous.
Since the Paris attacks, Islamophobia and xenophobia have once again taken hold of the minds and hearts of people, leading to many dangerous situations for Muslim people around the globe. Social media has become rampant with Islamophobic slurs and Muslim people have to now defend themselves against the notion that all Muslim people condoned the attacks in Paris. The lives of the refugees seeking asylum in Europe have also come under attack as xenophobic people begin questioning the continued help for those seeking to leave the very conditions that the people of Paris are now dealing with.
In times like this, where nothing makes sense and all emotions are heightened, it is always best to take a deep breath and try to understand all sides of the matter. Don't let your preconceived notions of people control your actions. We must all stand with each other, Muslim or Christian, French or American, young or old.
