Indonesia, Moscow, London, Madrid, Pakistan, India, Norway, France, Kenya, Brussels, Nigeria, Turkey, United States – all of these places are all around the world and seem to have not desernable connection to each other. They are different continents, different cultures and thousands of miles apart from each other. What makes them so similar? Each of these places has been the victim of a terrorist attack since the World Trade Centers were attacked on that fateful day almost 15 years ago, Sept. 11, 2001, a day the world will never forget. While that day is a significant for the pure terror and shock that it not only put on the entire nation of the United States, but also for the world, it may be significant for an entirely different reason. Has terrorist attacks risen since the towers fell? Has more hate groups formed with the intent to harm and cause destruction?
The most recent (at least within the past week because let's be honest, there have been a lot recently) is an airport in Turkey. An unknowing taxi brought what seemed to be like a group of friends to the airport, nothing suspicious, probably just going to catch a plane to somewhere, not murder or harm anyone. A simple taxi ride carrying three semingly innocent people brought the death of 42 individuals and the injury to hundreds. Once out of the taxi, this group started firing and harming at the terminal entrance. The harm did not end there, but with them blowing themselves up once the police intervined. It is to be believed these people who could cause so much damage were foreigners in Turkey just to reek havoc. Of the 42 confirmed dead, 13 of those were from different nations or had dual citizenship. While dealing with the aftermath of the attack, the Turkish President made sure to remind everyone that the attackers were, "not Muslims." This is an important statement because most terrorist attacks since 2001 have been blamed on Muslims, even when it is not true.
Because of the events of 2001, Muslims have been everyone's first conclusion when anything bad happens that ends the lives of multiple people. The shooting in Florida, the shooting in a school, the shooting in a movie theater – all incidents with mass casualties, all blamed on a certain group of people or religious beliefs that are found at or around Iraq, even when those people are from the United States and are of Caucasian decent.
This is not the first time that Turkey has been attacked in the past 15 years. Just last year, in the capital of Turkey, suicide bombers (with what is to be Islamic ties) came and terminated the lives of 100 people. This was eight months ago on Oct. 10, 2015.
The attack in Paris in November 2015 that ended the lives of more 120 people; the attack in April 2015 at the Garissa University in Kenya that ended the lives of 147 people, the attack in Paris in January 2015 at a magazine that ended the life of 17 people, including police officers; the attack in Nigeria during January 2015 that lead to the death of between 150-2,000 people (with people still missing); the attack in Brussels in May 2014 that led to the death of 14; an attack in Kenya during September 2013 that led to the death of 67 with almost 200 injured. An attack in France during March 2012 that ended the lives of seven people (including children, rabbi and paratroopers) – these are only the attacks in the past four years all are claimed to be the attacks of Islamic groups.
With so many lives lost due to terrorist attacks in the world, our focus has been lost. While we should be coming together as nations and as people, we are just separating ourselves from groups of people. If we do not believe all people are equal, and all people are, then who are we and what is the point of still fighting because the terrorists have already won. If we do not stand together as one group, one nation that spreads the entire world, then we are already lost with no hope of becoming the amazing and fair world that we can be.
