Terrorist attacks are one of the biggest global threats to humanity today. It seems like every other day I wake up to a notification that innocent lives were claimed due to extremist violence. While most terror attacks in the past few decades have occurred in developing nations, the rise of the ISIS has truly globalized the reign of terror. Putting the more obvious issues related to this senseless and radical killing aside, a subtle yet disturbing trend has emerged. The world seems to empathize more with terror attacks in the western hemisphere or developed countries than equally, if not more, devastating ones in third world nations.
Istanbul. Dhaka. Beirut. Baghdad. Paris.
These are all capitals of countries around the world that were the unfortunate victims of terrorism at the hands of the ISIS in the past year. Though to most people only the Paris attack sounds familiar. And no, this is not because the Paris attacks were more devastating; in fact, more people were killed and injured in every other attack mentioned above than the one in Paris. I do not mean to vilify the tidal wave of emotion and fury that the Paris attack created, I am simply questioning why countless other such deadly attacks did not invoke such overpowering rage. While leaders around the world were condemning the attacks in France and #PrayforParis was trending on every social media website, no one seemed to spare a second thought for the hundreds that continue to be slaughtered in the Middle East every single day. And there is something extremely disconcerting about that.
Is a human life in a developed economy worth more than one in a nation that is still finding its bearings? Facebook gave users a chance to show solidarity with the victims in France by encouraging people to update their profile pictures to the colors of the French flag. This is not even an option when there is violence in Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, or Pakistan. Why do I not have the ability to express my grief at the massacre in another country when there is loss of life and love?
I think there are a few reasons for the existence of this unintentional disregard for violence affecting the Eastern hemisphere, though none is a justification for the act. The frequency of violence in some of these countries is absurdly high and unfortunately seems to have desensitized the media against destruction in these parts.
The connection people feel to a place also influences their reactions. While the violence is obviously upsetting for citizens of the country, people from all over the world have vacationed in Paris or have relatives or friends in nearby parts of Europe which gives rise to the the spine chilling feelings of “it could have been me.” These feelings are not evoked in too many people when it comes to Middle Eastern cities as they have no ties to the place.
Mass media has a powerful effect on an individual’s mind. If I ask you to picture France you will instantly think of the Eiffel tower, boutique cafés and tourists enjoying themselves. If, instead, I ask you to picture Iraq - an involuntary picture of a war zone with masked men comes to mind instantly. No, this is not only stereotypical thinking in play; this is what has been fed to us by movies, books and songs ever since we were born, and that is what we logically take for normal. Therefore, violence in Paris does not sit well with us as it goes against our notion of what is normal and expected of the place, while violence in Baghdad does not cause us to bat an eyelid as it conforms to normality in our head.
The need of the hour is to abandon our preconceived ideas about places around the world we haven’t actually seen. It is high time we look at human beings as just humans, with no labels of nationality, religion or socioeconomic status attached. If humans are suffering anywhere in the world, we NEED to be there. It doesn’t matter if the victim is Iraqi or French or Nigerian or American. It really just does not matter. We need every ounce of humanity and love we can muster if we hope to vanquish the hateful forces of extremist violence in the years to come, because make no mistake, this is sadly just the beginning and terror is coming.
