I know everyone is talking about the Paris attacks, and you
might not want to read another article about them, but I decided I wanted to
write my 2-cents about the event. I should say now, I do not intend to start
debate or disagree with anyone’s beliefs on this subject, I am just sharing my opinion.
As a student of disaster and emergency management, I can’t
help but to think about and analyse the attacks in Paris. Not to mention over
the past few days it feels like you can’t turn on a TV or go on social media
without hearing or reading some new development related to this tragedy. And
the fact we are talking about it so much speaks volumes about the connectedness
of the world we live in. People from all over the world are sending their
support to Parisians, and locals have been able to open their homes to those
stuck in Paris thanks to the power of media. But the huge exposure of this
event has not come without its consequences. Acts of violence and destruction
towards the Muslim community have taken place all over, including a few in
towns around where I live. The fate of Syrian refugees is being debated, as
world leaders decide whether or not they will continue to accept people
countries associated with terrorism. As well, the huge media attention this
event is receiving
has brought to light the fact that similar
attacks in developing countries don’t receive nearly as much attention – but that
could be a blog post in and of itself.
But why should we respond to violence with more violence,
and intolerance with more intolerance? That seems hypocritical and backwards to
me – it’s like the bullying back the bully. Many people fleeing Syria and other
war-torn countries are leaving to escape the terrorism they face every day, not
to be a part of it. Of course there are extremists who just happen to be Muslim
who join groups such as ISIS, but by in large Muslim people are just as shocked
an appalled by the attacks in Paris as the rest of the world. It is so unfair
to paint an entire religion with the same brush because of one small group of
bad people. As I read online yesterday, we don’t blame all German people for
the actions of the Nazis do we? I deeply believe that if we start looking at
people as human beings instead of focusing on one part of their person, then
the world would be a much brighter place. I hope that as world leaders discuss “how
to deal with terrorism”, they realize that we are all humans, so maybe the best
way to deal with terrorism is to address the issues which are causing people to
act inhumanly.
