Thoughts on Paris...

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.