In the past couple of weeks I’ve been deleting my New York Times e-mail notifications. There’s been nothing there but too many dead people and uncontrollable looting in Haiti. Both the NY Times and CNN have been reporting on the same story: there are way too many bodies (and body parts) to actually count the numbers of the deceased. Nobody cares to ask who died anymore or how, people are more concerned with keeping themselves alive. It’s tragic, the way natural disasters are, it’s like deja vu every single time. You know it’s the same thing all over again, whether it’s in America, Asia, or the Caribbean Islands, the words earthquake, Tsunami, volcano… etc… always bring back the same feelings of pity. We feel sorry for the people suffering, for their dead, and for their troubles. We may donate money and supplies through relief and aid organizations, but, at the end of the day, feeling sorry is all there is to do.
It’s either that, of course, or we could simply create our own disasters and distractions.
In the middle of deleting e-mails about the Haiti hype, and going through some articles, one headline caught my eye: “Kabul Attack Shows Resilience of Afghan Militants.”
Really, it just makes me so angry. After my last rant about Afghanistan, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of helping out. Of course I’m aware that it’s not the only place on earth in need, help is needed everywhere, but Afghanistan just touched a nerve, I don’t know why I feel so strongly about it, but it’s become so personal now. The Taliban just drive me crazy.
People are dying everywhere and the Taliban continue to kill their own. They’re not attacking the government, no, they’re attacking their own country men, women, and children. That is murder if you ask me. By the time they are done with all their suicide missions there won’t be any Afghanis left to populate the country they are so eager to rule. Oh and yes, they are doing all of this in the name of Islam, because they are such diligent Muslims who are performing their duties faithfully, because their suicide missions are jihad and it will get them to heaven. Yeah Right.
I’m not saying that I know how God will judge them come judgement day, but people are not blind to the fact that what they are doing has ulterior motives like political power and wealth. I feel sorry for the people who believe that this is what the Islamic faith is all about; destruction, suicide bombings, and bearded men. Yet I don’t blame them for thinking the way they do. Us Muslims do not project a very good image of ourselves, and worst of all, whoever of us knows the reality of it, never tries to rectify the situation.
I have my own beliefs as a Muslim but I never try to enforce my beliefs on other people, whether or not they believe in a deity is their business. We should not judge other people because we don’t have the right, and it is not our job to force people into certain belief systems or faiths, to each his own. How are they not to call us terrorists if, in the bigger picture, that is all we do?
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