Around the World
Paris Nairobi Beirut
In the last two days cable news has had round the clock coverage of the Paris terrorist attacks. Of course they were both expected and unexpected, shocking and yet the new normal for the world. I wonder if these attacks, where over 150 people died at the hands of ISIS, will finally awaken the world to the threat it faces from extremists. Paris is only the latest in what has become a continual stream of terrorist events to rock the world. I worry, however, that it is the only one that has garnered so much attention and engendered so much sympathy from people around the world.
On April 10, 2015, Al-Shabob terrorists attacked a Nairobi university and murdered 147 university students and injured dozens more. They targeted Christians and Muslim converts and like the ISIS terrorists in Paris showed no mercy in their pursuit of their murderous agenda. While there was some news coverage of the event, the 24 hour news cycle was not dominated by the story, people did not place the Kenyan flag over their Facebook photos, and the rest of the world did not threaten revenge for the lives that were lost. Why were these 147 lives less important than those lost in Paris?
On November 12, 2015, an ISIS suicide bomber attacked a Shia mosque in Lebanon and detonated a bomb killing 45 people and injuring hundreds more. There was a second bomber that day but Adel Termos prevented the death of hundreds of civilians when he saw the second bomber getting closer to the mosque. He ran towards him and tackled him, causing the terrorist to detonate himself. Adel died that day but he is a Lebanese hero whose bravery and courage saved the lives of hundreds of sons, daughters, fathers and mothers in Lebanon. Again there was some news but not a lot and no sympathy for Adel or the Lebanese people who suffered that day and continue to suffer in fear and silence.
I think it is time that the world wakes up to the devastation and destruction caused by terrorist organizations in all parts of the world. People of all religions, colors, and nationalities lives are equally as important as those in Paris. It should not take an attack on the Center of Paris in old Europe to wake up the world. The world should have been awoken long before now. Lets hope we can collectively come together to solve this problem so no one has to lose their life for another’s murderous agenda.
