When a friend told me past midnight to check the news about Paris, I had no idea that I would be looking at a map of a city I love, delineating locations undergoing terrorist attacks simultaneously. I zoomed in on that map closer; one of the locations was right to where I had stayed when I was there in 2013, down that same boulevard.
The more I read, the higher the number of fatalities went. It was horrible; it was dehumanizing; it was utterly and irrevocably hopeless: 2015 was ending the way it started – with terrorists attacks occuring in Lebanon and France almost at the same time, in the same context of demented creatures spreading hate and fear and death wherever they went.
I woke up this morning to two broken cities. My friends in Paris who only yesterday were asking what was happening in Beirut were now on the opposite side of the line. Both our capitals were broken and scarred, old news to us perhaps but foreign territory to them.
Today, 128 innocent civilians in Paris are no longer with us. Yesterday, 45 innocent civilians in Beirut were no longer with us. The death tolls keep rising, but we never seem to learn.
Amid the chaos and tragedy of it all, one nagging thought wouldn’t leave my head. It’s the same thought that echoes inside my skull at every single one of these events, which are becoming sadly very recurrent: we don’t really matter.
When my people were blown to pieces on the streets of Beirut on November 12th, the headlines read: explosion in Hezbollah stronghold, as if delineating the political background of a heavily urban area somehow placed the terrorism in context.
When my people died on the streets of Beirut on November 12th, world leaders did not rise in condemnation. There were no statements expressing sympathy with the Lebanese people. There was no global outrage that innocent people whose only fault was being somewhere at the wrong place and time should never have to go that way or that their families should never be broken that way or that someone’s sect or political background should never be a hyphen before feeling horrified at how their corpses burned on cement. Obama did not issue a statement about how their death was a crime against humanity; after all what is humanity but a subjective term delineating the worth of the human being meant by it?
What happened instead was an American senator wannabe proclaiming how happy he was that my people died, that my country’s capital was being shattered, that innocents were losing their lives and that the casualties included people of all kinds of kinds.
When my people died, no country bothered to lit up its landmarks in the colors of their flag. Even Facebook didn’t bother with making sure my people were marked safe, trivial as it may be. So here’s your Facebook safety check: we’ve, as of now, survived all of Beirut’s terrorist attacks.
When my people died, they did not send the world in mourning. Their death was but an irrelevant fleck along the international news cycle, something that happens in those parts of the world.
And you know what, I’m fine with all of it. Over the past year or so, I’ve come to terms with being one of those whose lives don’t matter. I’ve come to accept it and live with it.
Expect the next few days to exhibit yet another rise of Islamophobia around the world. Expect pieces about how extremism has no religion and about how the members of ISIS are not true Muslims, and they sure are not, because no person with any inkling of morality would do such things. ISIS plans for Islamophobic backlashes so it can use the backlash to point its hellish finger and tell any susceptible mind that listens: look, they hate you.
And few are those who are able to rise above.
Expect the next few days to have Europe try and cope with a growing popular backlash against the refugees flowing into its lands, pointing its fingers at them and accusing them of causing the night of November 13th in Paris. If only Europe knew, though, that the night of November 13 in Paris has been every single night of the life of those refugees for the past two years. But sleepless nights only matter when your country can get the whole world to light up in its flag color.
The more horrifying part of the reaction to the Paris terrorist attacks, however, is that some Arabs and Lebanese were more saddened by what was taking place there than what took place yesterday or the day before in their own backyards. Even among my people, there is a sense that we are not as important, that our lives are not as worthy and that, even as little as it may be, we do not deserve to have our dead collectively mourned and prayed for.
It makes sense, perhaps, in the grand sense of a Lebanese population that’s more likely to visit Paris than Dahyeh to care more about the former than about the latter, but many of the people I know who are utterly devastated by the Parisian mayhem couldn’t give a rat’s ass about what took place at a location 15 minutes away from where they lived, to people they probably encountered one day as they walked down familiar streets.
We can ask for the world to think Beirut is as important as Paris, or for Facebook to add a “safety check” button for us to use daily, or for people to care about us. But the truth of the matter is, we are a people that doesn’t care about itself to begin. We call it habituation, but it’s really not. We call it the new normal, but if this normality then let it go to hell.
In the world that doesn’t care about Arab lives, Arabs lead the front lines.
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
Well written and interesting article. I’m a 18-year-old student from Germany and happened to find your blog as I was trying to find out more about Adel Termos. I heard about him on social media (haven’t heard anything about him or Beirut on the news honestly… or maybe I just wasn’t paying enough attention). Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for your blog, for talking about things like that. Some people already start using the attacks in Paris as argument for their Islamophobia, which makes me sick. I couldn’t agree more to you. My heart goes out to all victims of terrorism, no matter where they are from. To Beirut, to Paris, to the World.
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Couldn’t agree more with you.
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Only a chicken knows how it feels when it’s feathers are plucked. And we my friend, are just eggs.
Developed countries will definitely be the first to sympathize with one another. Just like fellow members of the Arab community were in fact the first to sympathize with us. They know how it feels. This is everyday to both of us.
They, on the other hand, feel closer and more similar to communities in Europe. Not to mention their powerful media that will now stand on the graves of the French victims to manipulate immigration policies and regulations in their governments.
Classic politics.
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Keep heart! As an American, we are so controlled by our own news media and idiots in power that regular people just don’t KNOW. Articles like this help open our eyes and our minds. A lot of that is from lack of knowledge about the Koran, Islam and Mohammad. I personally don’t know that much except from a tidbit here and there. I really need to try to find more information. Some of the stuff I heard makes me raise an eyebrow, but the Bible itself makes me roll my eyes sometimes, and I know I just chalk it up to being written way after Jesus died by a bunch of narrow-minded men. Do you guys think the same way about the crazy parts? Like I said, we need knowledge and understanding so we just don’t write it all off as “not in my circle”. With understanding comes caring and empathy. We ALL need more of that. Please, keep writing. Open people’s eyes.
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Knowledge is readily available…just not spoon fed…if you truly want to know, go find it…start with news agencies outside of the US…
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Richtig.
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We’re so used to Arabs killing Arabs, and just about anyone else, that we don’t have the reflex you’re looking for anymore. We’re waiting for Arabs to become Arabs and stand up for Arabs, instead of Suni, shiite, yezete, wahabi, salifi . . . killing everyone. We’re waiting for you, all 2 billion of you, to stand up. To create a state where this can’t go on. Maybe our disappointment has numbed us. Maybe we’re too stunned or amazed at how silent you are to notice when you, too, are counted amongst the dead.
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You know, that is a good point. Any action westerners takes makes an “us against you” problem. This whole mess would be solved if Muslims as a whole put these guys in their place. There really isn’t room in the modern world for this kind of hate.
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Sometimes you have to fight and die for your freedom. History indicates bad regimes with hateful ideas just did not go away, but attracted more extremists. Would love to see Muslim countries strongly get involved to stop ISIS.
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Lmfao maybe the US should stop funding and arming these terrorist groups. THE US IS THE ONE WHO IS CAUSING ALL OF THIS. They arm ISIL. They arm the saudis. Youre all blind
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Hahaha, you moron. You just find it hard to admit that your own civilization is fucked up beyond all repair.
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Not only that, but we should also stop the Jews from spreading hate against Arabs.
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Jews are not spreading hate about Arabs, it’s the other way round. Start by not killing each other, and take it from there
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No true, but this is your opinion. You probably didn’t watched last years documentary “1913: Seeds of Conflict”. In that, the historians explained that the Russian Jews came to Middle East in 1913 and saw the rich Arabs and decided to make them poor. After that, British Mandate started and the Jews cuddled up to Brits. After the Mandate, UN was lazy enough to even divide the land between Israel and Palestine and gave the Jews full control of the Middle East.
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I have to say I agree with this, as horrible as it sounds.
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you are totally right my friend, in fact why we are asking the world to care for Arab country while they are not caring for them self. can someone tell me what is the number of refuges welcomed in the Arab countries (certainly except Lebanon and Jordan) it’s almost ZERO, Also about islamophobia, how can they convince people that Islam is good while you can see big Islamic countries supporting what ISIS do and every day you hear a sheikh somewhere calling for jihad? if the mentality of Arab countries stayed this way so all the other world will keep treating them the same way
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I don’t know. My opinion on this is that the Jews should stop spreading lies about Muslims being this and Muslims being that.
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Agreed. They blame the US for “funding terrorism”, but the Middle East has been fighting about religion for thousands of years – were the Americans funding terrorism back then? Obviously not. Countries that choose to stand up and defend themselves against such heathens do not tolerate these acts – just like ISIS rose up, the civilians outnumber them and could rise up as well but they’re generations of scared people. It starts with them, at the Genesis of it all … they can’t blame the West. Their dedication to their religion is stronger than they’re urge to grow as a people, and nobody can fix that but them.
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Based on historical facts in one of three books that were required reading at a university course, Islamic Civilization, conducted by an Islamist. The angels were nudged out of Muhammed’s consciousness as his career ascended. I learned that the Prophet Muhammed was indeed highly gifted during his early years in Mecca, with many followers, most of whom were poor. Following his uncle’s advice, he left Mecca with 4-5,000 admirers heading northwest along Saudi Arabia’s east coast, landing at the entrance to Medina in 628 A.D..
Controlled by Jews for millennia, the throng was allowed entry after negotiations. Two years later, there was a tense but non-violent power struggle. Muhammed’s visions led to his men attacking the jewish leaders in their beds with swords, killing hundreds in a single night. I recall a footnote to this at the bottom of the page “…Islamic historians begrudgingly confirm these events taking place.”
The Arabian Peninsula had witnessed a time honored tradition of caravans conducting raids, or razzias on each other – but no weapons were used. They wrested or boxed and whoever won the fracas, could take the agreed-to booty.
After further visions, Muhammed sent bands to attack unsuspecting caravans, butchering the peninsula, taking it over. So given these hard-to-swallow facts (see Satanic Verses, S. Rushdie), it is understandable that equal retribution of violence is an option, the choice being the victim’s, or if murdered, equal justice can be an option, until the perp asks forgiveness, in some cases.
ALL THIS SAID — My USA’s Neocons, military gangsters, the Saud, and mainly Zionists here in the U.S. committed 9/11 — NOT Bin Laden or Al Quaeda. Then these psychopaths attacked afghanistan which had ZERO but now leads the globe in opium production.
Then Iraq based on more Neocon Lies.
Until America learns the truth, convicts its own for high crimes and metes out justice, apologizes and compensates for losses including 1,000,000+ Muslims killed by unjust and illegal wars, not until then do we deserve to feel safe from crazed jihadis.
Truth, then Peace.
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Can’t agree more, Matt. I too was wondering why Ariel Sharon was never sent to the Hague? Now I know the reason why.
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I hope you get to learn the the price of Nazism, there are many good teachers on this page to make you learn
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So, one has to be an Arab to care about the lives of peaceful, innocent individuals of Arab descend and to stand for them, right? They don’t belong to the same subspecies (i.e. Homo sapiens sapiens) as French people or the other Europeans, do they?
By the way, where does the number 2 billion come from? There are 420–450 million Arabs in the World.
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No Zoya, it is you who don’t belong in this world, unfortunately. The Muslims did more then your mother did for you.
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So true… What if the world we live on, was caring for every human being. For every-single-one, from a parisian that will no longer walk with us beneath Eifel Tower, or for a murdered mexican teacher, or a massacred american student that will no longer be with us in class at school, or an arab girl that will not be waking up again on the echoes of the Mosques and Churches of beautiful Beirut,. Yesterday, it was Paris, just moments before it was Beirut… Mexico, Oregon, Kurdistan… and before that? and after that? Shame on politics, shame on the killers, but also, a bit of shame on us for not wearing up the colors of all the world but just of those we politically choose to…
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Beautifully put sir, thank you
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There are lots in the west who are with you…..we are daily trying to spread the word of middle eastern suffering, of the atrocities often carried out in name…..keep the faith in humanity….we are trying!! We condemn the murderers in France and we condemn the murderers in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and wherever they are in the world
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The murderers were undercover Israeli commandos most of which are sitting on Wikipedia and wage war against America and the West. I always knew that Wikipedia and ISIS are the same thing.
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Pathetic. It’s not a fricking contest.
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It’s not a contest, but peoples completely disregard for one tragedy while simultaneously pointing fingers at the same 1.6 billion people for another illustrates the “us vs them” viewpoint.
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Reblogged this on Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News and commented:
When my people died, they did not send the world in mourning. Their death was but an irrelevant fleck along the international news cycle, something that happens in those parts of the world.
And you know what, I’m fine with all of it. Over the past year or so, I’ve come to terms with being one of those whose lives don’t matter. I’ve come to accept it and live with it.
Expect the next few days to exhibit yet another rise of Islamophobia around the world. Expect pieces about how extremism has no religion and about how the members of ISIS are not true Muslims, and they sure are not, because no person with any inkling of morality would do such things. ISIS plans for Islamophobic backlashes so it can use the backlash to point its hellish finger and tell any susceptible mind that listens: look, they hate you.
And few are those who are able to rise above.
Expect the next few days to have Europe try and cope with a growing popular backlash against the refugees flowing into its lands, pointing its fingers at them and accusing them of causing the night of November 13th in Paris. If only Europe knew, though, that the night of November 13 in Paris has been every single night of the life of those refugees for the past two years. But sleepless nights only matter when your country can get the whole world to light up in its flag color.
The more horrifying part of the reaction to the Paris terrorist attacks, however, is that some Arabs and Lebanese were more saddened by what was taking place there than what took place yesterday or the day before in their own backyards. Even among my people, there is a sense that we are not as important, that our lives are not as worthy and that, even as little as it may be, we do not deserve to have our dead collectively mourned and prayed for.
It makes sense, perhaps, in the grand sense of a Lebanese population that’s more likely to visit Paris than Dahyeh to care more about the former than about the latter, but many of the people I know who are utterly devastated by the Parisian mayhem couldn’t give a rat’s ass about what took place at a location 15 minutes away from where they lived, to people they probably encountered one day as they walked down familiar streets.
We can ask for the world to think Beirut is as important as Paris, or for Facebook to add a “safety check” button for us to use daily, or for people to care about us. But the truth of the matter is, we are a people that doesn’t care about itself to begin. We call it habituation, but it’s really not. We call it the new normal, but if this normality then let it go to hell.
In the world that doesn’t care about Arab lives, Arabs lead the front lines.
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It’s a war, and the sooner we accept that fact the better. I’m seriously sick of the Muslims that say “Oh, they aren’t true Muslims, we are the religion of peace”. Yet they are never the ones to blast ISIS and other terror groups. They just make apologies and excuses for them. Islam demands that I convert, become a slave, or die. I refuse to convert and I won’t be a slave… Where does that leave me and other free men?
The war has been thrust upon us. There is no negotiation with Islam. They are at war with us. We need to go to war with them.
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So you blame the religion for the human mistakes? What happen when Buddhist people killed 100.000 Muslim in myanmar? Did you blame the Buddhist people too? And what do you mean demand? In my country we respect all religion, not like you, you’re just afraid of ISIS but you blame Muslim for what ISIS did, it’s so funny how your brain work
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I blame the Jews for the wars we are in. I blame Wikipedia for brainwashing its editors to believe that attacks were carried out by Muslims. Yet, we all know that is not true. 9/11 Wasn’t caused by Muslims, it was caused by Jews. The Jews didn’t informed CIA of the attack.
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What you seem to forget is that Paris population is extremely mixed, you indeed have Muslims (15-20% of our people), amongst them were Tunisians, Marrocans, Algerians and most likely Lebanese… because France has been and remain a symbol of liberty and acceptance, where you can be any color, race or religion, no one really cares – you are French before all.
It’s true that what happened in Beirut has not had as much impact in the media, it’s very sad but probably comes from the fact that westerners don’t see any change their, the war in Liban and Palestine has been their for the past 30 years, we just get so “used” to see this type of sad news that it is not even chocking us anymore – I agree, this is not an excuse but it’s normal human behavior.
What are Arabs and Westerns governments doing about it? the complex political scene and the conflict of interests makes it incredibly difficult for us to comprehend, for the most simple minds they do not even comprehend differences between Arabs themselves… This leads to a total simplification of “us vs. them”.
One thing that I feel would make a huge difference is if all Arabs from any religions and friends of Arabs around the world – and we are many – where to stand up together and put pressure on media, governments, institutions to make this insanity stop! But this has to come first from Arabs, in particular those that have been financially successful in the West… But you can’t blame the West for everything that’s happening now, that’s also over simplifying the problems.
Just a reminder, the OAPEC originated in Beirut in 1968. I still wait to see an Arab leadership stand up for something else than oil or natural gas. I have a dream…
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The thing is is that they want to, but Israel will not let them. Its Israel who waged war against America because it wanted America to kneel before them.
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Well Said.
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Very well said. Thank you for your blog
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Incredibly well written! I wish i knew your name, i wouldnt miss reading all of your articles.
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Islam is a barbaric , medieval, brutal, backwards, demented, irrational, misogynist excuse of a religion filled with hate and murder. Islam should be banned in all Western countries and left to the Muslim barbarians in their God-forsaken countries,
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I don’t know whether you are serious or if this is supposed be to be some kind of joke. Islam is not terrorism. Terror is just terror.
If anyone slays a person
– unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land –
it would be as if he slew all people.
And if anyone saves a life,
it would be as if he saved the life of all people.
Quran 5:32
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This Quran sura us COPIED from the old testament. In fact, this is just telling the story that appears in the old testament. Allah wasn’t giving this order to Muslims in the Quran. Stop taking this out of context.
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Islam is also a beautiful religion about love and humanity, it’s all about interpretation and how some radicalized groups transform it to their benefits.
Keep in mind that Catholics also killed and scared entire populations through wrong interpretations again for the benefits of a few.
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Shouldn’t we ban Judaism as well? Keep in mind, it is them who waged war on 9/11, not Muslims. Remember 3 dancing Arabs that turned out to be Israeli spies? Remember how Ariel Sharon said that “9/11 is good for Israel”? Now which religion is peaceful?
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Thank you for this.
I’ve been thinking about this, too. As a Westerner, I’m not sure how much is the conception that Beirut is in a place where things blow up all the time, how much is racism, and how much is Islamophobia. My guess is that it’s an equal mix of all of those things, along with the media choosing what will get ratings.
But please remember that not all Americans are Republican stump speech Twitter accounts, just as some Westerners (unfortunately) need to be reminded that Islam does not equal violence.
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Of course we know that not all americans or as you said westerners feel like that. But one big problem is the devision between west and east, north and south. Why would you assume that we are that different?
Lebanon is closer geographically and historically to greece then other arab or muslim countries, do people ever think of that ?
What about all the non muslims who live in Lebanon and the region? Does the world even know that? no we’re all painted with this big ugly brush.
It’s not that black and white and the world needs to remember that. There should be no “US” and “THEM” , “west” and “east” we’re all humans and we all share the same basic values and aspirations.
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“Lebanon is closer geographically and historically to Greece then other Arab or Muslim countries, do people ever think of that?”
LOL You need to look at the map carefully, and also, to learn about the history of both countries. You seem to have confused Lebanon with Turkey which isn’t an Arab country though. By the way, I wouldn’t call Lebanon a Muslim country since only a half of its population is Muslim, the rest are Christian, Druze and of other religions.
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Are lebanese arabs? Before i will put my comments.
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Yes they are
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Oh…don’t compare Paris to Beirut!!!! Dahia quarter in Beirut is a hizzbulla central base. The only people allowed to live in that area are militia members…so it’s a clear case of two terrorist groups killing each other, don’t compare it to Paris…where a terrorist group butchered innocent civilians.
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What the hell is wrong with you?? First off, it’s not just militia that was living there. Also innocent people were in Beirut, so yes it is exactly the same thing, its just because they are From middle East is why you would even make such a stupid comment like that
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Lies!!!! I would not live with my family in a militia quarter. Even if I had to sleep in a freakin tent. The only thing in common is that both brutal murders were done by Muslims. Do your research, check all recent conflicts worldwide. At least One side is always Muslim ! And 100 percent of the time, the trigger to the conflict was Muslim. Keep it real pal. I’m talking facts, not personal opinions.
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So consider the terrorist attacks in Ankara turkey just over a month ago. Capital city of a secular country and similar death toll as Paris. Opened in the main downtown area where everyone goes and lives and shops and commutes through. At a peace rally no less. Yet similar no Fb check in to say they’re ok, no buildings lit up. You may come up with another excuse that somehow covers turkey. What about Kenya earlier in this year in the spring? What’s your excuse for all of these things? Paris deserves to be mourned and all the solidarity. But you’re missing the main point here. Not all lives are equal for the media maybe but for a mother father sibling friend or lover, where it really matters, a life is a life.
Some people are making very insensitive comments about real tragedies.
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I couldn’t help but press the reply button pal! i only have one question for you, what makes you so sure that the people who were responsible for all the terrorist attacks were Muslims? i mean really what makes a person a Muslim? the Allahu akbar they shout after committing a crime? or what? i’m lost here you gotta help me, you gotta give me some clues here, cause the last time I checked Terrorism had no religion.
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And while we are on it…why does Lebanon…who’s a country that has an Army…need a militia sitting comfortably in the heart of the capital????ever seen that crap allowed anywhere else in the developed world? You lie to yourself, the dude that wrote this article is lieing to his readers…cheap Muslim tears. Get your shot together, stop living by your sword and contribute to this world instead of spreading lies and terror
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There’s a big chance the writer of this article is Christian Lebanese so ure stupid islamophobic arguments are useless. I am Christian Lebanese and because we live in a region with muslims we understand what islam is and we don’t view it through that ignorant eye that you see it through. We and other muslims and jews and all other people from the region are the first victims of ISIS and islamic extremism and we are of no interest to defend it.
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Why don’t you ask Israel why Hezbollah exists and why it has the role the role it has in Lebanese society (hint: it is a resistance organisation).Educate yourself, perhaps you’ll be able to overcome your ignorance.
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Oh please!!! If you don’t know don’t speak!!! Are you Lebanese? Have you ever been in Lebanon to have the right to write what you think you know or you heard some dumd politics saying?
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So you claim that it’s normal for a country that has an army….to have an armed militia as well???? that’s exactly the islamic way of thinking, no order,no rules no nothing. you sit and let people die for nothing and…oh, they don’t die for nothing the become “shahid” and bring repeat because you have your dead kid on a poster on every wall and now, everyone respects the family and shake the father’s hands and he goes on T.V and say praise god for taking my kid. and the entire world is watching, thinking that we are animals, cause maybe we are and we need to admit that. we love it when our kids die for a holy cause. WE LOVE IT. now, i admit it and that’s one step forward in a long road of becoming human. you, think that everything is fine, a militia of one crazy man that hides in a bunker for years while sending his men to fight….sometime fight his own country’s army….is o.k.
Shame on you for supporting it. instead of asking if i was even in Lebanon, maybe the question should be….have YOU ever been anywhere else in this world ????
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Watch this and tell me that civilians were not killed or hurt:
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So true i feel sorry and so sad for lebanon 😦 may god bless them
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please credit the creator of that image with the eiffel. you didn’t make it yourself.
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seriously? that’s what got out of this article?
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It is sad to say that we have already written off so much of the Middle East as a ‘lost cause’. I, for one, am truly appalled at myself, as I have had some wonderful Lebanese friends throughout my life, and have always wanted to visit Lebanon. However, I had allowed myself to fall into the pit of “it’s there, not here, so it’s okay”.
The truth is, this terror war that is being fought around the world has places which are more readily available for attack, and places which most believe are immune from it. War has been waged in the ‘Fertile Crescent’ for all of recorded history. Does that make it right? No. Does that mean it should be passed over like a small crack in the pavement? No. Like it or not, it has become commonplace there, and those of us outside the hotspot consider it the norm.
To the author of this, I am truly sorry for not concerning myself more with the bombings in Beirut, as well as the terror attacks in Paris. It may make no difference to several, but it does to me. Beirut is as valuable a place as any in this world, and therefore, should be celebrated and mourned as much as Paris. I will make a better effort myself to ensure that I understand that any terror attack anywhere in the world is heinous.
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Reblogged this on CAPS: The Blog.
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Arab… in fact, all lives matter. Paris was targeted for their efforts against the war in terror, effecting so many lives Christian, Muslim, and everything in between. Whenever innocents are killed, no matter where, there should be mourning. My thoughts and wishes for peace to everyone. The madness needs to end.
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Part of the reason that the world “cares” more about Paris is that we don’t expect this kind of thing to happen in Paris. We expect it to happen in Arab countries, but not in places like Paris. Thus, we are more shocked when it happens there, and it gets more attention than if it happened in a place like Beirut. It is sad that this is the case
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Fantastic article, you’ve managed to express what I fear with so much poise and eloquence. We are toeing a dangerous line. I have seen people with whom I was educated expressing views that ‘this is what happens when you let them in’ and the like on social media tonight. That kind of statement turns my stomach; our schooling was good, although the student body was not diverse enough to enable people of different faiths to intermingle. We are responding exactly as ISIS would have us, reinforcing their creed that the West is warring with Islam as a whole. We are becoming the aggressors after a different fashion, turning on innocent people, albeit less explosively. People in their panic are turning a blind eye to the fact that muslims are killing muslims en masse throughout the world.
What I find most terrifying is the insidious suggestions being bandied around that refugees are somehow at fault, when this is precisely the climate of fear under which they themselves have lived, and from which they have fled. These attacks are ramped up and their significance overplayed by British media to the benefit of no man, except perhaps for the perpetrators of this evil. I’ve not managed to find a figure for the sum total of people who died outside of France yesterday due to acts of terror, but I would wager the majority of terror victims this week in the world at large have been muslims. They stand to lose far more from this than we Europeans do.
We ourselves inhabit countries where the degree to which we are safe, statistically speaking, is historically unprecedented and as such we have become complacent. We forget that satirism used to be a dangerous and subversive act, and seem astounded that cartoonists were the targets of a terrorist attack. When did we grow so forgetful and short sighted? By panicking we strengthen ISIS’s cause, driving more disgruntled people to throw their lot in which a barbaric, criminal organisation. If ISIS is the hammer, we are fast becoming the anvil. This will escalate but not in a fashion that anyone can control, and certainly not without extensive collateral damage but we Europeans seem only to care for casualties of our own ethnicity. This isn’t a clear cut case of us versus them.
I’m too incensed to make sense. Eurgh.
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Part of the reason the world “cares” more about Paris is that we don’t expect this kind of thing to happen in Paris. We expect it to happen in Middle Eastern or Arab countries, but we don’t expect it in places like Paris.
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There is no question that murder, wherever it occurs, is a tragedy. Our prayers should be with all those innocents who suffer either loss of life or loss of loved ones, regardless of religion, race, nationality or location. It will only be when we stop hating others just because they are different in beliefs or appearance and try to understand that we share more then we are different that progress can be made. With that said, a few observations and questions about what you write. When you speak of “my people”, of whom do you speak, Lebanese, Arabs, Sunnis, Shiites? Whose flag would you have us raise in sympathy? I think we struggle more understanding Middle Eastern culture in part because of the factions. In France, most people embrace the unifying concept of being French, regardless of other factors. It is thus easier for the world to fly a flag in sympathy. We should also note that the attacks in France were precisely because the French have decided that Arab lives do matter and have joined in the fight against ISIS, rather than simply stay safe in the bounds of their own country and not draw the ire of the terrorists. Finally, bear in mind that the world often does not express the same level of sympathy when attacks occur from within, as opposed to without. The capitals of the world did not fly American flags when Timothy McVeigh bombed the building in Oklahoma. The world did not fly Norwegian flags over the killings there. In the Middle East, it is often difficult to determine whether the attacks occur from within or without (circling back to the question about “my people”). So while we should mourn the dead and grieving everywhere, it seems unfair to suggest that a show of support for the French is somehow also a denigration of others who have died throughout the world. Namaste
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Dear author, (I don’t see a byline on my phone), you are right and you are wrong. Speaking personally, I grieve for all who were killed yesterday in attacks of senseless violence (and I think it’s all pretty senseless),but I was definitely more shocked by the events in Paris. You, yourself do matter, clearly your life has an impact. This was a powerful piece, someone shared it with me, and I will share it too. You do matter and you make a difference. Peace to you and to us all.
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Reblogged this on u t a m i.
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Thank you for writing this article. I had heard a few things about the attack in Beirut but the media touched on it while running 24 hour news coverage on Paris on the news with Internet updates every few minutes. Terrorist attacks of this caliber seem unusual in the west while people shrug or say “Yeah, figures.” about Beirut. At the same time they shame Muslims and blame them and refugees that were trying to escape the same horror of terrorism. We need to all understand that everyone’s life is sacred and we should treasure their time here no matter whère they are, what religion they are, or what color their skin is. I stand with human life. Those who lost so much in Beirut and Paris are in my thoughts and in my heart.
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I thought if you. And I prayed for you and will continue to do so. And there are many many many others like me doing the same, despite the lesser acknowledgment. Peace to you.
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I am truly sorry that what you said is true. I’m sorry for the losses your city suffered. I hate the reaction that will be flaunted everywhere. A religion doesn’t cause this destruction, hate does. A love of evil and pain was behind all the attacks. I hope you and your fellow citizens well.
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The murder of innocent people matters no matter where they live. You cannot compare Beirut to Paris because its not as well known or frequented by people from Europe and North America and yes it is being mentioned in the news often today. The numbers killed and in very critical condition and expected to die are also a lot higher than the tragedy in Beirut so be fair.
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Beirut is as important as any country under attack from these evil demented groups. I believe the reason why so much is being said about Paris is because of the fear of knowing no matter how big your all you still can fall hard. America and Paris felt they couldn’t be touched and now realize this evil,,flows into any country they choose no one is safe and they must be destroyed.
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And this is why I, a non-Muslim, am terribly sorry to the vast majority of Muslims. Full thoughts here:
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I want to say sorry. Have only dipped in and out of news past few days. BUT, I know loads about Paris and only saw about Beirut attacks via a Paris link on FB. It is so wrong and unfair all that as happened. And, how lives are portrayed in some kind of hierarchy. Agree with nocturnalminefield about the hideous ‘blaming’ of the desperate refugees. All are in my thoughts and prayers.
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The media is a powerful entity. France is an American ally that’s helped us when no one would. That’s why you see such a big uprising. Plus the media has a very big push on what people see. You should use logic instead of assuming the world hates Arabs. I don’t. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks like this, hopefully. I don’t think of it in terms of race or religion. Good people don’t blow people up, bad people do. There’s evil everywhere. I know that and I’m not even religious. This shouldn’t be a publicity contest. I wish more people felt strong enough to stop the hate breeding in the media and in people around them. Most people react in anger towards death. It’s a HUMAN reaction. We’re all just human.
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How dare you.
How dare you speak for us, the reasonable, and in terms that dehumanize the very people who try to provide some comfort, if only symbolic, to the victims of violence.
How dare you accuse all of us, or any of us, of not caring for Arab lives. There were Arab lives lost in Paris last night and we know it.
This IS different from Beirut, a location identified with violence for a generation. Paris has been associated with enlightened culture and progress for centuries.
Don’t be an infant.
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You just proved exactly what this author conveyed. You say that Beirut is identified with violence. Are you insinuating that the Lebanese innocents living there are used to senseless acts of violence? What is the difference between a French life and a Lebanese life? Why should the city where violent acts ensue matter? There is a unbalance in weighing the lives of certain groups over others. Every life lost should matter, despite their origins.
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I think the problem isn’t that people don’t care, it is that they don’t fully understand what the problems are that are the cause of the issues. An example is the query above: where ‘mere mortals’/Joe Public have to start at the levels of ‘to clarify, are Lebanese Arabs?’. People are not only so far away, it is also so very hard for people to try and unpick the truth from additional layers of propaganda, lies from all sides that ultimately surround the truth. To desensitise the argument but give an example: as English person, my entire youth was spent avoiding being blown up by Irish extremists. In Warrington (to illustrate: do you known were that is by the way?) they even deliberately set and targeted children who would be shopping in the centre of town killing many of them all ‘in the name of Ireland’. I was in Manchester and London for the many bomb threats and bombs. The FURY of the Irish at the English was huge …and yet …the ordinary English person had no freaking idea why we were being blown up. Half the Irish population wanted us to ‘get the Fck out of their country!’ while the other half were barking ‘you’d better not leave us because we’re British!’. Absolutely BIZARRE rituals were attributed to us as English people, that actually we knew nothing about: Orangemans’ (Orangemens?) Day for example. On a visit to Ireland in a loyalist area with a nudge and a wink I was shown a picture of some guy in a wig on a horse …”that’s King Billy …(wink) …you know, King Billy on his horse …”. No, actually, as an English person I don’t know – William of Orange was Dutch, and (as I understand it) the forces he took to do whatever he did in Ireland were also Dutch. It was also over 300 years ago …as English people we had moved on. NO ordinary on-the-street English person could understand the complexities of the Irish problem – particularly if you then visited Southern Ireland, where it wasn’t even the Irish problem, but ‘we, the English had a problem with Northern Ireland’. Yet the women, men and children ‘in-the-street’ in England we’re getting blown up for it when in all honesty they had no idea what the problem even was. Please don’t let this appear that I’m belittling the serious problems Ireland had; but it actually had nothing to do with the ‘person-in-the-street’ in England who in reality just thought of Ireland as ‘Ireland’. Yet ordinary English people were being blown to pieces for years for something they didn’t even understand.
I totally agree that what is being done by Jewish peoples towards Palestinians is outrageous – PURELY on the grounds that the Jewish people of all peoples should be the flagship nation to show the human race that no inter-racial dispute should permit the targeting and genocide of another. I have a great dream which is to take Jewish/Israelis fundamentalists and stand them on the graves of their ancestors in Auschwitz and ask them to explain to me how there is an argument that should now be listened to that justifies the mass murder, ghettoing, and enforced relocation of another set of people. As a neutral person the argument seems to begin with “you don’t understand! This is our homeland!!” …well …when I was 11yrs old I went as an English person to Germany; because of my age, I got away with asking a question an adult probably would not have done: “how did you get to such a place of hatred that you allowed neighbours and friends to be dragged away en masse and did nothing?”. The answer was “you don’t understand! It was about recovering control of our homeland! We were becoming second class in our own country – a German could not get justice, nor access to finances. We had to take back our homeland”. That answer is an abomination for what was done in terms of the Final Solution. Never again can words be spoken to justify atrocities like that. And yet …as a neutral person …Jewish peoples/Israelis expect to explain their actions against Palestians beginning “you don’t understand! It’s about our homeland!”. The reason I’d like to take these people to Auschwitz is because we do not allow there to be any spoken words to try and justify the Nazis horrors of what was done in the Holocaust, because there are none. But if Jewish nations believe there are, then maybe they should stand on their ancestors and use the words “let us explain: it is about recovering homeland” – I believe the very screams of their ancestors would rise up shouting that as humanity we have learnt nothing. I’ve watched the most intellectually insulting discussions that only have a place in a children’s playground, in trying to understand: (Jewish view:) “Palestinians don’t exist as a nation!” (Me:) “well, they seem to exist ..I can even touch them!” (Jewish view:). “No, no!! You see two thousand years ago …”. No, NO, NO!! There are no arguments involving killing people today that go back two, three, four THOUSAND years ago. Move on! I’ve heard Jews and Palestinians debating about what the Romans did or didn’t do or say. I see Jews and Palestinians arguing about Gods who appear to be the same but with different names, fighting over rights to religious sites that appear to be the same places equally treasured for the same reasons. No: as the mere European man-in-the-street we struggle keeping up historically with what happened a hundred years ago, not thousands of years ago. And this is why what has been done in Paris is so tragic – because those people are not directly involved in the ‘problem’, they too won’t even know or understand all the complexities of it. Like Ireland, the man-in-the-street doesn’t understand: do Arab nations want us to withdraw all our troops or assistance because it seemed to me that when we tried to do that in Iraq, all hell broke loose. To try to explain it would be like English people responding to the IRA years by coming to Syria and shooting/blowing up ‘in th street’ Muslim people in retaliation for the Ireland bombs ..I’m absolutely sure none of the Arab or Israelis nations would even know where Ireland/England are let alone understand things like the Manchester and London bombs. And that ‘s the tragedy – people are paying with their lives for politics we don’t even properly understand nor are able to influence our Government actions on. It isn’t right that people are losing their lives in Arab nations ….but killing other innocent people doesn’t influence people to try to understand or help. We are told ‘help us fight ISIS! They are killing now our non-extremist Muslim people!’, yet when forces are deployed we are damned if we do, and damned if we don’t. The tragedy is people who have very little if any understanding or control of what’s happening have been massacred.
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Thank you for writing this.
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Hey there.
I have to admit, I had some trouble understanding how you made the switch to the israeli-palestinian conflict and back; i can’t quite catch the connection from your post, except for the fact that it’s a very fashionable conflict to discuss, despite being by far the least bloody one in the middle east.
Also, I have some trouble understanding the comparacement to WW2. you mentioned genocide, ghettoing, forced relocation; Nothing like that happened on this land in my lifetime, and you seemed to care quite a lot about moving past history. The worst thing happening to the palestinians in the west bank right now is the 35000 palestinians expected to lose their jobs due to the European boycoot on good from there.
It might comfort you to know – like most israeli jews, I’ve been on a school trip to Aushwitz, where, beside remembrance, we talked about a few issues – one was exactly what you mentioned – not becoming the proprietor of atrocities.
another one was “never again”.
you’ll also be happy to know – I, like most israelis, recognize the palestinians and support them eventually having a country of their own; but if it ends up like gaza did, ruled by islamic radicalism and hate, that would be worst-case-scenario for everyone. I don’t care one bit what happened two thousand or two hundred years ago. I don’t care for race. I hate no one. And I can give you my word I do know where England and Ireland are.
Also, I think we have a moral disagreement. I don’t think it matters how ignorant or up-to-date or even involved a person is when he is murdered. All human lives are sacred.
On a semi-optimistic note:
Tomorrow I will go back to my university. After getting frisked, having my bag checked and going through the metal detectors, I’ll have my identity card looked at and go sit in my class, which doubles as a bomb shelter. Inside I will sit among the other students – jews, muslims, christians; I promise you, not one word of hate will be heard in the room; And we will be safer then most other people in the world, because in our crazy part of the world, I live in a country that understands that if you don’t protect yourself, no one else will.
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Hey there; I live a bit south of your place, right across the border, in israel. We often feel the same. thanks for expressing them.
My thoughts are with you.
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While I’m not Arabic, I have friends that are, and as a young black woman, with a beautiful name that others consider tarnished, I can honestly relate to how it feels to be among the lives that aren’t considered mattered, and I applaud how you were able to grow with it because it depresses me every time I think of it. I just don’t understand how there are those who can be so ignorant. Wonderful statement, and know that the black community feels your pain.
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I hope you can translate tus palabras expresan la cruda realidad solo que me parece que no te has hecho la pregunta magica por que? Piensalo y meditalo un rato trata de ser lo mas autocritico y objetivo posible vas a encontrar la respuesta ojo esa respuesta no es la mas justa es cierto ni justa.
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Wow great article im living this everyday in the usa. #Living while black
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“… how the members of ISIS are not true Muslims, and they sure are not, because no person with any inkling of morality would do such things.”
I don’t get, why Religion in general and especially Islam is associated with morality. Islam is incompatible with basic human rights like for example equality in front of the law.
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Ani, your comment shows profound ignorance. Israelis know where England and Ireland are, lol, and so do Palestinians. And nothing going on there resembles anything from World War II.
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Ani, your comment is profoundly ignorant. Both Israelis and Palestinians know where England/Ireland are on a map. They both have Internet and TV as well. Nothing going on there resembles World War II in any way shape or form.
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Thank you for writing this piece. The world needs more voices like yours to speak out in an authentic way – as human to human. We need to hear from – and listen to – each other. I am an American and want you to know that I’m as sorry to hear about the terrorist attacks in Beirut as I am to hear about the terrorist attacks in Paris. I know what comes across in the U.S. media makes it look like Americans don’t care about what goes on in certain countries, but there are many of us who do care – about Arab lives and all lives.
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Very well written and thank you for sharing your views. It is exactly because of you and many alike that the world knows about tragedies happened elsewhere that has been crudely silenced by the mainstream media.
And don’t lose faith in Western society. Many people are still confused and don’t know what to do facing the unprecedented level of cultural tolerance today. We need more discussions and more conversations.
And the truth is one is more likely to know his neighbor’s death than someone’s 20 blocks away. BUT, when he does know it, he shares the feeling of loss no less than that for his neighbor. When media chooses and selects things to report, that’s loss of professionalism (and the money-power dynamic behind all media companies). It’s not that people don’t share their condolences for people elsewhere, it’s just a matter of fact that people are not aware.
So what’s the lesson learnt here? Shall we start to give some pressure to media outlets on the one hand, and ask for more responsible citizen journalism in those areas that many people don’t have the privileges to be in on the other? We cannot change other people’s ideology in days, but how can we use our privileges to start some change, even it’s small?
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WHAT is problem? It is absolutely natural, that media from west care more about western people as the arab media care more about arab people. And i bet with you that almost 100% people in Beirut care more about victims in their city and care much more less about horrible attack in distant Paris. It is everything about perspective. But i partly understand. Western media has bigger international range so it is optical illusion, that whole world more about France?
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