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 
Muslims are killing Muslims, and calling it Arab, and Muslims are victim of violence since it’s a religion of hate. They are done killing all non-muslims in these places, and don’t know what to do, so they now kill muslims, and find excuses. There are enough Muslims nations with no western interference and they still kill each other or non-muslims. So Europe/France, is just another battle ground, stop covering gruesome history of Islam, which thanks to such articles just keeps getting repeated again and again. Stop giving excuses to violence…..
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Lebanon is not “a muslim country”. Not everybody killed in the attacks was muslim. and I think I missed the part where he says anything even remotly similar to justifying violance.
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Arabs and Muslim nations have shown no mercy, no sympathy or empathy for their fellow Arabs and Muslims so why should anyone else?
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One could imagine a rephrasing of that rather heartless statement:
Arab countries whose policies encourage and create violence against their citizens and citizens of other nations are wrong in their actions. As a person with agency in this world, I choose to speak out against these injustices by actively caring for people of the Muslim world who are not cared for by their governments. All peoples lives matter and even in my small capacity as a commenter on this blog I will communicate mercy, sympathy, and empathy towards those who need it most. Compassion is best way to heal wounds this deep.
That’s a lot better, isn’t it?
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Your sympathy and empathy mean nothing. The people who should show and give empathy and mercy are their governments, their fellow Muslims and themselves. This is another case of privilaged Westerners thinking they have the answers when they don’t. I’m sure those refugees and sex slaves appreciate your energy though. Kill them with kindness, right?
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“The people who should show and give empathy and mercy” …..that would be humanity Sir in its entirety.
Im not understanding your comment, you think that Lebanon should be disregarded from the news? That people should only sympathize with Paris?
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Right on Jessica.
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Wow, so basically at first we generalise all muslims in the world (not just arabs) and now you come and generalise against all arab countries as well? Please tell me, which arab country doesn’t protect its citizens (except maybe Saudi Arabia)? Perhaps the basically crime free UAE?
And you’re conveniently forgetting that Beirut was attacked exactly because Hezbollah was the first foreign entity to actively fight ISIS on the ground, even though ISIS didn’t directly attack Lebanon before.
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Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. Hezbollah fighting ISIS is not some noble endeavor; rather its one barbaric group of savages fighting another. I just wish Israel could wipe them and their idiot sympathizes out
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Just because Arabs and Muslim nations “have shown no mercy, sympathy or empathy” does not mean we should also be ignorant and careless. That’s a childish way of thinking. I’m sure all our parents have told us this quote ” just cuz your friends jump off a clif does not mean you should.” So think twice before you speak.
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uhhh is it maybe exactly because we are “anybody else”?
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“We” as in the West as taken in countless immigrants, most of whom have assimilated well. We’re the only ones supporting refugees along with fighting the reason they are fleeing. Despite all this we still have attacks on our soil, most of which are committed by those born and raised here. We’ve been too compassionate and ignorant to see that this has been used against us, time and time again. The Arab nations, along with their ideology, needs to grow up and sort itself out.
It’s unfortunate most people, particularly Liberals in the West, lack the ability to call out Islam and nations like Saudi Arabia for their stances on women, homosexuality etc. They’ll instead make up false issues that take time and resources from issues like what we’re facing now.
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Wow. Privileged indeed, especially when the chaos in the middle east is caused by the corrupt politics and power hunger of the western countries……Hezbollah and ISIS were not even creations of the middle east, but western creations (American).
Here is a quote that a friend of mine wrote that will perhaps explain my point better.
“Let me pay some thugs to raid your house and kick you out of it. Then welcome you into my house, let you sleep on the floor, make you work and pay you peanuts as a favor. Then brag about the heroic act I did to the rest of the world.”
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I agree with what you are saying Michael, you ‘re absolutely right!
Western people are so kind, it’s about time to wake up and realize that Islam fundamentalism is real!!
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What kind of bubble do you live i. to think that the US just blindly and lovingly takes in immigrants and then falls victim to their plots. Talk about ingnorance and blind idolatry of one of the most abusivr countries in the world. I appreciate being American for the opportunities it affords, but one must have a realistic world view of how things really are.
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The west is a house of clowns that bombs other countries.
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Firstly, it is not just Islam that has poor stances on women, homosexuality etc. Not sure if you heard the famous American Christian pastor the other day saying that it is better children drown than watch Harry Potter as Dumbledore is a gay sexual mentor. This is a guy who counts thousands, if not more, in his followers. Please do not confuse extremists with ordinary people who follow a religion.
Saudi Arabia, who have beheaded more people than ISIS, should indeed be called to account. But that has nothing to do with not letting people into our countries. Think of the pain and horror you felt on Friday, now imagine you have to deal with that everyday. That is what these people are fleeing. Would you stay if a black-clad ISIS warrior was on your doorstep threatening your children?
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Why should anyone else? Is that really a question? Because I have a different standard than those who do not care, that’s why I care! Am I sad that Saudi Arabia doesn’t make any effort to help in the refugee crisis, etc. ? Of course, but they don’t control my attitude
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Why not? Showing empathy or mercy is not an obligation but it reminds us that pain and suffering has happened, happens and could happen to anyone.
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How many refugees are we going to accept? 25,000? 250,000? The entire country of Syria or Iraq or both? We need to deal with the root cause of this and its Islam and its ongoing internal war. Sunni vs. Shit’ite and these artificial borders that cause problems. Will you hear that in the media or from bleeding heart Liberals? No. Its the fault of the evil Western government which has given you all the freedom to speak your mind and do as you wish. But when things go wrong who do you look to be the savior? The very West you criticize.
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You think ‘Liberals’ don’t call out nations like saudi arabia? I think anyone with a shred of realpolitik understanding loathes Riyad and the House of Saud and all their ilk for the part they play in destroying the Middle-East and exporting takfiri terrorism across the world. But you seem to be obfuscating the Wider Middle-East with the Arabian Peninsula. Just beacuse those rich western sanctioned despot-kings and their vassals are the way they are, doesn’t mean Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, etc. are the same. As for your point about only the west helping, again, your confusing the gulf with all of the Near East. Most refuges are IN Jordan and Lebanon not waiting to get into our countries.
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Because we have to be different than them, because showing mercy is what makes us humans and not animals.
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Excuse me but even animals can mourn the dead, to not feel the damage caused to both countries put’s below our wild friends
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What you have written is absolutely true! People in the Western world would probably care more about the dogs being slaughtered in China than they would care about the lives of hundreds of thousands of people that have been lost to chaos and violence from Morocco to Afghanistan.
The value of a human being ought to be the same regardless of age, sex, race, nationality or religion. However, you have skipped a very important point that in my opinion makes all the difference between what a life is worth in the West and what it is worth in the Arab world.
My friend, we are a nation that cherishes death! We are a nation that still coins the term martyrdom every time we suffer from soul losses! We are a nation that considers life as a transit station! We are a nation that irrationally declares “Kill us more for we are not afraid to die”! We are a nation that embraces death more than life itself! Whilst they, they are a nation that considers life as the only station they’ll ever know! they are a nation that lives for now and not for the afterlife! They are a nation that does not welcome death with open arms!
Maybe, just Maybe! once we start seeing life through their eyes, and once we change our perspective about what follows after death and what awaits us in heavens, maybe just then they will consider that we too are human beings who deserve to live as much as they do! But until then, making that comparison, as unethical as my words sound, it is just not fair!
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These three paragraphs offer the most reasonable and balanced overview I think I have read. It’s still an intolerable situation, but understanding must precede change.
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I appreciate it. Cheers mate!
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Helli, I speak from a kand geographically a bit further west than yours. In Europe, sharing the same beautiful sea as yours. I think it is unfair to say people here do not care about Aran lives. People in my country risk their luces at sea, voluntarily, to save the lives if Arab men and women and children arriving as refugees on islands in dingy boats. Hundreds of “my people” have left their homes and jobs and lives in the capital to move to the islands to take care if the dozens of thousands of refugees arriving daily wretched escaping wars – at huge prrsonal cost. People in the navy, in the air risk their own lives trying to save them in rough seas, at night. Each time from 2002 onwards that bigger countries wanted to stage wars, there were huge protests. It is not true, dear person writing from a beautiful Beirut I once visites, that we do not care. Sure governments don’t, fb doesn’t, but people, an awful lot if people do. Do care and show it but pethaps in ways that do not travel so well the international distance on western media. Take heart, there is compassion even in what may seem a hostile Europe now.
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Dear Friend, Generalizing in any aspect of life is completely wrong, and that is certainly not what I meant when I said people in the West do not care! The West and the East just like any other spot on the planet do have their shares of good and bad people, each place on earth has its fair shares of compassionate and careless people. However, I feel like I need to clarify my point, of course there are individuals in the West who have gladly offered their time and efforts to help others in need, Arabs or non-Arabs, but frankly you would hardly ever see any social activities or any protests taking the streets to stop the raging wars that have been consuming the middle east for quite some time!
Maybe as ordinary people they don’t realize it, but the fact is we owe Westerns a little bit more than they have given us, simply because their governments are deeply involved in each and every conflict that has taken place in the middle east since the end of the second world war.
That being said, I urge you to re-read what I said, my statement was not meant to attack Westerns by any means, on the contrary of that, I was trying to explain according to my own understanding, why the lives of people in a Western country seems to be more valuable than that in the Arab world, and this I repeat because of the fact that we have different approaches on death, most Arabs see death as a transitional phase that takes you from one place to another, most Westerns realize this is probably nothing but mere nonsense.
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Thank you for your comment – and for how your people are involved in the safety of the refugees on your shores and in your country.
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In French we have an expression for this “loi de proximité” that you could roughly translate to “law of vicinity”. It basically means that you’re more moved by something that happens geographically closer to you.
And there’s a very good reason for this, it’s because we’re not all emotionnally equals. For instance if, god forbid, one of my parents died today I would be sobbing uncontrollably, yet my neighbor wouldn’t be weeping like me and I couldn’t blame him for this as he wasn’t as close to my parents as I was.
The very same phenomenon applies here, countries like the USA, Canada, England, Spain, Italy, Germany and the list goes on, have tighter bonds with French people than with Lebanese people. These bonds being either diplomatic, historic, economic, cultural… It might be hard to hear but it’s the sheer truth. This explains why the vast majority of the media of those countries are having a broader coverage of the French events rather than the Lebanese attacks.
Also, the same principle applies backwards as I’m pretty sure Lebanese media, and media from other countries closer to Lebanon than France, have most probably covered the latest events in Beyrouth a lot more than the Paris attacks.
I was trully horrified two days ago when I heard about the bombings in Beyrouth, but obviously I was more shocked by what happened in Paris and there’s nothing wrong with that.
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Touche my Friend! Brilliantly said, hats off!
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that was his point in the last part of the blog post.
Even Lebanese people or Arabian people themselves are more shocked about Paris than what happens in their own backyard.
You should read the blogpost again and reflect more on it and I do not mean to offend you but your response seems a lack of an unterstanding of what the writer tried to say.
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maybe these lebanese people are moderates, and feel more close to the values of the West than that of the Hezbollah. if the attacks had been strategically targeted in an area that they frequent rather than a Hezbollah stronghold their reaction would have been much different. Again, this a supposition, but in my opinion a logical one.
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Fully agree. I will add that Beirut terrorist attack has been condemned by most of the arabic countries and western ones:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52556#.Vkewafkve70
http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-condemns-horrific-islamic-state-attacks-in-beirut/
http://famagusta-gazette.com/cyprus-fm-condemns-strongly-the-terrorist-attack-in-beirut-p30799-69.htm
http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Templates/Articles/tmpArticleNews.aspx?ArtID=97627#.Vkew9fkve70
http://www.beirut.diplo.de/Vertretung/beirut/en/00__Startseite/Au_C3_9Fenminister__Steinmeier__zum__Anschlag__Beirut__12__November.html
Also since more than 15 years we have seen so much suicide bombing in arabic countries killing innocent people in the name of God without any significant protest from the arab population. Why you want Europeans or Americans be touched more than you are for your population? Education education education and acceptance of the other. More difficult to apply in arabic countries than the western ones…
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I think you’re Wright , Joe ………
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but he says in the text that even lebanese people cared more about paris than beirut
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I am a French too (living abroad in Romania) but I fully disagree with your explanation. I think our fellow citizens are so selfish and deshumanised today that they not longer feel any true empathy for unknown peoples, wether Frenchs, Lebaneses or Russians. They just feel afraid the war came near their home after it so comfortably raged on distant countries. They are no longer protected by distance, they could be killed too and that is scandalous for them. How is it possible ? War, fear, death should only hit poor and distant countries where they never think to go.
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very well and honestly said,
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I am so glad you said this. The French have stood with the USA in everything. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. Where was the Lebanese when Arabs bombed the World Trade Centers? I know what France did. They proudly flew the American Flag and stood with the USA. I am not saying that what has happened is right by any means. But don’t expect people to fight for you when yoy won’t fight for us.
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I am so glad you said this. The French gave always stood with the USA. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. When Arabs bombed the World Trade Centers, France stood with the USA. They proudly displayed the American Flag. I am not saying what has happened is right by any means, but don’t expect us to fight for you when you won’t fight for us
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My thought to the article was exactly how you described. I was going to respond to the article to give an example of a regular person who died of old age, and someone like Mother Theresa, but I didnt have to because your example was bang on. It’s a fact that one’s life will have more attention than another, similar different countries. I also like to add that countries like Canada, USA, France, Germany, Great Britain etc. have ALWAYS welcome immigrants and giving people second chances of life. Countries that give love will always receive love.
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Did you even read the article!?
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Very well put
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my friend do you forget that Lebanon is a christian state founded by french colonisation… the french should be as sympathetic and outraged with what happened to their middle eastern younger brother, but because Lebanon is in the middle east everyone assumes this is an everyday occurrence. I tell you now it isn’t. There should be just as much support for the Lebanese as there is for the french.
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For me, I think it’s more that (sadly) I’m so “used to” hearing about bombings in the middle east. I found your blog post while searching for a “Pray for Beirut” image online and I’m planning on putting it on FB. I know when there was an earthquake in Turkey a few years ago, I lived in L.A. and everyone was praying for Turkey and we were horrified by the death toll/destruction etc. Also, Paris may be more “real” to people because many have been there. But I’m praying for Beirut, and hopefully you and others will help us remember!
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People are killed every day in Chicago, and no one cares, it’s the way of life there. But if a criminal a thousand miles away resists arrest, assaults an officer, and gets shot for his trouble, everyone loses their mind. No one cares about Beirut, because that’s the way of life there, and across the Middle East. Want the world to care? Clean up your own backyard first. It’s human nature to react as we have for Paris, because your mess spilled over to our yard.
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Your mess? Like every single person in these countries are responsible for the mess? Like they even agree with the way that their governments act?? Or actually forget that, not like these people are electing these people even. There are terrorist organizations. How are civilian supposed to be held responsible for the mess? You are a jerk! I have no advice for you as I think you are a lost cause someone who could be so mean at a situation like this. But if anyone is reading this who are Americans or otherwise having similar opinions to this loser, WAKE UP! OUR Government including many other Western governments fed Isis. Al Qaeda as well. It goes all the way back to Cold War. Americas fear of Russia armed terrorist organizations in Afghanistan way back then and link between that and how strong Al Qaeda got is not a secret. For many years now America continues to meddle in Middle Eastern affairs, and this include providing arms and other kinds of support to organizations that could be considered terrorist depending on how you look at it. Isis has now gone beyond how you look at it, well, this is what happens when you support terrorists. Sometimes they grow stronger and get out of control. No one is safe in this world anymore but civilians, not all of them are even Muslim by the way, are not the ones to point fingers at here.
I sure hope that more people are able to realize you can’t generalize when you’re talking about nations or religions the way that bill here does. I sure hope no one would think of me and him as both Americans under the same umbrella.
In solidarity, a concerned American who does care about Arab lives, all lives in fact
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if your CIA was doing business only in Chicago…there would be less terrorist attacks in the Muslim world and the whole world indeed….clean up our own backyard?good idea…lets find the cia rats.
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This is the sad reality, just like the Western media never talks about the 250,000+ murdered in Syria because USA created ISIS. Just like USA destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan, just like USA and NATO murdered over 4 million Muslim’s since the 90s. They don’t care, because they see us as a doormat. But God forbid that the same thing happens to them, if you do not condemn it, they will call you a terrorist too, because apparently this term defines Islam now, because ISIS are claiming to be Muslim. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala sees all and He hears all. We will never get their approval, but the almighty will provide the justice. I was very upset today, because not even 1 news channels talked about Beirut, instead all focus is on Paris and how evil Islam is. Shameless hypocrites know what makes money and even the dead are a business to the media.
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There will always be people who are ignorant, believing that some matter more than others. Their ignorance is not reality. Arab lives matter deeply because, like all humans, they bear the image of a God who loves them deeply. I’m so sorry for the terrible tragedy in Beirut, and for the ignorance of so many who look the other way.
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You are picking cherries and that out of context. Of course news like this hit you more when you are closer to the event geographically. Do you care about the 147 in Kenia the same way as in your capital, give me a break. You now take an event and bend it to your agenda. That’s fine feel like your life isn’t worth as much, that’s only your choice though.
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Thanks for this article. I would also add attacks in turkey. After months of killing dozens of people each in various cities last month in the capital Ankara a similar death toll to Paris occurred. Not an Arab country but most points are similar. While the majority of the population is Muslim, it’s still a secular country and it is not part of a war at the moment. The country is no stranger to terrorist bombings but it was in fact the biggest terrorist attack in the nations history. No Facebook safety check in or buildings lit up then either. The deaths were civilians too. (Did I mention it was a peace rally?)
All lives matter; all are tragedies. Thank you for writing about it and sharing.
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Loved your article. We all remember what happened in Peshawar school.
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First, let me say how sorry I am for your collective loss in Beirut. I’m going to offer some perspective which may or may not be useful. It is not intended to affront or argue but just present a picture of the view from the US.
I grew up in the 1970s, and watched an hour or two of television news each night with my parents. The first 30 minutes was local, the second 30 minutes national with some world news, then the last hour was international and national on PBS. We also read the papers. Whenever anything aired about the Middle East, it always seemed to involve controversy, war, violence, negotiations, exotic beliefs, wealth, poverty, mostly men, Israel vs everyone else, and sub-group of everyone else pissed off at someone else.
It didn’t matter if it was Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, wherever….it always seemed to be an endless stream of drama. I was fascinated by it. In a school art class we had to make a sculpture based on an image from National Geographic. I chose an issue with shepherds from Afghanistan. They were hard looking. I still have the bust of the man I made. It won an award at an art show.
My family was friends with a large Christian Lebanese family who came to the US in the 1960s. The elder woman was my mom’s adopted “situ.” They were so happy to be in the US. I don’t remember details, but I believe they were from Beirut.
My Dad was very fascinated by the history unfolding, and bought a copy of the Koran to study. He wanted to know what was motivating some of the the stuff going on over there.
Still, despite our (I’d like to think better-than-average) attempts at staying up on world affairs and getting some first-hand stories from former residents, the overall impression we had of the Middle East was “What an effing mess! Don’t go there! Crazy! No peace!”
Then the Iran hostage situation happened in the 80s, then I went to college and the whole first Bush war disaster happened, and it just seemed to keep escalating. Russia in Afghanistan was a mess too. Over the course of some 20-30 years I became absolutely numb to any news of a suicide bombing or religious uprising in the Middle East because “It just seems like that’s what happens there. Nothing’s changed. They fight. That’s what they do. ”
Then 9/11 happened and it wasn’t just a Sunni/Shia conflict or Israel/Palestine conflict. It wasn’t a “them,” it was an “us.” We were involved, like it or not.
I don’t want to be so glib as to say that people thought Middle Eastern violence was “your problem” to deal with, but it some ways it was. I think people are reacting so strongly to Paris because until this attack and 9/11 and the others like in Spain, it was geographically isolated away from Western lands.
Here in the US, we see a mass shooting (defined as 4 or more people) at some point most every day. Our death toll in 2015 is 11,469 (or more as I type) from violence. So it’s not like we’re virgins to senseless violence.
It’s the drivers behind these attacks that has people worked up. Most of us didn’t understand it in the 1970s and we sure as heck don’t understand it now.
Is this helpful? I don’t know….it was for me to talk through it a little anyway. God bless….
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We are the west – we only care about ourselves. However, the middle east only cares about the middle east. China only cares about China. We are not one world – we have different mindsets, just accept that.
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You are so right… And I am so very sorry that you are.
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I remember hearing a quote quite a few years ago but I can’t seem to find it so this is just a paraphrase.
When there are shooting reported on the news it’s sad but when they become so frequent that they stop reporting them, then there is something wrong.
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Pingback: Pretending to Know About Paris | A Thousand Moments
Arabs/Muslims don’t care about their own, a father will slaughter his daughters for being “too western” a brother will slit his raped sisters throat for bringing “dishonour” to the family………don’t you dare to tell people they don’t care about Arab lives…….its Arabs that don’t care about lives period!
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what have the arabs ever done for their so called friends “the palestinians” ?
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Pingback: Beirut | The grokking eagle
😢
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If the West doesn’t care, why are the U.S. and its allies sending support and millions of dollars in aid to the countries under attack? If the West doesn’t care, why are volunteers heading over to offer aid? But it is true that the closer one is to a location that is under attack, the more response there will be. For the average person like me, it is hard to know anymore who to wants our support and who just wants us dead.
We hear on the news what the news media want to tell us. We hear their interpretation of the truth. We rely on them to tell us the truth and not twist it to some political agenda of those in power. Sometimes though, what is reported in the countries being attacked does not match what is reported over here. Each of us has to rely on the integrity of the system. And sometimes the system doesn’t have integrity itself.
So then, do we really not care? Or is the evidence of our caring suppressed for some political purpose? On the other hand, if we don’t care, is that indicative of disregard for what is happening, or is it indicative of not even knowing that it is taking place?
Or is it that we’ve been fed erroneous information that puts a slant on the story in such a way as to suggest we don’t care?
Frankly, I don’t know. I can only listen and watch news as presented where I am.
But rest assured, I am horrified by what is happening around the world, whether in Beirut or Paris or in Africa or Palestine or Israel. Whether it is in New York City or Ottawa, or London.
I am frightened by it all, and the feelings it raises. I am frightened by thoughts of what comes next. — Carol
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A lot of interesting remarks. I would only add that the sense of injustice for Europeans also stems from the belief that innocent people are being killed in their own land by “other” people for “other” reasons. The average residents of Paris don’t really care about Shia-Sunni tension, or the socio-political turmoil happening in war zones a world away. Certainly, it’s galling that extremists of those causes should bring their problems, bloodshed, death wishes and lack of basic respect for the lives of others to regions so wholly separate from their geographical and ideological context.
To understand the reaction is to also understand the widespread belief that the murders were never French, Belgium or English to begin with – but rather just foreigners that infiltrated the country. None of this of course is true. It will be inevitably discovered that at least some of the terrorists will have been born and raised in France, just as most of the London bombers were born and bred in Birmingham.
This initial sense of injustice of being attacked by foreigners is part of the probem. No country asks for a terrorist attack, but it does not help that significant segments of the Muslim population in Europe are made to feel separate (and no more so tha France).
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You’re on the right track, but I will take it a step further and point out that the French have absolutely no obligation to make foreign Muslim settlers feel at home in France, and there are plenty of countries where Muslims can practice their brand of religious conservatism without reproach. European countries have established cultures and native populations of which Islam was never a part. So the fact that Muslims “feel separate” in European culture is entirely the FAULT of the Muslims who voluntarily settled there.
I support revoking citizenship for and expulsion of all Muslim immigrants from European countries if they don’t have several generations of history there. In addition, any Syrian refugees need to go back to Syria.
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What world doesn’t care? The world consisting of Europe, North America, and Australia that has spent trillions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives to try to get the people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, and Syria to stop killing each other? The world brings you food, supplies, builds schools and infrastructure for you, and tries to train your citizens to form an effective police force, and you spit on them in return.
You’ve also got hundreds of bilions of dollars in Saudi Arabia and UAE…your own people. Where is all that money going?
Try taking care of your own problems or at the very least, thanking the other nations for their sacrifices and maybe you’ll get some Facebook profile picture modifications.
The fact that you don’t see the reality of all this is your biggest problem.
You also could try waiting until some of the corpses in Paris are cold and the limbs are swept off the street before trying to jump in front of the media and claim you’re on the receiving end of more persecution. Nice timing.
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It’s amazing how people can use other people’s misery to further their own interest and lecture people.
If we care, we would have, no need to force it down on us. Example: a friend of yours is dying and a jerk comes along to tell u that more people are dying in Africa of starvation. The point I am trying to bring across is: To each his own! Not everyone is close/friendly to everyone.
Recognise and stop being that jerk!
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Boohoo my country hasn’t had any intellectual or cultural impact since the dark ages! Why don’t people care about us? This is so selfish it’s actually sickening to think someone wrote this article.
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I understand the frustration. I only wish that there wasn’t a competition online and on tv: which life matters more? The answer is-any loss of innocent life is despicable, regardless of geographic location.
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To those of you who relate to the writer of this article, to those who feel they don’t matter, I know my country and many others from a political and even moral stand point do not care about you at all.
But I do. And I always will. Even if the terrorist are Arabs. To me it’s like saying the serial killer who killed 30 people was white so I hate all white people.
It’s an absurd notion. Regardless of race, nationality, ethnicity, or religion.. You are a person with a heart. And my heart hurts to see the pain you’re in.
So please remember when you see America or others looking like they couldn’t care less- I care. And I know a lot of others who care too. Don’t let the media make you believe there aren’t people here who are praying for your safety and protection.
I stand with ALL of you.
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Your post makes me shiver.
I am one of the ones that turned their profile picture to the french flag. And that mourned in Horror.
Than a friend posted about Beirut. I was shocked. And ashamed. I didn’t know about the attack. But it doesn’t mean I don’t care. Please believe me. Actually I am terrified.
And I feel embarrassed. Because our press didn’t cover the attack in Beirut. Not adequately at least. That makes me angry, too.
I understand the emotions that these facts evoke in you. But that’s just what the terrorists want. To separate us. We all here in Europe/ Germany know who much help you offer. And we are very thankful for that. And that’s one reason your suffering hurts us even more.
#togetherwestanddividedwefall
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Well here in Australia there are more Buddhists than Muslims yet the only one’s mentioned for killing people, gangs, isis links are muslim people. Its a world wide problem that europe will have to face allowing all these so called refugees in. I’ve grown up in a multicultural environment and if it has taught me one thing it’s that muslim people do not like to take up another countries traditions or mingle with the locals. Muslim people do not like to socialize instead they live in communities that are a muslim majority. If you migrate to a country because your home is no longer safe, you should not reject your new homes traditions otherwise go back to where you came from and die a miserable death in the hands of your own kind.
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can you further clarify your above comment?…if you mean that white european immigrants have moved into the west & have assimilated well, I suppose I can see where you’re coming from. However the huge racial tensions that are being felt through America (I’m American, so I’m using it as my example) are enough to show that many minorities have huge concerns that aren’t being addressed that prevent them from feeling completely apart of their country.
To challenge your second point about liberals turning a blind eye to governments like Saudi Arabia’s, do you mean liberal as in left wing or liberal as in liberal economists (capitalists)? Capitalists support Saudi Arabia’s unfair government because of the economic advantage it affords the west (as well as the fact that S.A. is cordial with the USA) BUT left liberals do not support these types of governments because they recognize that the US is playing a double standard when it comes to Middle East, depending on if the country’s government has good or bad relations with America. In fact the only Americans I have ever seen calling out the US’s hypocrisy when it comes to Saudi Arabia is the left wing and the occasional libertarian.
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Arabs are great at blaming everyone for their issues. I am Arab and in general, to the average Arab, the US stands behind every evil. Even when ISIS and AL QAEDA are Arabs, still they say the US made them, as if these people have no brains to say no to killing their own people.
Arabs kill eachother when they can’t kill others. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the ONLY Sunni countries who have the money to fund Sunni terror. ISIS practices Sharia, just like SAUDI ARABIA!
They wonder why ISIS ONLY uses Toyota cars? Well… a simple check on the Arab countries who have TOYOTA as their top seller give the same pointers! … SAUDI AND QATAR are the ONLY countries that are peaceful in the whole region of blood. What else is needed people? It is not rocket science!!!
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we are all gonna die sooner than any one thinks
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Wow, I’m British and I too have been frustrated by the lack of emotive reporting in the west of what had happened to Beirut. I did not realise that Lebanese people themselves are sometimes apathetic to the terror in Beirut, that certainly is a rare sight in Europe.
Things have to change everywhere – including Lebanon. Thank you for writing this brutally honest post and I can only give you the best wishes for safety as a nation and hope that we all find a solution to this problem and its wider implications soon 😦
Beirut has been on my list of places to go for a long, long time and due to lack of reporting in western media I thought perhaps it was outside of the trouble we hear about so much in other regions. It’s sad to hear it too is being plagued by the same idiots killing and bombing the Middle East, Europe and beyond.
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You people are importante and árabes matter tonthe world, as a citizen of the world I want you to know this: to many ordinary people like me younare important and tour pain is our pain
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Too long didn’t read.
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Pingback: Paris Atrocities | Kutarere's Blog
I think the original poster is not being fair to the non-Arab nations. Europe is flooded with more refugees from Muslim countries than they can possibly cope with right now and yet, they continue to try. Canada is taking 25,000 of them by the end of this year (a huge number for a country of our size), with no idea of where we’re going to be able to house them; people are offering spare rooms in their own homes or the use of their vacation homes and basement suites for that purpose. Why would we be doing that if we didn’t care what happened to these people? And, in the meantime, other Arab countries are apparently refusing to take in any of the refugees. What does that tell you about who cares the most?
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Actually, the vast majority of Syrian refugees have gone to other Islamic countries. Turkey has taken in 2.23 million refugees. Jordan, has taken in 630,000 refugees. Iraq has received 245,000 refugees. Egypt has taken in 127,000 refugees. Lebanon, with a population of 4.5 million, has taken in 1.1 million refugees adding almost another quarter to their population. Compare this to the 350,000 refugees that have gone to Europe, the 25,000 that have gone to Canada, and the 10,000 that have gone to the United States. So clearly both other Muslim and other Arab countries do care.
When you say that other Arab countries have refused to take in any refugees, you may be thinking of the fact that the five richest nations in the region- Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar- have shut there borders to refugees. Their given reason is that they do not want to risk exposure to terrorism. A despicable act, but the rhetoric is eerily familiar to those living in the United States- the same arguments have been used against not only refugees from Syria, but also from Latin America. Something worth noting is that all five of those nations are firm allies with the United States, who has yet to condemn, negotiate, or in any way try to pressure these nations into opening their borders.
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I was not aware of that, Matthew, and you are right – I guess I misinterpreted what I read about the five wealthiest Arab countries that you mentioned and thought it applied to all Arab countries. However, I do question the numbers you give. I have read many sources that say that Germany alone has accepted over 3/4 of a million refugees so far this year, and that they finally had to close their borders to them because their country was overwhelmed.
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This is such a sad article, it’s sad that this is the world we currently live in where Arab lives are assigned less value than others. I’m sorry that you and others have been marginalized in a global community, and I hope that voices like yours are heard across the world. Thank you for putting yourself out there and writing this article. To everyone posting Islamaphobic, xenophobic and frankly racists statements, take a step back. People are dying, innocent people who would love nothing more than to lead normal lives without the threat of bad people destroying their homes and their communities.
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Considering most of the trouble in this world is caused by Middle Eastern countries and their stupid extreme religious beliefs why would we be sympathetic to anything that happens there you create your own problems and they snowball on to threaten world peace. Get out of the dark ages and join the rest of the world instead of segregating yourselves and alienating us.
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This is so freaking sad
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It’s because when Muslim violence occurs in the Middle East or a Muslim country – that’s their problem. When the Muslims bring violence over to the West. Now it’s our problem.
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All lives matter to me and the God I serve. Innocent lives matter to any just person. I grieve your city’s lost of innocent people as I do Paris’! There really are those of us who just want all conflict to end and for there to be peace on Earth for all mankind regardless of their religion, skin tone, or any other reason people use to fight! I don’t know the answers to the World’s problem but I do know the first syllable in assume is ass for a reason! All lives matter! Period!
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I find it disgusting that people need to throw stones at a time in all our lives when solidarity is the only answer not matter what country we come from. For heaven’s sake people don’t let our governments and what’s in the media turn us against each other. Show compassion be kind stand together there is only one right way. Use your heart to work things out not what you have read or been told. United we stand divided we fall.
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In all fairness, there was no Facebook flag or Safety Check when an ISIS-inspired terrorist went on a rampage shooting and killed people in my home city if Ottawa, Canada last year either.
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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911
i think the West did show their concern, right?
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It’s very hard to feel sorry for Hezbollah given they are terrorists themselves. They have killed so many people and done so much evil. They are reaping what they sowed. Perhaps now they will know what their victims and their families felt and change their murderous ways.
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Actually, the violence in lebenaon the other night was on the news, was on Facebook and Obama did make a statement. Here’s an idea for the non extreme Muslims who want sympathy for the violence your own people cause in your countries and across the globe: Clean up your fucking trash, and stop blaming us. Muslims perpetrated the violence in both France and Lebanon and Muslims are currently plotting to do it again. We expect this sort of violence from you because you perpetrate it again and again. Clean up your fucking trash. Your people are the problem, not us. Fuck off.
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When is this Alien attack going to happen?? so we can unite as one… as humans caring,fighting for other humans..
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Everyone is outraged about the way the world reacted to each of the Paris and Lebanon attacks. Many are convinced that the world perceive Arab lives as of a lesser value than European lives. Sadly this is true and should be expected.
Death and terror in the Arab world is an every day thing. Even Islam acknowleges stoning women, throwing homosexuals off buildings, chopping heads and many othet cruel punishments in the name of Sharia and Islam. People tend to not care the same way when things happen repetitively, which is why no one cares how many people Saudi Arabia or Iran or China execute people every year.
Paris attacks are not an every day thing and it is very normal that the outrage be of a higher magnitude.
Also, as bad as it will sound. Terror attacks on Lebanon might be the only chance that Lebanese will unite. Nothing can bring Lebanese together but tragedies on a mega scale. It starts from the lebanese family whose members hate and avoid one another until a family death or funeral. Grief always brought them together. They need it just like they needed it before.
Paris is not like that because the majority of its people and politicians love it. This can’t be saif about Lebanon who probably would need a much bigger slap on the face for its people to wake up, kick ALL their politicians out and unite for once.
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The bomb blast in Beirut is terrible. But people just have less sympathy with regions that have killed their own people for the last decades. The Arab world does not seem to have any compassion with one another. Why aren’t the stronger and richer Arab countries like UAE, Kuwait, Saudi and Qatar to welcome Syrian refugees who are in need? Those countries claim they are such good muslims but they block every single refugee entering their territory. Than there are the European countries who have nothing to do with the Arab religious and tribal violence. We take in your refugees by the millions and we are the ones getting slaughtered. Where is the voice of the Arab world against your own internal violence? Where is the voice of the Middle East against ISIS? Make an effort to solve your own internal violence and not to export it to the world. Maybe than, you will start conquering the hearts and minds of the rest of the world.
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A moving read and well written. I pray for a day when the world accepts everyone of every country as important as themselves… But until then I just know that certain people get off on disturbing the piece and destroying lives but I’m not going to treat the Arab people I meet differently than I’d treat a French person even after these events. Every person makes their own choice. I treat a person with a general respect until I find they don’t deserve it.
Pray for the world everyone.
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