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 
I can only partial agree to this post
the problem with the death in the arab world – is that it occurs daily – since tenth of years – almost each day we find news about these chocking events – im 55 years and and I think my whole live there was war there – and the second problem is : many don’t understand why what is going on there – who fights who – it is just chaos for normal people.
People are all over the world chocked about mass death – where ever it occurs, if iy turkey, or china or afrika – but the arab phenomena is completely different – death seems to be a daily condition – and nobody in the world can be chocked daily about the same things occurring day for day.
The truth is : We here are daily concerned about the arab world for tens of years – its like a unstopping chock.
and there comes still something else – human condition, understandable – we have to accept that PARIS is for many people emotionally a very different place than Beirut or Moscow – or even Marseilles.
These are light towers of the western world – like New York too.
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“death seem to be a daily condition” That is the idea you get from watching western media… The arab world is extremly large and 90% of arabs are living in complete safety. If you had done some research before posting this you would know that the attack on Beirut is the first terrorist attack in Lebanon since the 90’s. According to you, Morocco, Oman, or Qatar for exemple are war zones with terrorist attacks everyday. Sorry friend but you are the imbodiement of what this text is denouncing.
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Why so obsessed with WESTERN MEDIA? You’re saddened that western media doesn’t care about your plight? Should I equally be outraged that Lebanese media doesn’t care about the plight of my own countries tragedies? Should I be outraged that the Muslim world / media doesn’t care about the plight of Christians?
As the original poster said, as unfortunate as it is, the Middle East whether you can accept it or not (It would appear you can’t) is a hot-spot for violence and religious warfare.
And if you think Lebanon is such a safe place, can I direct you to this documentary about the life of teenagers in Lebanon.
It’s not that people / the Christian media, don’t care about you, it’s just that we filter you out of the news, because you’re like that drunk uncle that is always causing fights.
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I am completly amazed by your ignorance. Why are you implying that I’m middle eastern ? I’m French I didn’t write that I was middle eastern anywhere. Secondly what does Islam has to do with that, you know that Lebanon isn’t a muslim country since HALF of its population is christian. And yet again the beirut attack is the first terrorist attack in Lebanon since the 90’s, Lebanon is causing wars according to you ? I’d advise you to check your sources again…
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“normal people”
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i’d love to know what your idea of “normal people” is.
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Well said
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Okay I admit that I feel guilty that I had no idea about the mass killings in Beirut, Kenya, and others, though sadly we tend to accept violence there as routine. But it would be in all our best interest to stop complaining about which country/ethnicity is getting more media exposure and solidarity, and start joining forces to DO something about taking down this evil group that’s hell bent on taking over the world. I’m a hypocrite myself in that I’ve personally done nothing to help and feel helpless overall. But can we at least start those conversations?? Can we come out from behind our screens where it’s easy to spout our ideologies/show solidarity with hashtags? I agree with some other comments saying the west is helping…the US and others are sending drone attacks on the isis leaders, Europe is taking in refugees, etc. Not to mention Paris is dear to all our hearts as a tourist destination and many of us know people who live there, thus the showing of solidarity. But yes, all lives matter, now what are we doing about it?
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This article exactly reflects my insights. Of course, it is very frustrating to hear about the terrorist attacks in France but these kinds of terrorist attacks are happening every day in the world. A few weeks ago, over 100 people were killed in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey because of a terrorist attack. No social media website bothered to make its logo the flag of Turkey or no media executive expressed their grief.
I think this shows how the western media controls the values of the society. No one cared about the killings in the eastern of the world. Apparently no one cares about the killings and terrorists unless they are hit by them.
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Exactly, the terrorist attacks take place every day everywhere in the world. Analyzing the situation German media did not show too much of all the other terrorist attacks elsewhere then europe, but still, almost once a week you get an update of some terrorist attack, either in Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Egypt and I could continue the list. Do you think it would acutally help having too much terrorism on TV or media if a society, even though it know’s that this world has never been more global and never been closer then ever before, still feels that all that terror, except the one within it’s union or it’s cultural familiarity (western states) still seems so far away? Media is controlled by it’s consumers and people who create consumers. I don’t blame western media and western presidents and governments or western people for not showing how much their lives matter as well. It’s neither racist, it’s just a way of acting practical: Wouldn’t a whole series of omnipresent terrorism on TV, I mean isn’t it shown every day already(?), help the radical terrorists more then the victims and their families and friends?
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Many years ago I watched and read about the Iran contra affair. It was simple to blame one man. In reality it was America selling weapons to both sides of a war. Egging each on to kill the other. Then one day. The enemy talked to the enemy and lo and behold they found a new enemy. So since then the Middle East and the Muslim community has wagged their war against America and Americas friends. I was only a teenager 30 years ago. I told people then, and I still tell people today, America pissed off the middle east and the muslims. America and Reagan created this mess!
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It is Arabs that don’t care about other Arabs life
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You are all missing the point. This is OBVIOUSLY a response to Israeli occupation and aggression.
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This is a barbaric group of people fueled by a death cult ideology that wish to bring the apocalypse. They want us to be miserable like them. Israel and its policies have nothing to do with this. If anything we should look to Israel as a role model on how to deal with savages who wish you dead
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Bitch please. At the same day, there was earthquake in Japan and nobody bothers. It is not all about your people.
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Awesome comment.
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It would be nice if Arab lives mattered to other Arabs, see that is a hyperbole. To think that Arab lives don’t matter to Europeans is just hyperbole as well. As for the press, it will always be myopic and provencal. I don’t hear anyone crying for the Americans that are being duped by a GOP the resembles a fascist regime. It is unfortunate that magical thinking in the form of religion still rules public opinion and dictates policy. I would recommend that everyone take some time out to really read some Bertrand Russell.
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Well said John Murphy!
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While I agree that the difference in reaction is sad, I will point out one important nuance that people shall consider before jumping to conclusion while doing precisely these types of comparisons.
In the heart of many people, Paris is a symbol: that of a city that, through its history, has become the flagship of ideas like liberty, equality and fraternity; that of a city that explicitly declared the human rights to be valid without distinction of race, nationality and religion.
You claim in this post that it would be unfair to consider that a life in Beirut is worth less than a life in Paris. You are absolutely right. And Paris represents precisely this idea: that all people are created equal without distinction of race (Europeans or Arabs), nationality (French or Lebanese) and religion (Catholic or Muslim).
So long story short, please do not consider the international reaction to be a sign that Parisian lives are worth more than that of other people, but consider it as a token, showing how much people worldwide connect to and identify with the very message and ideals that this city has come to represent. And that idea is precisely that human life has the same worth, wherever it is, whatever that person thought or believed.
I connect with your loss, so please accept these though of compassion for the people of Lebanon.
From Paris, with care…
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After reading your comment yesterday evening, I wanted to reply that Paris as the symbol of all this cannot be killed by some terrorists, but it slowly started dying when your government started participating in a war without any public outcry noticeable from outside … it’s sad
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Please know that there are many who care deeply, although this is not registered in any statistics, blogs or newspaper articles.
I am Buddhist and I chant every day for people everywhere and in every situation who suffer and die from conflict. I live in a peaceful country and have deep appreciation for my good fortune. I may not suffer the horrors of the Middle East, but I know that ALL people count and all life deserves dignity and respect.
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It is very true that the media and therefore western civilization is biased. We are all very different societies and suddenly made close through technology, social media, internet. Over the years, they violence and wars in the middle east, Beirut in particular have not been well understood. The problem does involve the western world as oil and our energy needs have contributed to the radical change to economies that made dictators wealthy. The policies of US regarding Afghanistan and Russia’s invasion created and funded the Taliban. It is not well covered in Media. The violence in various parts of the world do not represent the same things to different people. Beirut is not an iconic tourist attraction. Beirut has been an impoverished war zone for decades. People do not identify with the history. You must appreciate that people and media therefore from the USA are a large percentage European immigrants and descendants of those. We share history as allies to France. There are huge losses of life around the world on any day. The deaths of Ebola in Western Africa, the deaths from treatable diseases like Malaria and starvation outnumber all of the terrorist attacks put together. These people have only the voices of the relief agencies who put an ad out for people to send money. The world has always had famine, disease, war. Even with our technology, our connectiveness, we will always tend to identify with what we know. It is our challenge to develop our minds and hearts in keeping up with our technology. Your post is wonderfully written and thoughtful. I appreciate the point you make and it is with sincere sadness that the precious lives lost in Beirut and elsewhere were not given the same amount of sympathy. Your writing is a tribute to their memory.
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Thank you Jeanie. Eloquently said.
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You are partially right. The media in western countries will always report more fervently on people similar to their own, that is human nature. But you miss so many other points here.
The fact is that rightly or wrongly there is an assumption that France, far from the middle east and with modern, active public security forces and low crime rate is a far, a terrorist attack like those seen is a far less likely occurrence than in a middle eastern country where there is still the impression (if not reality) of largely tribal affiliations, local militia and poorly funded/equipped protection services. That lower probability, allied to the locality is the reason, not pure racism.
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France is more similar to the rest of the West than Lebanon, Kenya etc so that’s why they put such importance on Paris rather than Beirut. If you want to bitch and moan do it to the Liberal retards who run the media, the White privilege folk who frequent Paris for “the culture” and who would never set foot in the Middle Easy unless it was Dubai.
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While I agree that the difference in reaction is sad, I will point out one important nuance that people shall consider before jumping to conclusion while doing precisely these types of comparisons.
In the heart of many people, Paris is a symbol: that of a city that, through its history, has become the flagship of ideas like liberty, equality and fraternity; that of a city that explicitly declared the human rights to be valid without distinction of race, nationality and religion.
You claim in this post that it would be unfair to consider that a life in Beirut is worth less than a life in Paris. You are absolutely right. And Paris represents precisely this idea: that all people are created equal without distinction of race (Europeans or Arabs), nationality (French or Lebanese) and religion (Catholic or Muslim).
So long story short, please do not consider the international reaction to be a sign that Parisian lives are worth more than that of other people, but consider it as a token, showing how much people worldwide connect to and identify with the very message and idea that this city has come to represent. And that message is precisely that human life has the same worth, wherever it is, whatever that person thought or believed.
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First I want to say I am so sorry for your losses and the heart ache your country is experiencing. Yours is not less important. I want to explain where most Americans are coming from. When you hear about/see people you don’t know getting punched in the face, it does make you upset and sad. But then it’s totally different when you see your friend get punched in the face, right? It’s a whole new level of feeling. So with Americans, we are more personally connected with France than Lebanon. Example: number of Americans who have been to Paris vs Beiruit. Number of Americans with family and friends in France vs Lebanon. Because of our history, America in general just has stronger cultural, political, familial ties to France than Lebanon, so naturally we feel the attack a little more on a personal level-we just saw a familiar friend get punched in the face. I hope that makes sense. It’s not to say we are not sad for all the other attacks or they don’t matter as much. Anyone with a heart at all is upset to hear about them. And I do hope that the Americans that have connections with Lebanon will continue to speak up about what is going on in their country because hearing first hand stories from real people make it so much more personal for the listener who has never been there/has no personal reference of these places.
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I hope you all realize these Jihadists have declared war on us and while not all Muslims have done so I doubt they’d shed a tear should more attacks occur. But don’t worry guys because myself and the millions of servicemen and women, from England to here in North America to France and Australia will fight for you.
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
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You understand many of those servicemen and women are actually Muslim themselves right?
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I’ve seen much discussion of race regarding the Paris attack, especially when contrasted to recent events in Lebanon, though it seems to me that economics has much more to do with it. Paris is a part of the West, has close economic ties with the rest of the world (and news agencies still have fully staffed bureaus there, another contributing factor), whereas Beirut’s connection is much weaker. Also, if race,or even proximity to Europe were so important, why do we never hear much about Ukraine any more? The violence and death toll there goes relentlessly on, as it does in many places never mentioned on the Evening News in the U.S. It makes me sad to think that if the attack in Beirut had caused the oil price to spike, it would have been the lead on news broadcasts all over the world. The value of human life should never have a price, though as a practical matter, unless an event will have an effect on the West’s economy, most people there will never hear about it at all.
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hizbullah invented the concept of suicide bombers murdering hundreds of innocent americans French and Israelis, so is more the case of the chickens have come home to roost
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How do you expect the world to have sympathy for the Lebanese people, when the Lebanese people themselves don’t have any sympathy for their owns? Take a good look at how the french people reacted. They all united. They went down to the streets, lit candles, prayed for their dead. What did we do? Nothing. When our own people die, We go on living our little lives as if nothing happened. Waiting for our leaders to think for us. We start pointing fingers at each other and accusing each other. I wonder if any of the Lebanese who are posting comments is praying for our own dead. I think it’s time to stop pointing fingers at others all the time and start taking a good look at ourselves. If we don’t start showing the world that our own people matter to us, no one will. And it’s totally normal. It’s time to start respecting ourselves and our dead. Fil itti7ad kouwwa and that is the main ingredient that is missing in Lebanon.
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I care about people who died in Beirut as much as those who died in France. My Facebook profile was changed to a symbol of peace with people around the world encircling the globe. I love people around the world. Sadly, attacks will come again in a different country. We must all stand together and find a way to create peace. Please know that many Americans are like me. We care about everyone regardless of where you are from or what you believe. Your life matters. Sending you love.
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I’d just like to say that you can’t say the media represents the people’s thoughts it doesn’t. Whoever believes the media in whatever country shows the actual truth, is clearly not looking at the concept of media in itself. I can tell you now being western I take the media with a pinch of salt. Who knows what’s really happening in the world they only show us what they want us to see. What’s news worthy. Instead of seeing western people as western media try thinking of humanity not as separate countries, or as seperate people, try and think of us all as one people. There is always an issue when people say ‘my people’ ur immediately seperating us. We are all important we are all one race. We are the human race. Don’t believe that the medias sympathy represents the sympathy of the actual people. It’s just our spokes people. Since when do our leaders and media actually represent what we think. That being said I feel sad every time I here anyone die, anywhere in the world, any belief and background and age. Everyone should. The media is just the media.
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Wasn’t it the people of Beirut that were celebrating the Lockerbie bomber as a hero not too long ago. How bout bitch at your neighbours for not helping, oh yeah wait, there too busy buying Lambo’s, Ferrari’s for their palaces. Not all of us are sheep and changed a profile pic to feel better about it. No Arab nations are over the media doing anything about it? But they’ll gladly taken western money and aid! Let’s just get this over with and let the chips fall where they may. WWIII. Light it up
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I usually come to believe that terrorist attacks in those regions happen in a daily base for uncommon reasons for us, e.g. linage, family, or religious circumstances. Notwithstanding, I do agree the media in general has relied on “western thinking” without bearing in mind regular lives are usually lost and harmed there, not only in Lebanon, but also all across the Arabic area. I am sorry for such wrong thinking. I deeply send my sincere condolences and hope you guys may stand up again. Sometimes I think that with Saadam and Gadafi none of this would be probably happening, but greater assholes have intervened those countries and triggered whats going on today, all for oil!!!. I do believe in democracy, though in has been tested to be weak for political power and religious facts, which is stupid. Living under a religious style is stupid, though people and their faith must be respected. And finally, I do believe nature has set us a final destiny for each one of us, so everything else becomes useless.
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This ‘ Selective Humanity’
These ‘ two faced’ people’
😔
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I just came back from a vigil for Paris; some of the young people in attendance mentioned their guilt at not caring enough, until their own city was hit, about the horrors other people must live through. I do hope that, for some at least, the pain evoked by the events in Paris will be a wake up call to the pain elsewhere. It was for me. I am sorry for my blindness and callousness.
From the US, a Parisian, with love. I wish I could do more–wish I knew how to do more that just voice this poor solidarity.
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Hi, I haven’t read all the comments, would take me too long. paris is a very famous city, at least to those of us in the “western” world. when such “terrible” things happen there, people freek-out. it’s really not any different than 9/11. what I’m writing is essentially my attempt to interpret what has ahppened, in the context of what you have just said.
for a very long time now, the world has been in a state of “develloped countries” predominantly in the north, and “develloping countries” in the south. blanket generalization.
..to try to cut to the chase, what I’m trying to get at is that while news of explosions or attacks anywhere causes me grief, you are quite right in observing that such an attack in paris seems of more consequence than such an attack in, for example beirut, and I’m trying to figure out why. perhaps if I succeed, something can be done about it? if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. (http://diamandis.com/peters-laws)
I think it may have something to do with history. we see paris as an ancient, beautiful city. full of beautiful history. and beautiful people. I don’t actually know about the latter, I haven’t been there long enough. (was there one night).
Beirut.. I know next to nothing about. the people or the place. it’s history or culture. from the pictures, it looks very dingy. what grand impressive things have the people of beirut done? what monuments are there? why would I go there? there may be many reasons, I just don’t know them.
so I conclude that the “western” world has deep connections to paris, where we don’t to beirut. it’s closer. for beirut to matter more, the people of beirut, regardless of their skin colour, culture, ethnicity, what have you, they would have to make a conserted effort to make their city into a beautiful city. a place where people want to go. want to stay. make people feel welcome there. it all seems so simple now, though you might dissagree with me. make beirut a city that the people of the western world value. I hypothesize that it has nothing to do with the fact that the people there are arabs. it has everything to do with the things I listed above, the beauty of the city, the kindness of the people and their welcoming and hospitality toward strangers, the number of interesting, exciting, and pleasurable things that can be done there. I have never been there, I have no idea how the city ranks on these scales. I propose that if it made itself into a city internationally renowned for all these things, then if terrorists hit it, it -still- wouldn’t matter whether the people living there were arabs or otherwise, but it -would- make the news in the way the paris attacks did, if perhaps not still on the same scale. paris has been a famous city for a long time. it is centrally located in well-to-do europe.. it’s a heart of western civilization. beirut would have to maintain it’s status for many years probably, find it’s way into the hearts of many people, before it would get the response that paris did. and it -still- wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that the people there are arabs. or would it? if the people of beirut succeeded in building their city into the kind of place I’ve described, would people still see them as being the same kind of people as those in the rest of the arab world? I don’t know.
there is probably more I could add, but I’m sure you get the point. find a way to cause us love you, rather than to fear you as terrorists, and we will surely respond very differently if and when your city is attacked again.
obviously there is more I have to say. the western world hasn’t exactly been nice to arabs either. there are many people all over the world that many consider immoral and evil. while I don’t think there have been western terrorist attacks in arab countries in the more traditional sense of terrorist attacks, there have certainly been military campaigns, and there has been economic terrorism in abundance. for a very long time. if we were instead to help you devellop your countries, help you build more parises, well, we would love you more because your cities would be more like the description above, and you would also be much happier, and not -need- to resort to terrorism to try to make your lives better.
so, arab lives don’t matter? sure they do. it’s also beside the point. we should all be doing all we can to make everybodies lives better. and there are many people doing that all over the place, all the time. it’s generally called international development, and many people I know are working on small projects in many places, transforming small communities. I have supported some of them. we need more of this, much more, and we need to put more pressure on our own governments to do what is right.
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Michael Jackson died on June 26 2009.
The world mourned him.
But that didnt change the fact that
Farrah Fawcet died
the same day
was any less tragic
or sad
or important
or newsworthy.
It just reflected how much more
Michael Jackson touched the world in everyday life.
If you were unfamiliar with Muchael but knew Farrah more intumately then you felt the indifference Beruit fels under Paris’ news coverage.
This is not a measuring stick for empathy or apathy it is just familiarity
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I think that America and France and other counties who think they are strong and big, are little bit too much nationalistic and proud about them self . They are wrong because they see just them selfs. They take everything from those countries who has more , some off they’re people burned Koran and made funny caricatures about Muslims God . That’s what you get . One little tinny mistake and you nation bleeds .
Good Luck with this shit . Why they dont atack Germany or Russia, Sweden, Spain, Italia by this terror ackts ? Why ? So before saying something like that think twice .
Yes we are imigrants and we bow our heads working hard and unwanted jobs in your country for a little bit of money . I’m From Little country , youre people doesnt know were is my country even if its even center of Europe. No one cares about us even when we are nearest country in the map . Yes I agree THEY DONT CARE they say they are fucking liberals , peace makers and democractic people . You know what? Is a Lie . They dont care about annything ,
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The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd. — Bertrand Russell
I feel so alienated and alone by the reaction to the Paris attacks.
Any death should be condemned. What happened in Paris was barbaric and horrifying. At least 153 people were murdered.
When a handful of poor brown people shoot a gun and blow themselves up and kill a few hundred people it is called “terrorism” when we first world rich drop bombs and kill millions it is called “spreading democracy”.
What troubles me so much is where was the mass outrage from my first world Facebook friends over the one thousand to 37,000 times more deaths that America caused in Iraq? Especially from the supposed “Christians” who are often the most supportive of war?
Where was the meaningless temporary Profile Picture Iraqi flags and meaningless “We are all Iraqis” pictures while 153+ people were being killed everyday on average in Iraq?
See, the reason why Paris and 9/11 and all of the other terrorist attacks happen is because brown poor peoples lives really don’t matter to us first world people. Empires rise and fall but the policies of those empires stay the same. The history books will strip away all of the bullshit and will write that we murdered millions of poor brown people to control their resources and keep our high living standards.
The beauty of today’s system is murder is compartmentalized and bureaucratized. Like the way meat is sold in grocery stores, few if anyone ever really sees the blood spilled.
The question isn’t whether each of us have blood on our hands, the only question is how much.
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I think this whole feed is all media and social network based. Which is exactly what ISIS depends on. So just pray in silence. Anchor worry about everyone else.
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I’m so sorry for the lives lost in Beirut, so sorry that the tragedy was largely ignored by the world’s media and so sorry that we have an idiot running for U.S. President who doesn’t seem to know anything about Lebanon. But that has never stopped an American politician from displaying their ignorance to the world
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We all care for our families and our own safety. Paris is my backyard, Beirut is yours. We are taught very early to respect everyone regardless of their race, colour, religion or challenges. Respect all religious views mostly because they all preach love and respect. All life matters including the lives lost in Beirut. No-one wants war here, or loss of life anywhere. We know the extremists prey upon young, inexperienced minds and spread hate. Education may be the key.On both sides!!..
Peace to you and yours… Assalamu alaikum
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This is SOooo offensive at this time, and Lebanon are suffering some propaganda issues: Paris/France were only targeted by ISIS because France is one of many nations taking DIRECT ACTION military action in Syria and ISIS want to stop that. It’s not western people don’t know/don’t care – Paris has been attacked because of the direct military action France have been undertaking. So, Lebanon: if you’d prefer FB filters and sympathy posts rather than other nations quietly undertaking military action and putting themselves and their people at risk as a result, just let us know as I’m sure that would be a lot safer for the western states currently trying to help and paying heavy prices because of it. It’s horrendous what happened in Lebanon but you should show empathy, sympathy and support to all the people of Paris …because they died because France did more than FB posts and filters for Syria.
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Well said. Writing an article like this at such a time is most inappropriate. It is impossible to compare this to other attacks. Comparisons shouldn’t be made.
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I, my family, my friends and my community care. We are all taken aback by the lack of acknowledgement, concern and sympathy for the people who lost their lives on November 12 at the demented hands of terrorists. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families, friends and community. They are not forgotton.
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Pingback: From Beirut, This Is Paris: In A World That Doesn't Care About Arab Lives « CauseHub
Pingback: Paris of/in the Middle East | geographical imaginations
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While I feel saddened for the innocents who have been harmed, I must admit that when I read about the Beirut bombing I perceived it as an attack on Hezbollah. And therefore felt less sympathy because of how they themselves have initiated similiar terrorist attacks on others
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I am so sorry that no other Arab country showed comdemnation of the lost lives in Beirut. Why do they consider this unimportant? I mean euro-american civilization is obviously bothering more about their problems (who does not?) and they are having their political interests but why other Arab countries or others closer did not bother?
OK, to put it the other way – dear Arabs, it is entirely on you how much TV prime time you give to something on a news. Whether you raise concerns at UN or whatever. You and your representatives give value to your lives.
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The world is an IGNORANT place. My Mother, Father & 8 month year old brother were all shot in Iraq 10 years ago by U.S Soliders. So innocently & inhumanly. I will never forget the way they were killed and how the Soldiers reacted, like they had just killed an animal. Like my family and MANY other innocent civilians that have lost their lives in the M.E the world simply does not care or chooses to ignore it.
I don’t care if it’s a daily reoccurrence in the M.E that’s just a poor excuse to ignore the problem.
I’m deeply saddened and send my condolences to the families of the lives that were lost in the Paris Attacks but when something like this happens it only shows you even more how ignorant & inhummane this World is.
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My people? Ok… Your people were partying in the street after 9/11. Why do we have to show any sympathy for these people?
There is a big difference of what has happened. Your story does not make any sense. You are saying Arab people but that has nothing to do with it. It were Hezbollah people killed. If it were peaceful Arabs being killed, you would have gotten your sympathy…
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To me, this debate is a troll.
If someone from your family is assassinated, will you not be far more shocked than if you hear someone thousands of miles from you is killed? Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world. Almost every westerner has visited or dreams to visit Paris and “knows” someone living there. Many people feel intimate with Paris. It is, with Berlin and London, the center of Europe and a symbol of secular universal values, human rights and Western culture.
So it’s not that we don’t care about arab lives, we do. Otherwise we wouldn’t be housing refugees. It’s just that Paris is one of the most important cities of the West, it’s a symbol. Nothing new about that. Being such a symbol is actually the main reason ISIS has chosen to strike Paris twice in a year.
Please don’t make things more simple than they are.
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