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 
Reblogged this on Musings of a Dreamer.
LikeLike
Praying for your city and your people. Praying for comfort, peace, hope and love to abound amidst the tragedy.
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”
LikeLike
Really? More religion…? enough with the praying already…Now’s not the time to pass platitudes in the name of any god. When are humans going to grow out of these childish myths.
Dr Fares is entirely right. Western society should pay respects to the horror which happens in the middle east. Just as much as they should when it happens in Paris or any other western country.
By the way, it is difficult to empathise when there are often pictures of people in the middle east celebrating atrocities committed on western countries.
There is a lack of empathy, no doubt on all sides.
But more importantly, there is a lack of respect for fellow human beings.
We shouldn’t strive for humans to live peacefully and in harmony…this is just to hard for the zealots on both sides to comprehend….it infers compromise and we are dealing with people that have no will to do so.
Can we perhaps aim for respect. Respect one mans views without having them imposed on you. Respect the country you live in, without wanting to change it to suit your beliefs. Respect a person because they are a human being.
There should be no tolerance for those that speak out against these values. We should be intolerant to free speech when it seeks to undermine the fabric of society. Until this fundamental change is made, we will continue to have the feeble minded mislead to theirs and our demise.
LikeLike
THIS right here is a smart human being. If only everyone shared this type of viewpoint, there would be significantly less violence on this planet.
LikeLike
Absolument vrai. Au lieu de prier des dieux inexistants, luttez sans violence contre les croyances mortiferes.
LikeLike
Pingback: Mark Zuckerberg explains why Facebook enabled 'Safety Check' for attacks in Paris, but not Beirut (FB) | Centre.al
Pingback: NIE POMODLĘ SIĘ ZA PARYŻ | Vi&Raw
Dear Dr. Fares – Rest assured that you do not mourn alone, though dragging the huge weight of public opinion in the U.S. to understand that terror in Beirut is just as horrific as is terror in ANY global capital is like a labor of Sisyphus. The media machine in the USA prefers to ignore the Middle East, but there are many of us here in the U.S. who find the human suffering there absolutely unacceptable. How “the West” can designate Beirut a world capital, the Riviera of the Mediterranean, and so on, yet still ignore the suffering of its people, is incomprehensibly inhumane.
LikeLike
The same way the same way it ignores the suffering of its own citizens. Paris is now the breaking point. Everyone’s involvement that led to this will come out and God help us all.
LikeLike
I’m sorry for the suffering in Beirut. I’m sorry our media didn’t put it on the front page your suffering is no less than Paris. It makes me sick to see how the media treats one tragedy above another. I will continue to pray for the families of all countries involved in the aftermath of terrorism. Some of us do care about people we have never met. Terrorism is a act I will never understand. But regardless of the media know those victims are not forgotten.
LikeLike
Well said Melissa. I hope the writer and the Arab community take comfort from your words. I can’t understand terrorism either. It is astounding what humans come to accept as ‘normal’ in different parts of the world. In my part of the world, Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, the local population ‘accepts’ (to a large extent) the terrible air pollution created by their fellow countrymen. Terbiasa (normal) they say. Part of trying to get on with life because many feel powerless to change it. For two months it was THE most polluted place in the world. Hopefully through constant awareness we can change the world. Humans everywhere care.
LikeLike
You matter.
LikeLike
From the middle of USA: I was in Beirut in 1965 on a trip that included Iran, Jordan, Syria and lastly Israel. At the time Beirut was known as the “Paris of the Middle East”. It remember a beautiful, bustling city.
Today we are numb to senseless death. Occasionally an event jumps out of the daily news and then you learn of an equally senseless tragedy in the ‘other Paris’. The USA is full of its own surprises.
There is a website that tracks gun violence here: Gun Violence Archive. org. How many people died thus far this year by gun shot in the USA? 11,516 people. How many events have we had with multiple victims (dead or injured)? 290. Almost every day.
My condolences to all.
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing this. Lack of education and awareness about what goes on in the world is a terrible state to be in – unfortunately, many it’s exactly where most Americans are. I myself admittedly struggle to keep educated and up to date on all events in the world. But know that even when social media chooses to focus its attention seemingly everywhere but Beirut, there are people praying for you and your community. You aren’t mourning alone.
LikeLike
Pingback: Facebook activated “Safety Check” for Paris attacks but not for the Beirut attacks - Tech Bakbak
Pingback: Beirut and Paris: two tragedies raise pointed questions | Beirut
Your blog refers ” my people” a number of times and bemoans the desesitization of Western / European societies to yet another middle eastern bombing tragedey. Given the history of the region can you really blame people for being so desensitized. After all when was the last time you gave a thought to the thousands of third world children that die needlessly every day. I know I don’t and not because I dont care it’s just that we, you and me have become desensitized for our sanity’s sake.
LikeLike
I was as desensitized about Paris as any other massacre, but I still get looks when I admit it to friends *in West Africa where I live*.
But it’s the national past-time to say that our country’s starving poor are backwards or rubbish or wrong for not doing things the Western way. Every day on my commute I pass a billboard advertising skin bleach to make you look whiter, because lighter people ARE treated better.
It’s exactly what the author said at the end – the whole world believes that Western lives are more valuable than theirs.
LikeLike
Pingback: Mark Zuckerberg explains why Facebook enabled 'Safety Check' for attacks in Paris, but not Beirut (FB) | Send Emails
Sir. All lives matter. I am sorry you and your country, your home, and all your loved ones go through this daily. I’m just a small town country boy from Alabama, yet my heart still hurts for you and your people. You will be in my family’s prayers.
LikeLike
Pingback: Mark Zuckerberg explains why Facebook enabled ‘Safety Check’ for attacks in Paris, but not Beirut (FB)
It’s perfect when you write this article about, quote, “your people.” Why isn’t there attention on Facebook, amongst world leaders, etc. about “your people” like in Paris?
It’s because “your people” are the source of most of the world’s recent terrorist activities. Why don’t “your people” look for support when tragedies like what happened in Beirut happen elsewhere? It’s because they were caused by “your people!” Arabs should be horrified more so by what happened in Paris than what happened in Beirut. Their fight is now impacting innocent people outside of “your people.”
I’m not one to generalize, but when you do, it’s easy to point out the flaws via the same generalizations. Want to talk about “your people?” Well, right now “your people” are the world’s problem in more ways than one.
If you want to group yourselves all together, then please fix your shit. Before America continues to do so for the good of the world. Bombs away!
LikeLike
You’re sad.
LikeLike
How did the people who died in the attack on Lebanon start the war? These are innocent civilians! You mark them with the name that American media has already given them, but they are not all terrorists. Even if 1% of Muslims were terrorists, that would still be WAY more than how many terrorists exist in actuality. Not even .1% of Muslims are terrorists. You think you are seeing the world through your eyes but your eyes are clouded with the fog of propaganda and media. Do not be deceived. Do not lose your humanity because you feel like those people are not your problem and are far away. When the author says “her people” she is referring to civilians and the Lebanese people! The Lebanese people are strong and have managed to stay alive when the US and Israel tried to shoot them down. These people are innocent, they are casualties in a war. They are not Isis. Do not call her people part of the problem when they are the victim! For Pete’s sake, ISIS KILLED LEBANESE MUSLIMS! And you have the audacity to accuse them as being the problem?? You are saying these children and fathers and innocent family members and friends who go everyday in fear for their lives due to attacks from terrorists ARE TO BLAME for the terrorists? Excuse me sir, but I think you ARE one to generalize. Do not blame the actions of a handful of sand among the rest of the sand on the beach. Please, see past what your government wants you to believe. People are people, and don’t you DARE blame the victim. Muslims are now not only the targets of Isis attacks, but of hate crimes and blame. Isis is not Islamic. Isis is satanic. And media is the best friend of Isis.
LikeLike
And for your information good sir, the United States created Isis. The middle east’s problems are all due to the United States sticking it’s nose down other countries business. Believe me when I say everything happening in the Middle East and Isis could all have been avoided if not for Americas greed.
LikeLike
Has everyone already forgotten the innocent victims of all religions who died in the twin towers? And who was responsible for that atrocity?
LikeLike
Those victims are definitely not forgotten! No matter what religion or race! They were all innocent. Are you aware though, that MUSLIMS died in 9/11? Innocent ones? And Muslims were certainly not responsible for that attack! An extremeist group that wants to destroy the image of Islam and harm the US committed 9/11. You think Muslims look at 9/11 with pride? I have friends who are bullied for “committing 9/11” or who get bullied for “having their parents commit 9/11” my friend was barely a child at the time and their parents were a happy just married couple who seeked to find a life in America! To escape the terrorism Israel put on their country and to find a job. They did not commit 9/11. AN EXTREMIST GROUP DID.
LikeLike
I’m torn: On one hand, I would call it ‘total bullshit’ what you’re writing and on the other, you’re ironically an example why it seems to make sense to lump all the people of a country together: In europe we have the stereotype of americans being the dumbest people in the world. Congratulations on being a perfect example.
LikeLike
Pingback: From Beirut, this is Paris: in a world that doesn’t care about Arab lives | Informed Comment
Pingback: Penjelasan Mark Zuckerberg Mengapa Facebook Mengaktifkan “Safety Check” Bagi Serangan di Paris Tetapi Tidak di Beirut | Obrolan Urban
Pingback: Our Hearts Are Big Enough - Mommy Nani Booboo
Mothers of Beirut, I am so sorry you feel the world has forgotten you and turned their backs on your country. I really do believe it is not a conscious decision on most people’s part. Your pain and loss is as real as anyone’s, regardless of which country terrorists’ target. My sincere apologies for my part in lack of solidarity!
LikeLike
You all matter. Paris was just a shock for many of us, especially when we feel connected to France because we’ve visited there and have ties there. You are important. I’m sorry you and so many innocent people have to live in a place of fear and sorrow. This life is not fair, but the life after this will be fair. Stay strong and continue to be a light to the good people around you. They need your goodness and love. Hugs to the innocent people in Beruit who are suffering. I hope you can find peace and comfort in your heart amidst the world of chaos around you.
LikeLike
Maybe we would care more about Arab lives if there were even a spark of concern when terrorists arrack in the name of Islam. It’s either crickets or dancing in the streets. We invite these people into our countries to escape the horror of their own and how are we repaid? They refuse to assimilate, try to impose their religious laws on us and then attack and kill us. If you want sympathy for Arab lives, you’re going about it the wrong way.
LikeLike
Pingback: From Beirut, This Is Paris: In A World That Doesn’t Care About Arab Lives | Welcome to Lafweyne.com|
THE DAY WHITE MEN WILL START MINDING HIS OWN BUSINESS 90% OF WORLD PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED,BUT DEEP DOWN MY HEART I FEEL THEY WILL NEVER CHANGE,THOSE WHO WANT TO MAKE MONEY FROM THE GRAVES OF OTHER PEOPLE NEVER CHANGE,AS PER ISLAM IS CONCERNED NOBODY CAN KILL A UNARMED CIVILIAN MEN WOMEN AND CHILD WHO ARE NOT AT WAR WITH YOU NO MATTER WHAT IS YOUR CAUSE. IT IS A UNPARDONABLE SIN.LETS PRAY ALLAH GIVE HIDAYA THAT IS VIRTUE AND WISDOM TO ALL.LETS SAVE THE HUMANITY NOT INCREASE THE TERRITORY.
LikeLike
My Western parents taught me that all people are equal – no matter the race, religion or ethnicity. It is how I have tried to live my life. It is our leaders who have created the conditions that enable wars and terrorism. May the people of Beirut and Paris suffer no more violence and sadness!
LikeLike
Thank you. Thank you for posting this blog. I am moved to tears.
I am also sad to say that I only learned about what happened in Beirut because of what happened in Paris. Only then I started to read the news and I saw what happened in Beirut and at the funeral in Iraq.
And I want you to know, that the horror in Beirut has been seen, and that for this simple woman who lives in the Netherlands, her heart aches. I want you to know that thanks to you I know about Adel Termos, and I cried for him. He is a hero.
I want you to know that while the news media care nothing for what happens in Beirut, people do. People care. I will do my best to spread the news, and to educate others.
Sending love and peace.
LikeLike
Beirut is the capital city of Sheeite terorism. The poor Libanese souls are part and parcel of Hezbollah and Iranian producers and exporters of the international terorism. So why not taste a bite of its own remedy. Paris is the capital city of European culture not Islamic BS, how dare you compare the two. ISIS is the other side of the coin of the same Arab Islam, Lyban and Syria have gone a long way together why would you deny this brotherhood. Enjoy it
LikeLike
You are an Arse. Paris is the capital of France, nothing else. Beirut is full of innocents, Muslims and Christians alike. You are nothing
LikeLike
Just want to let people who read JEAN CARABESQUE’s rubbish know, that everyone I know would call him an idiot too. I’m sorry for reading comments like this.
About the article: I’m very sorry for your impression. As a justification I can only say:
There’s a sad fact, that people deaden the feeling of sorrow. We see news of people dying in terrorist attacks every day. The first time I’ve seen a dead human was when I was a 4 years old child accidentally catching the news about a massacre in the balcan conflict on TV. My parents tried to convince me, that these people lying on the ground were sleeping. 24 years of horrible facts per day later, I try not to let these horrible news get to close to me. If I start thinking about the things I see, it rips my heart apart. It’s easy to suppress the horrible news, because they happen at places I don’t know, to people I’ve never met. It’s very far away. Paris isn’t. What happened there isn’t more tragic than what happens in other places around the world! But sadly other to the daily news, it has the power to shock me, because it has a new impact as a stimulus for my sorrow, it’s not dull yet. I know Paris, I’ve been there, I’ve made memories with this city and with the people from there. And even if it was Paris that was able to awaken me back to true feelings of sorrow, I would never feel sader for French people dying than for any eastern people.
Changing my profile picture on Facebook to a French flag is nothing but sending a sign, particularly to myself. I don’t want to be dull. I want to be active and I’ll try to figure out a way to be so. And just seeing all the other flags makes me realize that I’m not the only one. It’s finding solidarity. I’m sure that anyone with a French Flag on their profile feel the same way and would be very sorry to hear that he’s offending people with it. The least I would have wanted, is to make anyone think I care less about Beirut than about Paris. It’s not true.
The truth is, human beings need solidarity. I’m sure that even the terrorists doing these horrible things don’t do it because of religion but because they also need solidarity, they need an ‘Ingroup’ something to fight for. They ended up in a place where they are convinced that these cruel things they do are the right way to fight for the right thing. I hope they come to realize how wrong they are and I hope it’s happening soon!
And to Mr. Carabesque: You can be happy to be in France (or from whatever other Western country you’re from). You are living in one of the countries that is also responsible for the wars in the eastern world and still are you enjoying a safe and comfortable life – life isn’t fair.
And by the way, the one part I love about western culture as I know it, is the value of a human life and compassion for others and you Mr. Carabesque for sure are no part of this.
LikeLike
Thank you for writing this.
LikeLike
Pingback: DawentsIT: Mark Zuckerberg explains why Facebook enabled ‘Safety Check’ for attacks in Paris, but not Beirut | DAWENTSIT
Pingback: Les victimes des attentats de Beyrouth comptent aussi | Tendances Web
Pingback: Les victimes des attentats de Beyrouth comptent aussi | Tendances Web
Pingback: Tras probarlo en París (y no en Beirut), Facebook utilizará en más sitios su Safety Check | Blog Textual
Pingback: From Beirut, This Is Paris: In A World That Doesn’t Care About Arab Lives | Beirut
So even the comments are full of blame and finger pointing!!!….The question is how do we make it right?… Is it even possible? Or have we reached a point in society where we will have to accept the atrocities as common occurrence and deal with the aftermath as and when they occur whilst accepting our plight?
LikeLike
The greatest confirmation of your words is the fact that you would not have written the piece hadn’t the attacks in Paris happened. Period.
LikeLike
Pingback: Piccola riflessione | Veronica
The American makes me sick to my stomach. We laugh and call you the world police, when really you are the true terrorists. You and our politicians that drag us all into the sewer to fight for oil, with no thought to the cost in human lives. Tony Blair has earned in excess of £130,000 per British soldier killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and this fades to pennies per body if we calculate the civilian cost. The Western Alliance caused IS and destabilised the region, and before that it was Western governments and before that Western, Christian kings and queens, going back 1,000 years.
When you accuse the Muslim world of inhumanity, remember he who is without sin, should cast the first stone. The Quran calls for peace, and states that innocents should never be persecuted.
LikeLike
Of cause, every victim of a terror attack deserves mourning. But you are mixing categories Comparing Paris center, the symbol of freedom, liberty,love and free thinking with Bourj al Barajneh. is one of it. If a quarter of Front National would have been attacked. I do not think you would see this worldwide participation of mourning. Even Lebanese have some reservations about the people leaving in South Beirut, if you are honest. There are people who think Lebanese are very smart, so smart that they take benefit of others and use it not for the good of the mankind (what the Western approach is and Paris is its symbol). This creates anger and injustice and prepare on the long run the soil for violence and terror Therefore being smart and act inmorally can be lead to the contrary. Think about it and than you can start to prepare peace in Lebanon and neighbouring countries
LikeLike
True it is unfair. But curious. Did you light up Lebanon in USA colors when 3000 were murdered? Please share how you paid tribute.
LikeLike
Pingback: Beirut mourns its dead; weathers comparisons to Paris - News-9.comNews-9.com
Know that you matter.
LikeLike
And what about Russian plane where children died just two weeks ago? nobody gives a shit… American politics…(
LikeLike
Pingback: HostZOO – Beirut mourns its dead; weathers comparisons to Paris
Pingback: Parigi, polemiche per il Safety check di Facebook: “Perché per Beirut non l’avete attivato?” | 6gradi
“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.”
This simply isn’t true.
LikeLike
Pingback: Tras probarlo en París (y no en Beirut), Facebook utilizará en más sitios su Safety Check
Pingback: On Selective Outrage and Asymmetrical Justice | Awaiting Moderation
Pingback: Why are some lives more important than others? | NewsCut | Minnesota Public Radio News
Pingback: Actualidad: ¿Doble rasero? Lluvia de críticas a Facebook por no usar su Safety Chen también en Beirut | Revista Nueva Era
Pingback: The Problem with Paris | your passport to complaining