Selective Sympathy

Predictions-2-Terrorism-Terrorism

The events that have taken place in Paris, France recently are extremely tragic. My heart has been broken for those who have lost loved ones and those who suffered at the hands of those evil men. For those of you who don’t exactly know what happened, here is a snapshot:

  • It took place last Friday
  • Three teams of terrorist groups coordinated the attacks
  • It happened at a concert hall, the Stade de France and at least two restaurants
  • At least 129 people were killed and 352 wounded in the attacks. Ninety-nine of the wounded are reported to be in a very serious condition.
  • Seven terrorists were killed, one fewer than the number ISIS claimed were involved
  • Two of the dead attackers have been identified
  • Six people, all relatives of one of the attackers, have been detained

Here is what France is doing about it:

  • 1,500 troops deployed to secure locations

  • More than 150 police anti-terror raids conducted in cities across France.

  • The French Air Force carried out bombing missions over Raqqa early Monday

Last night I was driving through town and saw the French flag displayed in lights on the local hospital and my wife told me that many people are changing their Facebook profiles by adding the French colors or flag in recognition and as support. Students have mine have been calling for prayer for the people of France (which is totally awesome!) and many politicians have publicly expressed their sympathies and support for the nation. All of this is incredibly moving and it really shows what love and compassion has no borders.

I have been left pondering one question…”where has this compassion and support been for all the other nations and peoples that have been ravaged by terrorism?” Bear with me for a moment. This was an attack on France…a modernized nation and major player in the world. But what about Nigerians? What about Egyptians? What about Syrians? What about the thousands upon thousands of Christians killed and even more forced to leave their homes? Where is the outcry by our government leaders for those people? Where’s the plethora of Facebook posts?

To reinforce my point here is a list of terrorist attacks in 2015 alone, several of which were worse than the attack on Paris.  Here are a couple from the list:

  • Date: April 2
    Death Toll: At least 147
    Perpetrator: Al-Shabab
    Location: Kenya
  • Date: June 25
    Death Toll: At least 154
    Perpetrator: Islamic State
    Location: Syria
  • Date: June 30 and July 1
    Death Toll: At least 145
    Perpetrator: Boko Haram
    Location: Nigeria
  • Date: Oct. 31
    Death Toll: 224
    Perpetrator: Islamic State
    Location: Egypt

It almost seems like the nations of the industrialized world rally behind each other but what about everyone else? Is it apathy? Is it racism? Is it even the fault of the public or is media to blame? Regardless of the cause…there is a problem. We need to call this what it is: Radical Islam’s war on the world. And we need to throw our support behind those people in the shadows, those not playing a major role in world economics, those who don’t speak a major world language, as well as our brothers and sisters in France. We need to do our part to bring justice, not just to some victims of terrorism, but to as many as we have the capability to. We need to pray for every victim no matter where they hail from.

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2 thoughts on “Selective Sympathy

  1. It saddens me how ignorant the Western world is seemingly becoming. Like you said, the Paris attacks were heart wrenching and were a deplorable act of violence. However, I just don’t understand how so many think that simply by changing their profile picture to the French flag does anything. These people will take a break from Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian to say “That’s terrible” then continue on being engrossed in media. Not a word for the Christians and other minorities being slaughtered by these beasts daily.

    Could you imagine if these people spent just 1/4 of their time researching issues around the globe? I think we as a society would benefit greatly.

    Solid piece, thank you for this

    Liked by 1 person

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