The chillingly, sickeningly tragic death of James Foley has cranked the notch up on the worry-meter for the US. When the Islamic State were beheading Christian civilians and anyone else who dared to believe in anything but the ideals set by the terrorist organisation the world looked on in horror, but were, kind of understandably, unsure of the best way to proceed forward.
Of course as we know, despite raised eyebrows from the majority of the globe, the US entered Iraq once again this month in an attempt to protect Iraqi Christians fighting for survival as they attempted to flee IS. Some say they ventured back to the troubled land as IS were taking over oil stations in the country and unfortunately, I wouldn’t rule that fact out as one of many motives in their controversial return.
I, and I would like to believe the rest of the world, have been left shocked at the violence in Gaza; the violence that we are currently seeing in Ferguson, and yes, the violence that has been unfolding in Syria for several years now, which seemingly has no end in sight.
However, it was the death of James Foley, the courageous, admirable US journalist who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012, that Barack Obama called “an act of violence that shocks the conscience of the entire world”. Nope, we’ve been shocked for quite a while now, Mr President.
This brings me to my next point – it’s bizarre how such a major problem could be overlooked – of course every state will have its own best interests at heart, but when it comes to humanitarian issues, when will a US or UK civilian stop having priority over others? We can even forget about nationality for a moment, if we reflect on lives lost in Missouri. It’s the unsaid issue. But what I will say is this: When will we be able to care for others equally? This is an issue that is causing a reaction – our need to prioritize in terms of creed or colour.
It’s an unsurprising thing that the murderer of the Mr Foley is apparently, most likely, British. It even sent David Cameron back to work whilst he was on holiday in Cornwall. This is not surprising as the number of British jihadists travelling to the Middle East continues to increase. What is surprising is that despite us knowing this, the FBI and MI6 are only now embarking on an ‘international manhunt’ to find the apparent British jihadist who beheaded Foley. Why weren’t we doing more beforehand? We knew they were out there, after all.
Because mainstream media will only take suffering seriously if they deem the victim prominent. This is human nature, to an extent – after all, if Robin Williams was not such an endearing actor, would we feel so effected by his death? But a line has been crossed. The life of a western journalist is not more valuable than a life of a Syrian civilian, and vice versa. History should demonstrate how dangerous a mindset it is for people who feel their life is worth less than another set of people. If they had a good dose of humanity, maybe they’d think twice about depravity.
I want to be clear that in my request for equal compassion, I am not undermining what has happened. I believe in the power of journalism, and the death of James Foley is a devastating blow. War reporters are not appreciated enough, and we should appreciate those who risk their lives to deliver us the truth. It’s such a beautiful thing.
In search of some insight into the minds of those troubled with conflict and on the brink of entering what they’ve been taught to believe is jihad, I spoke with a young man who I dated in my teenage years. Me being a liberal and him being traditional, we didn’t last long. However, we’re still friends. He is rather ‘strict’ in his beliefs and has friends in Hizb-ut Tahir, so I was curious to see what his thoughts on IS were. This is some of what I got.
Why are British Muslims going to Iraq and Syria?
People are going there because they are upset about what is happening to their brothers and sisters there. They’re upset that no one is helping them. They’re upset that they are being treated like food. They’re upset that they’ve been forgotten. They are upset that they’re still being called terrorists while they are being slaughtered like animals. That’s why they’re going there. They want to go there and help them and protect their brothers and sisters.
As a Muslim, we do not feel cowardness. You have to defend yourself. If you die, you’ll die as a martyr inshallah and if they die they’ll go to the hellfire. This is the Sharia law! Theres no ifs and buts! This is what Allah and his prophet said. If you do not believe this then you are not one of us; you are saying that a mistake has been made.
But if someone isn’t with us… it shouldn’t be ‘us against them’, should it?
It’s not them against us.
Okay. People who go to Syria and Iraq – do you think it’s wise? Are they trained properly? Isn’t there something better they could be doing?
It is not obligatory for us to go there yet. But it is obligatory for their people to defend themselves. But… you know what, I need to read more on what Islam says about people going from other countries to help their brothers and sisters. But personally, I see nothing wrong with that. As long as they are going with pure, right intentions.
[Part Two coming soon]
The Alternative Point Of View 