On Dahab..
Thanks, Doder. Don't mind if I do.
It was interesting to see the range of reactions here on nomadlife in response to the bombings that occurred earlier this week in Dahab, Egypt. From helplessness, to fear, anger, anxiety, sadness, confusion, etc. What I didn't read was any sort of posting trying to explain why the persons did what they did. Obviously you can say, "there can be no excuse for such horrible actions", however as anyone knows, things don't just happen in a vaccum (there were reasons/causes behind 9-11, there are reasons/causes behind Palestinian suicide bombers, etc).
I've never been to Dahab, but from what I've been told it's a magical place, a paradise on the Red Sea. So why would someone want to destroy such a thing? Perhaps for that very reason. I think part of our responsibility as "globally mindful citizens" is to do more than just give a mere reaction--focusing on emotions that can be found in any major press in the world seems almost like paying lip-service, see: "Mid-East Outraged over Bombings", a tired statement if I've ever heard one. Instead, we should search for a deeper, more analytical approach to the root of the problem.
I was watching "Paradise Now" last night, and it really got to the crucial point in all this. At what point does your life suck so bad that you are willing to blow yourself up? Injustice. Abject Poverty. Ridicule. No job. No money. And, if you were put in that position, would you do the same thing? Of course it's easy to say no, sitting in the comforts of our bloated Western lifestyles, but the question becomes much more grey when you actually put yourself in their shoes. Day in and day out.
It's true the killing of innocents should never be justified, but to stop this behavior it's important to look beyond questions like "when will this stop?", and perhaps start asking, "Well, how did this begin?". Does anyone know what was running through the minds of the people before they strapped explosives to themselves (or planted bombs if they weren't suicide bombers)? Can we really know?
As with all tragedies of this nature, it is my hope that this generation will be the one that comes up with the solutions to these complex problems. The first step, however, is acknowleding the complexities.
It was interesting to see the range of reactions here on nomadlife in response to the bombings that occurred earlier this week in Dahab, Egypt. From helplessness, to fear, anger, anxiety, sadness, confusion, etc. What I didn't read was any sort of posting trying to explain why the persons did what they did. Obviously you can say, "there can be no excuse for such horrible actions", however as anyone knows, things don't just happen in a vaccum (there were reasons/causes behind 9-11, there are reasons/causes behind Palestinian suicide bombers, etc).
I've never been to Dahab, but from what I've been told it's a magical place, a paradise on the Red Sea. So why would someone want to destroy such a thing? Perhaps for that very reason. I think part of our responsibility as "globally mindful citizens" is to do more than just give a mere reaction--focusing on emotions that can be found in any major press in the world seems almost like paying lip-service, see: "Mid-East Outraged over Bombings", a tired statement if I've ever heard one. Instead, we should search for a deeper, more analytical approach to the root of the problem.
I was watching "Paradise Now" last night, and it really got to the crucial point in all this. At what point does your life suck so bad that you are willing to blow yourself up? Injustice. Abject Poverty. Ridicule. No job. No money. And, if you were put in that position, would you do the same thing? Of course it's easy to say no, sitting in the comforts of our bloated Western lifestyles, but the question becomes much more grey when you actually put yourself in their shoes. Day in and day out.
It's true the killing of innocents should never be justified, but to stop this behavior it's important to look beyond questions like "when will this stop?", and perhaps start asking, "Well, how did this begin?". Does anyone know what was running through the minds of the people before they strapped explosives to themselves (or planted bombs if they weren't suicide bombers)? Can we really know?
As with all tragedies of this nature, it is my hope that this generation will be the one that comes up with the solutions to these complex problems. The first step, however, is acknowleding the complexities.
posted by Drake at 7:58 PM
10 Comments:
"Act as if the maxim of thy action were to become by thy will a universal law of nature."
In the end, it's all about if all human-beings are ready and willing to comply with this ... and to defend this commitment against those who do not (want to) comply!
9:23 PM
Drake, I was pleased to read your comment here... as I had similar thoughts after the 9/11 happened. Thinking that if I was to do something like that I would have to be pushed to my utmost limists when only rage and revenge would be in my head.
But then I also think that some reactions of terrorists (bombing) is done more cause of the will to kill, cause of being brainwashed and seeing yourself rewarded later after your death. That someone (the leader) just uses you in the situation when you feel devastation and dispair and thus you are willing to obey him to reach better life/after-life.
There are few things that lead me to say it:
* there are so many people living in conditions that none of us can imagine, not even seing them can give us the feeling of how it is. And probably extremely small percentage of these people would go and put bombs.
* there must be some leader who brainwashes people into doing so. Or you must already have some characteristics in you that do not stop you to kill others. Or there is the religion that makes you believe that what you do is correct.
* all the recent bombings happened at places where you meet people like you and me - public transportation, tourist places etc. (the reasons that you stated and which i believe that do have the ground to some extent, where more applicable, in my opinion, when embassies etc. were bombed).
6:30 AM
the hate-freedom theory, overly manichean, the poor liberation theory, too romantic. for me, many of us have a vision for how the world can become a better place for the poor, and because poor people are too busy working, we take the liberty of acting on their behalf. some of us feel our cause is more urgent, and some of us feel that urgent situations require urgent measures.
when i was a child, one of my favorite scary stories was about a house that was haunted by "the ghost of bloody fingers" each tenant in turn was frightened away by the ghost that came saying 'bloody fingers. bloody fingers' the hero of the story stayed there one night. the ghost came and told him the same. he said to the ghost 'chill out, man. get a band-aid.'
i liked reading this article about madrassas, including the following sound bite: "The men who planned and carried out the September 11 attacks have often been depicted in the press as being "medieval fanatics". In fact, it would be more accurate to describe them as confused but highly educated middle-class professionals." Atimes
8:27 AM
thanks god!! at last one post that really makes me hope that there's people on nomadlife that stop and try to think and go beyod just the fact and tries to understand.
since i am reading nomadlife, for a period of almost one year now, and all i can c when there's bonbings in the arab world is the typical reaction of the western world: indignation, how can this people behave like this?, it is insane....
the probleme is that i can understand such reactions from people who spent there whole life in the cosy and easy world of north countries but the most ununderstable reaction is the arabs reaction, there's a lot of egyptians, moroccan, imaratis, tunisians on this portal but all of them either do not respond or go along with stream. i made some time to understand why. three reasons come out. 1- these persons are too influenced by the western world and they c evrything comming from their culture and background as ashaming, unsuitable, middle aged concepts... so they go along with the "western reaction". 2- these people prefer shutting up and giving up, that's the trend on the arab world nowrdays, just keep cool and let the storm pass and make like if u r not concerned.3- the people blogging here are among the lucky ones and donno what they are talking about, they don't live in the misery, thir life is secure...they don't know what the street athmosphere. they don't know what the 90% of moroccans egyptians,tunisians....real life is.
maybe my reaction is harsh to the arabs here. but it is been a long time since i miss a real arab muslim voice in this portal that will be able to really write and express what is the true and real feeling of the majority in their countries.
thank you drake for this post.
zaineb
8:59 AM
"Western reaction" ?
I think not. Ask any Egyptian in Dahab today or any Balinese in Indonesia if their reaction to the bombings for their land is a "western reaction".
Using poverty as a way to explain suicide bombings is not helpful because poverty is NOT a moral or character traits. You are not bad because you are poor.
Suicide bombings are not criminal acts, it is an act of warfare because it has a political endpoint.
And it doesn't happen naturally. It needs money (lots of it), training, infrastructure, indoctrination, the whole works.
You don't wake up one day and decide to become a suicide bomber. You need to be recruited, persuaded, coerced and seduced.
Give me $5 million and 2 years and I give you an army of suicide bombers.
And it's ironic that the modern suicide bombings are done by Muslims (it's pioneered by the Srilanka Tamil Tiger) as suicide is a big NO in Islam.
10:41 AM
Drake, I'm glad to see that you can surprise me by demonstrating the capacity for abstract thought.
I normally don't comment on such bombings as my opinion is quite clear... the killing of innocents is wrong... whether it's with a smart missile or suicide bomb. This is increasingly becoming a vicious cycle.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: "without justice, there will never be peace."
Fortunately for all, the Kingdom of Devrim has a place of refuge.
Pedro offers you his protection.
10:48 AM
and there will never be justice
10:59 AM
i will say injustice has more to do in here than poverty.
some millions and some time is not enough for u to recruit suicide bombers. that a person accept to kill himself/herself, there should be a real feeling of injustice and this exist in the arab world.
on the latest poll of aljazeera: do u agree with bin laden and say that there's cruisades on the islamic world? 82% respond yes. people who will be able to open a web site, read it and vote in a poll is a very little in teh arab world if u see the analphabitisation rate of teh countries. that shows also the feeling of the whole arab world which unfortunatly i repeat it is almost abscent from this portal.
zaineb
11:01 AM
Zaineb
The bombings in Dahab and Sharm were specifically targeting Egyptians, not westerners. Perhaps I'm going out on a limb here, but if you talk to Egyptians who've lost family members or friends in the Dahab or Sharm's attacks, I seriously doubt they'd find the injustice in the world a legitimate reason for why their loved ones are dead.
But hey, I'm an Egyptian raised in the west, so perhaps my "western reaction," as I think you put it, makes my opinion on the subject less valid.
8:55 AM
PS. Drake, thanks for the post. The root of the problem and the complexity that lies within it is definitely something I know I need to attempt to understand better, and I'm sure quite a few others who would agree.
9:07 AM
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home