By Ibtissam Al-Bassam

The following is just a sample of this week’s breaking news:

“Four truck bombs killed at least 190 people on Tuesday in two villages in a Kurdish-speaking area near the Syrian border, destroying houses and sending hundreds of the wounded to at least six hospitals as far as 150 miles away, the Iraqi authorities said.”

“Five US soldiers were killed south of Baghdad on Saturday in two separate incidents, the US military said Sunday”

“Police in Germany found six young Italian men shot in the head execution-style outside a train station in the western city of Duisburg Wednesday in an attack officials believe was part of a feud between organized crime clans.”

“Three senior German police officers charged with protecting the German ambassador were killed and one was wounded in a roadside bomb near the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, German and Afghan officials said.”

I wonder how many have read the heartrending story of Fatima Jbouri, published in the “International Herald Tribune” a few days ago?

Fatima is a nine-month-old baby. She is half-Sunni and half-Shiite. On July 25 her mother and uncle were shot in the head three times each, while her 7-year-old brother fled. The Iraqis found the dead bodies of the mother and uncle. Her siblings were found in neighboring houses. The young brother kept asking, “Where is my sister?”

The unfortunate baby was found among piled garbage, hidden under a metal sheet in choking heat. Although she weighed less than half the normal weight of babies her age, she was recovering well. She survived, but what future awaits her and what future awaits her siblings and the increasing number of orphaned and wounded babies and children in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Somalia and other war-torn countries? Baby Fatima’s is one of millions of man-made tragedies in our cruel, so— called “global village.”

Barbarism, greed, ethnic cleansing, brutality, instability, insecurity, mad wars, natural and man-made disasters are spreading like a pandemic. Bombs are exploding everywhere claiming innocent lives, slaughtering whole families at one go, destroying livelihoods and leaving millions wounded, widowed, orphaned, heart-broken, hungry, thirsty and destitute. Manslaughter, cruelty, aggression, destruction, torture, kidnapping, discrimination, injustice and targeted assassinations are fanning the fire of hatred and resentment and promoting extremism and terrorism.

We are sick of the global carnage and the smell of fresh blood that continues to flow. It is six years since we entered a pitch-black tunnel. Is there no way out?

A small ruthless minority has disturbed our universe. A few dishonest historians have distorted history and are busy changing historical facts. The large majority is honest, compassionate and craves for peace. The hearts of most men and women are full of kindness. Most eyes fill with tears when they watch the horrific images of mutilated bodies and hear the cries and screams of the wounded, the orphaned, the bereaved and the victims of wars that could and should have been avoided.

Yet there is a deafening silence in the face of the suffering, misery and injustice inflicted upon millions of innocent people. One wonders why there is inaction, or at best slow reaction to the horrendous crimes daily committed against humanity in our “civilized” world. Has the spinning machine inflicted a severe dizziness on all of us that we can no longer see the ugly facts on the ground? Have the great achievements of hard-working spin doctors made it impossible to distinguish between truth and flagrant lies? Or is silence a feature and a trademark of our cruel world, where the will of a bloodthirsty minority overrules the wish of the peace-loving majority?

We miss a time — not long ago — when human lives were valued, when mass killing was shocking, when the sight of blood was nauseating, when world religions were revered and world cultures appreciated, when cultural diversity was hailed, when different races were respected, when our daily language was free of the words death, suspects, torture, terror, terrorism, insurgents and insurgency, when discussions were focused on promoting peace instead of making wars.

Anyone twelve years and older must recall the good old days, when mass slaughter was not a daily occurrence, when the screams of the bereaved and wounded were not heard every time we watched the news, when suspects were considered innocent until proven guilty, when images of horrific devastation and cruel deaths were not played and replayed every hour on our TV screens, when traveling was a pleasure, not an ordeal, when people moved around freely and safely, when arrival and departure in and out of seaports, railway stations and airports was not a tortuous experience, when travelers were not searched like thieves and criminals, when passengers did not have to wait hours for their luggage to arrive, when suitcases were rarely lost, when the tension between Islam and the West was nonexistent.

Every now and then the honest raise their voices to defend truth. Every now and then peace lovers denounce the horrendous crimes, which are daily committed against innocent civilians. Every now and then people call on their governments to restore sense and balance to our shaky universe. Every now and then intellectuals and Nobel prizewinners plead with decision-makers to end the mother of all fiascos. Every now and then humanitarian organizations plead with governments to lift the sanctions, which inflict misery and starvation on the innocent. Unfortunately, honest voices are rarely heard, or when heard often overlooked or silenced. Good motives are often intentionally or unintentionally misinterpreted and benevolent actions often lead to legal hurdles.

Is our world a 21st century Titanic, sinking in rivers of human blood of our own creation?

When our despair and hopelessness reach the zenith, a spark of light appears and tells us all is not lost yet.

On July 18 the spark came form South Africa, where Nelson Mandela’s 89 birthday was celebrated.

Mandela is an icon of peace, tolerance, harmony and forgiveness. He is a symbol of hope in our dark world and a reminder that the road to justice and peace is long, difficult, hazardous, bumpy, but not a cul-de-sac. In his struggle and victory the oppressor and the oppressed, the aggressor and the occupied can all find lessons. His struggle against injustice assures the oppressed and the occupied that with patience, courage and persistence difficult battles can be won. His victory teaches the oppressor and the aggressor that truth and justice always triumph at the end and that hearts and minds can be won only with humility and kindness.

Next month the world will remember the disappearance of the Twin Towers and 3,000 innocent souls, of all colors, all faiths and all nationalities who were buried under the rubble. Let us also remember the thousands who have been killed, wounded, orphaned, widowed and displaced since that dark day in history. Let us mark the occasion by joining hands to restore stability, security, order and sanity to a world gone mad.

Source: Arab News