The Western world lit up blue, white and red Friday night in solidarity with France after the heinous acts that took place in the nation’s capitol.
Thousands of Facebook users followed Mark Zuckerberg’s example by using a blue, white and red overlay of the French flag on their profile pictures.
The hashtag #PrayForParis was trending on Twitter.
When similar terrorist attacks occurred in Lebanon just one day prior and on the same day in Iraq, the world was silent.
Yes, the death toll from these two massacres in the Middle East were significantly lower than the attacks in Paris.
However, I cannot help but think this was not the reason the attacks received significantly less media coverage than the ones in Paris. Regardless, those people are in dire need of support as well.
My heart breaks for France, knowing all too well what the fear is like when you realize your home country, the place where you are supposed to feel safest, is under attack.
My heart breaks just as equally for the Iraqi and Lebanese victims who will not receive the same support from the West, solely because of the place they call home and the beliefs they might have.
My heart breaks when I see an entire population being ostracized for the unforgivable acts of a small group of monsters.
The life of an innocent Muslim in the Middle East is no less valuable than the life of a Catholic in France or a Christian in the United States.
These horrendous crimes are occurring at an alarming rate in the Middle East, yet I see no buildings lit up in support of the victims and their families in Baghdad or Beirut.
I see no Facebook overlays bringing awareness to the situation, nor many Twitter hashtags.
There were certainly no moments of silence at sporting events this weekend honoring the lives lost in the Middle East to terrorism last week.
While I am incredibly proud and humbled to see how Western civilization can come together to show humanity toward France, I am disheartened that we do not always show the same compassion to those in the Middle East facing these exact fears on a daily basis.
Now more than ever it is extremely important that we remember there are good and bad people from all walks of life.
We should not want to show the power of hatred, especially when it is misplaced on the innocent.
Instead we must show the power of compassion, humanity and love to all of those who need it, regardless of their religion, the color of their skin or where they live.
If a plain red cup at Starbucks is an attack on Christmas and Christians, then Islamophobia is certainly an attack on Muslims.
Terrorism has no religion.
tatadams@indiana.edu
@TatianaDeWitt
