Je Suis Nigerienne

Last Wednesday saw two major terror attacks. When I use two, it would be disputed on which was a major terror attack. With regard to the number of death it was the attack in Baga in Nigeria. But with regard to the attention and response to the attack, it would be Paris terror attack.

In Nigeria people were slaughtered like insects. When they were attacked, the villagers fled the village through the lake in boats to Chad. Boko Haram fighters lay in ambush along the water and opened fire on vessels carrying fleeing residents. Amnesty International has described the killing at Baga as possibly the deadliest attack in the history of Boko Haram. Amnesty International said numerous eye-witnesses had described how the Boko Haram militants went from door to door, pulling out young men of fighting age and shooting them dead in the street.

Boyre Kime who came back in the night to his village narrates horrible stories as reported by international press. "It is corpses everywhere," "The whole town smells of decomposing bodies,"

"I don't know where my six-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter are. We lost them in the confusion as we tried to flee Baga," said Shuwaram. 

In Paris 17 are killed and almost 3 Million people protested in France with 40 world leaders marching together hand in hand showing the solidarity. Even though the presence of such extreme islamists in Europe could be the result of the wrong international politics of Europe, the French government has hijacked the whole protest. The government could take the responsibility of allowing the terrorists to rear under their nose.

How is the world going to respond to the killings in Nigeria? There was a time when many countries were interested in the wealth and resources of Africa. It would be an act of justice when the world leaders could have marched in Nigeria showing their allegiance and solidarity to the victims there. Or is there any sort of discrimination still existing even in the response to the murders? Even though the color is different, the value of life is the same everywhere.

The editorial board of New York daily news criticizes Obama for his absence. “No Obama. No Joe Biden. No John Kerry from State. No Chuck Hagel or Ashton Carter from Defense. Not even Eric Holder from Justice, who happened to have been in Paris.” He might have sensed the discrimination regarding the response to both the incidents.

Who will pray for the victims in Nigeria? The victims are wiped out with the whole family even without leaving a trace for anyone to pray for their relatives. I think we all need to unite for them first. My heart is with them.

Just to reflect: a twitter message from Dyab Abou Jahjah with the hashtag je suis ahmed read as follows. "I am not Charlie, I am Ahmed the dead cop. Charlie ridiculed my faith and culture and I died defending his right to do so." #JesuisAhmed

The world of terror

Last week we saw two different realities in the world of terror. In Oslo Malala Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel peace prize and thus becoming the youngest Peace prize winner at the age of 17. At her very young age of 11 she started writing a blog in BBC and then mobilized young girls of her age to pursue education which was banned and denied to them by the Taliban. She then withstood a terror attack on her and her companions after serious head injury. The world celebrated awarding her courage and will power with the Nobel peace prize.

The same week a military school in Pakistan was attacked by the same Taliban and 132 children and almost 20 others were massacred. The whole world condemns the attack and various governments vow to wipe out Taliban.

But who created Taliban? Who is responsible for the various terrorists who were rebels at first and then named as terrorists? On one side there are ‘good terrorists’ who found favor from some nations and they are instruments to fight against some evils. (This is in relation to the Pakistan PM’s adviser’s comment on 13.November on national security. “Why should we antagonize all groups (of militants)? Why should America’s enemies unnecessarily become our enemies?”) Taliban was created and active in the 1970’s and 80’s in the fight against the USSR and well supported and nurtured by the so-called anti-communists. The history repeated everywhere even to the extent of creating and supporting ‘moderate rebels’ against Assad in Syria. Who is paying the price of all these ‘political strategies’?

As many other analysts notice, these terrorists or rebels are like the Frankenstein’s Monster. Creating monsters for a purpose and afterwards the monster starts to destroy the creator’s own loved ones. The monster once described as ‘beneficial’ and someone with the ‘heart of gold’ turns out to be a destructor.

On 23.June Hillary Clinton said, “You cannot allow poisonous snakes to have a nest in your backyard even if they bite the neighbor’s kids, because sooner or later they're going to turn around and cause problems in your backyard”.

As we journey to the Christmas week, our hearts are bleeding reading all these news from around the world. Innocent children are killed. Innocent people who are never responsible for any policies are killed in the name of religion. Many are killed only because they believe in a God and followed a religion their ancestors gave them. The memories of last Christmas, when hundreads of Christians were killed on the Christmas day in the churches in Iraq and Nigeria are still fresh. Hope this year we have a peaceful Christmas.

Jai Hind

“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most structive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only”. Mark Twain.

On august 15 India celebrates its 66th independence day. Time for me to think about my nation.

I am very grateful to my mother India. India taught me to live and tolerate any one who accepts me and who doesn’t accept me. India taught me to be patient to all situations and to live in a diverse world of all different races, religion, language, color, etc.

I just wanted to mention my school experience. It was my best time. As a kid, I started to see kids of all religion studying together. Early morning we gather together before we begin our classes singing our national hymn. Then we recited our pledge. It is so even today. And then after our classes we end the day singing our national anthem. It taught us to hold our hands together to feel as Indians above all differences between us.

Just to add the pledge of India we recite every day morning during the assembly runs so.

India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters.

I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.

I shall always strive to be worthy of it.

I shall give my parents, teachers and all elders respect and treat everyone with courtesy.

To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion. In their well-being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness.

That is the reason Shashi Tharoor said so. “Indian nationalism is the nationalism of an idea, the idea of an ever-ever land, emerging from an ancient civilization, shaped by a shared history, sustained by pluralist democracy”.

Jai Hind