I was at my tango class when I first heard of the accident/murder in Soma mines. I really couldn't take my head off from the situation. The number of people in the mines was unknown. Later, a lot later, I could learn the real immensity of the accident. 301 people were murdered in the mines in Soma and the Prime Minister Erdoğan told that it was fate and this kind of accidents were in this business' reality.
I first heard of Charlie Hebdo with their cartoon of Prophet Mohammad. In Islam it's forbidden to have or even to draw his picture. The main reason is to avoid making him a tin god by his followers. However, they did draw his cartoon and massive protest took place all around Europe and even in the whole world. When I heard of this, I thought that it was thoughtless action of them. Drawing a religiously important figure especially when it was forbidden was a reckless and careless and inconsiderate action for me. Let me clearly state that criticizing is one thing, killing and justifying it with the criticism is another. On the other hand, freedom of expression is one thing and making fool of a religious figure is another. We would make a grave mistake if we mix those important things.
Yesterday, I heard about the attack at Charlie Hebdo. They published a cartoon of the head of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (I don't call leader, because I don't believe real leaders would make his followers murder anybody for any cause, let alone murdering innocent kids and women and elders) Just after a few hours of the publishing, this attack took place.
Mainly in Europe but also in all around the world protests condemning this attack took place with millions of people.. I thought why there were no such protests when ISIS drove Ezidi people and kids died of hunger and thirst in the mountains. This may sound really easy to say but I believe the main reason is that the attack on Ezidi people didn't take place right in the heart of Europe but in Iraq! If anyone has another explanation, I'd love to hear it.
Not long before, al-Baghdadi told his followers to commit acts of terror in Europe and USA and the "coalition countries". This action reminded us that in today's world, we were safe nowhere..
This situation also got me thinking, who is behind ISIS? Big big governments and big big corporations in my mind. Nothing else. If you want peace at home, you also should want peace in the world. If you think it's none of your damn business, you're so wrong, you may even pay the consequences with your life one day..There is a very simple reason for this: This is a real global village and your government's policy in another part of the world brings the results back to you. If your government sells guns, those guns, one day, may/will turn against you too..
In general I don't believe in terrorism, but consequences. If a power is removed, another power takes its predecessor's place almost instantaneously. If a government is removed from power, this will cause some balance changes in this country. And whether you like it or not another party will come and will claim the power. If you disregard one of the minorities of your country and try to assimilate them, they'll want to rise up and claim what's their right. One person, may it be al-Baghdadi or Adolf Hitler or Osama bin Laden, says that their rights were taken and that they need to get back what's theirs, thousands and sometimes even millions may follow this one person. Religions, in this regard, is one of the most powerful reasons for people to unite around one, against another.
It's not just today's problem. In the past, think about the crusades. They were formed to prevent any action against the Catholic countries/empires. The person, who called the crusades was none other than the Pope. The Catholic countries/empires were threatened within or from outside and they came together to fight against these threats.
What I really want to say is that when there is injustice in some part of the world, when someone kills in the name of something, one first should ask the question "Why?", then start to blame. There is no justification for any killing. Nothing is more sacred than a life, may it be a human's life or an animals.. Judging from what's on the surface is the easy part. Looking below the iceberg for the reasons is the hard one.
There was this photo I once saw. A photo of an island, which was thousands of kilometres from Alaska. There were dead birds, in which was full of plastic trash.
This is another bird with its stomach full of pastic trash too.
I first heard of Charlie Hebdo with their cartoon of Prophet Mohammad. In Islam it's forbidden to have or even to draw his picture. The main reason is to avoid making him a tin god by his followers. However, they did draw his cartoon and massive protest took place all around Europe and even in the whole world. When I heard of this, I thought that it was thoughtless action of them. Drawing a religiously important figure especially when it was forbidden was a reckless and careless and inconsiderate action for me. Let me clearly state that criticizing is one thing, killing and justifying it with the criticism is another. On the other hand, freedom of expression is one thing and making fool of a religious figure is another. We would make a grave mistake if we mix those important things.
Yesterday, I heard about the attack at Charlie Hebdo. They published a cartoon of the head of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (I don't call leader, because I don't believe real leaders would make his followers murder anybody for any cause, let alone murdering innocent kids and women and elders) Just after a few hours of the publishing, this attack took place.
Mainly in Europe but also in all around the world protests condemning this attack took place with millions of people.. I thought why there were no such protests when ISIS drove Ezidi people and kids died of hunger and thirst in the mountains. This may sound really easy to say but I believe the main reason is that the attack on Ezidi people didn't take place right in the heart of Europe but in Iraq! If anyone has another explanation, I'd love to hear it.
Not long before, al-Baghdadi told his followers to commit acts of terror in Europe and USA and the "coalition countries". This action reminded us that in today's world, we were safe nowhere..
This situation also got me thinking, who is behind ISIS? Big big governments and big big corporations in my mind. Nothing else. If you want peace at home, you also should want peace in the world. If you think it's none of your damn business, you're so wrong, you may even pay the consequences with your life one day..There is a very simple reason for this: This is a real global village and your government's policy in another part of the world brings the results back to you. If your government sells guns, those guns, one day, may/will turn against you too..
In general I don't believe in terrorism, but consequences. If a power is removed, another power takes its predecessor's place almost instantaneously. If a government is removed from power, this will cause some balance changes in this country. And whether you like it or not another party will come and will claim the power. If you disregard one of the minorities of your country and try to assimilate them, they'll want to rise up and claim what's their right. One person, may it be al-Baghdadi or Adolf Hitler or Osama bin Laden, says that their rights were taken and that they need to get back what's theirs, thousands and sometimes even millions may follow this one person. Religions, in this regard, is one of the most powerful reasons for people to unite around one, against another.
It's not just today's problem. In the past, think about the crusades. They were formed to prevent any action against the Catholic countries/empires. The person, who called the crusades was none other than the Pope. The Catholic countries/empires were threatened within or from outside and they came together to fight against these threats.
What I really want to say is that when there is injustice in some part of the world, when someone kills in the name of something, one first should ask the question "Why?", then start to blame. There is no justification for any killing. Nothing is more sacred than a life, may it be a human's life or an animals.. Judging from what's on the surface is the easy part. Looking below the iceberg for the reasons is the hard one.
There was this photo I once saw. A photo of an island, which was thousands of kilometres from Alaska. There were dead birds, in which was full of plastic trash.
This is another bird with its stomach full of pastic trash too.
In this world or rather global village, even if you live on a deserted island, you'll not be away from world's issues. They'll find you eventually, somehow.
I read this when I was a school boy:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
This was written by Martin Niemöller to criticize German intellectuals not speaking-up against rising Nazi power in Germany. I like this trend of saying "I am ....." Dots are to be filled with the victim person's name or nation. I like it because this reminds me of being one! We should not be different people. We should be one to have a say in this world's matters.
If we want to stop such tragedies from happening, it's time to act and say no to both ISIS and to our weaponising governments and start to listen and understand each other.
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