Un-Divide Humanity

by Charity Care N. Lavandero

The world is astounded by the recent incident in Paris that challenged
everybodys sense of empathy. As the rest of the world mourned for the dreadful
incident, a huge number of Syrian refugees feared that, again, Islamophobia will be
the result of such terroristic acts. While millions of Syrian refugees struggled to find
solace in countries that offer refuge, their hopes were put on the line because the
recent attacks in Paris were claimed to be orchestrated by Islamic State groups. The
big question in everyones mind is: were these Paris attackers connected to one of
the groups in Syria?
Needless to say, any act of terrorism should not be tolerated. However, it is
very unfortunate that whenever there is an act of terrorism, most of the people who
take the blame are those who have nothing to do with such acts, like in the case of
Syrian refugees who fled their homes in Syria in order to survive. Syria is facing a
civil war between opposing armed forces that caused massive displacements and
killings. What started as a democratic uprising has become an explicit armed
conflict that used massive violence and atrocities which targeted the lives of
innocent civilians. In effect, Syria has become the top source of refugees. Almost
every day, since the Arab spring protest in 2011, Syria has been constantly
bombarded with violence as a result of regime reaction to counter protests and
armed conflicts pushing to overthrow the decades-old regime. It was further
heightened when extremist groups were formed in order to take control of the state.
The number of Syrian refugees became quite alarming that, in fact, the
European Union was not prepared to handle the massive influx of asylum seekers.
The world currently is divided on the case of the Syrian refugees. Many countries
refused to open their doors for asylum seekers leaving the Syrian refugees in a
state of hopelessness. The point is, since 2011 up to current times, Syrian refugees
have been constantly crying for help and yet no one seems to care. The shock and
horror of their plight can be seen in the eyes of these refugees. The same shock and
horror is reflected as the attacks in Paris on November 13 may again deprive them
of the opportunity to a peaceful existence.
The attacks in Paris and the worlds reaction to it triggered a moral debate on
the very foundation of our sense of humanity. Yes, the condemnation on the attacks
should be the universal reaction. We should be horrified and disgusted of the
senseless attacks yet we should also have the same distraught reaction toward
the plight of the Syrian refugees, as they have lived out an equivalent amount of
fear and horror since 2011.
True enough, we must seek to pray for Paris and the victims of the unfounded
terror campaign, however we should also include in our sought divine intercessions,
the Syrian refugees who have suffered from a cruel fate for a long time already.

Therefore, as human beings driven by moral values, we must always uphold an

inclusive sense of humanity.