I wish to return your attention to a recent article in your publication by Anne Bernard, regarding the recent terror attacks in Beirut and Paris. The article discourses the different responses to these horrific events and considers how, in the aftermath, Lebanese people were left anguished; they felt wholly forgotten compared to the global recognition, response and empathy Paris received.
The most simplistic title of the article inadequately expresses the idea that the people of Lebanon considered themselves overlooked – it is tenuously ironic with the use of the words "feeling forgotten" as the opening paragraph to the article mentions only three named people. When it is next stated that in fact all three people had died, many of your audience including myself were shocked to read that their deaths were also ‘along with 40 others…’ This minimalistic understatement made the ’40 others’, whose names were not mentioned, seem as if they were pathetically insignificant and their news-worthiness entirely irrelevant.
Since the civil war in 1958 and the continued Israeli invasions of the years 1978/82/85 and 2000, Lebanon has been in the news with its countless conflicts and death toll. For this reason, Beirut is believed to be "synonymous with violence”, as well as there being severe apathy towards Arab lives. When France gave back Lebanon’s independence, the opposition it caused created a civil war. The US were asked to send in troops to preserve the independence and the fighting has continued to this present day. A lengthy conflict that has spanned generations has become everyday life for the Lebanese people. One shocking quote regarding the 9/11 twin towers attack was heard all around the world, it was similar to the words of “We deal with terrorist attacks every day, we are used to this. It takes an attack on American soil for the world to respond.”
A Lebanese doctor, aware of the power of social media, noted that “no country bothered to light up its landmarks in the colours of its flag.” Governments did not colour their parliament buildings nor did societies in a virtual land “one-click” their profile pictures out of feeling less for the Lebanese people; it was more a mixture of political fear of support due to retribution and Facebook simply hadn’t offered the overlay for the Lebanese flag. Why Facebook had not offered this was not made clear in the article, in fact this would be a question that I would quite like answered. Facebook did see a high level of social media activity around the Paris attacks and activated, for the first time, a ‘Safety Check’ to report the safety of loved ones. Why was this courtesy extended only to the Gauls? Facebooks vice president, Alex Shultz said, they were trying something new in “complex and sensitive times, and for us that was Paris.” If Elie Fares had known that 27.5 million people in France use Facebook as opposed to 4.2 million Lebanese may be what was seen as out of proportion was more to do with population in France and Facebooks company decision. Is it that difficult to enable one extra country, to disarm the fear of missing family members? Lebanon has lived for years in ‘complex and sensitive times’ and yet again it misses out on being allowed the help it so desperately needs.
To most people Europe acts as one large ‘executive club’ with all the 27 member states
making decisions on foreign policy. Within this club the ‘Big Three’: France, Germany and the United Kingdom, take the lead. The ‘Big Three’ are involved in shaping foreign policies across a much wider range than the other states, this also will have influence when a terrorist attack happens in one of those countries as the other 24 states will show degrees of solidarity,
It is incredibly heart-warming to see an international outpouring of grief and support for victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris however it does make it all the more upsetting when similar incidents in the Middle Eastern world go relatively unnoticed.
Life in France was not worth more grief and anger than life in the Lebanon. I saw posts on social media of candles and an ask for prayers to be shared.
Both attacks on Paris and Beirut should strengthen the worlds resolve to find a path of peace away from all forms of radicalism.
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