Over the past weekend, there were many things that made the world seem all out of whack. Most notable of the events this crazy weekend will be known for were the ISIS terrorist attacks in Paris.
The world was in shock after hearing that Paris suffered a massacre of more than 120 people killed in gunfire and blasts around the city.
However, a day before the Paris attacks, two suicide bombs were set off in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 43 civilians and wounding hundreds. ISIS claimed this deadly attack as well, yet not much mention of this incident was made by the media
While both attacks sparked a global and united outrage, Beirut received very little of the sympathy this weekend as the world lit up blue, red and white in solidarity for Paris, simliar to the sentiments lavished on the United States after the 9/11 attacks.
Perhaps the reason Beirut did not receive the same attention was because the world arguably sees France, specifically Paris, as a safe place. War has not been conducted on its soil in decades, and the people are not subjected to persecution or the fear of it daily. The same cannot be said of many countries in the Middle East. Many people, even those in Beirut, didn’t expected this once-safe place to be affected.
But Lebanon should not be overlooked by news coverage or our sympathy. It seemed tons of people were unaware of such things happening outside of the Middle East and or in neighboring countries simply because, in this day and age, we are so used to hearing it now. We’ve become jaded and numb to the atrocities that happen on a regular basis in countries where we expect it, and we mourn heavily for the parts of the world we think are off limits.
While everyone is praying for Paris, I hope people realize these kinds of things happen every day in the Middle East. France isn’t the only country affected by this event over the weekend, even if many people think it was. We should band together globally to stand against acts of terrorism, not just in defense for the safe places.
Dane Chronister is a senior journalism major from Houston. He is the news editor for the Lariat.
