A long time ago, I encountered the song Mad World by Gary Jules on Kubrick's blog (thanx, kubbie for putting it up on yr site back then!) and I think, it best describes my feelings toward the world in general at this moment.
The beheading of 33-year old Kim Sun Il, a South Korean hostage, by Islamic militants in Iraq less than a couple days ago, is just one of the many things in this world which I cannot comprehend. What kind of person would condone such an evil, inhumane act, or even perpetrate it?? I shudder at the sheer disregard of life and absence of empathy of these so-called Islamists. Scarier still that these atrocious acts were committed in the name of Islam, and in the name of jihad. How dare they associate this -- cold-blooded murder -- with a religion that advocates peace and brotherhood amongst fellow humans?? There is nothing even remotely Islamic (in the true sense of the word) in whatever these militants have done.
Yet, I do understand what Kim Sun Il's captors must be feeling; anger and resentment toward the Americans who 'til now, hold the reins of their motherland. A desire for a return to the glory days which used to characterize the Muslim dynasties of the past; and this desire being so strong that it brings with it the seeds of hatred and jealousy. However, after watching the news about the decapitation, my own mother had only this to say: "It is the fault of the cruelty of the Americans (toward the Al-Ghraib prisoners). They (i.e. the militants) are only retaliating in kind." If only it's so simple!
President Bush has condemned the beheading (and evry other 'terrorist' act, for that matter) as "barbaric" and declared that "..The United States will not be intimidated by these people.." Why is it that those words seem so hollow to me? Throughout the world, respected leaders and politicians are unanimous in their condemnation of the militants. In my humble opinion, what use are these words now when the blood of an innocent man (and so many others) had already been spilled? What must have gone through the mind of President George Bush when Kim Sun Il pleaded on camera -- no, he practically screamed it out -- that he didnt want to die; he wanted to live! Did this person's life matter at all? Or is one life not significant enough to be saved, in the bigger picture??
Hatred begets more hatred. Violence begets more violence. It's a vicious cycle which has no end. American prison officers that torment Iraqi prisoners. Iraqi militants that bomb American soldiers. People killing people in order to achieve something; to achieve a semblance of an ideal. Yet, is killing, for whatever noble cause, justified??? What kind of twisted morality exists in a society that encourages torture, debasement, and murder as a means to an end???
" ...if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people." ---- The Quran (Surah Al-Ma'idah: Chapter 5, verse 32)
Sometimes, I am sad and appalled by what some humans do in the name of humanity. Sometimes, I'm even ashamed of being a human.
