All the Bloods are Sacred

More than one American, when they know that I am from Egypt, asked me this question: “What do you think about killing Christians and bombing churches in Egypt?” Actually, one of this Americans asked me this question before he knew that I am Muslim. Maybe he thought I am Christian just because we met at the chapel, so he said: “I am so sorry when I hear about Muslims killing the Christians and bombing their churches in Egypt.” For all these American friends I write this post now.

First, it is not right to say “Americans kill Jews” just because one American shoot people in a Jewish center in Kansas 2014, or “Americans kill Christians” just because one American shoot people in a Texas church 2017, or  “Americans kill Muslims” just because some Americans have attacked more than 35 mosques in 2017. Two of these mosques were burned to the ground in the same state (Texas) in one month (January).

Of course it is not right to say that. Even though these shooters and burners are Americans, they do not present the common belief of the majority of American society. So these incidents still individual incidents, or the worst estimates they are small groups’ incidents.

In the same way, you need to distinguish between the terrorist groups and the Middle Eastern societies. Yes, these terrorist groups arefrom these societies. But they are not accepted there. That is why they live and hide in mountains outside the cities.

Second, what happened in the Middle East last few decades is a result of using the religions in the political conflicts, so it distorted and defiled both the politics and the religions. For example, the politician candidates ask people to vote for them in the name of God. The religious men describe these candidates as they are emissaries of God, and warn people, they will be in hell fire, if they vote for another candidates. The military leaders bring the religious leaders with when declare their military coups. I think it is a good lesson I wish Americans, especially the conservatives, learn it.

Third, churches are not the only target of the terrorist attacks in the Middle East. The targets of these attacks include, beside the churches, Security ambushes, police stations, military troops, tourist sites, famous writers and artists, senior government officials, judges, and even mosques. For example, the second important mosque in Islam, the mosque of the prophet of Islam by himself, was a target of a terrorist attack in July 2016. Also, the worst terrorist attack in Egypt was in a mosque on November 2017. Even this incident, the western media showed it as a part of a conflict between two Islamic sects, as the Sunni Muslims killing the Sufi Muslims.  

Even though the terrorists do not discriminate us, they kill all of us equally, the western media discriminates the victims. This media does not care about any Middle Eastern blood that is not shed on a church. I think they forget that if there is no black or white blood, also there is no Christian or Muslim blood. All the bloods are sacred, and I do not believe their humanity when they choose the blood that they cry for and the other blood that they ignore. I do not believe it is religious problem. I believe it is cultural problem, because the western civilization used to look at itself as it is the center of the world, even in the time of the globalism.