Just a few days ago Norway suffered the wrath of a right-wing extremist. We have been told that this was ‘unexpected”. Yet I wonder if this is complacency based on political agenda no better illustrated in the fiasco that was Herman Cain’s candidacy where he spent much time criticizing Muslims only to later backtrack when he realized that his policy of gaining election through fear wasn’t quite working.
Whether it is a group of people blowing up the twin towers in NY, a group bombing the London underground, an individual murdering children in Norway, or rioters and looters in London; these and other groups have a single objective in mind, to protest – not lawfully, but through any means possible, irrespective of the consequences of their actions, be it the loss of life or the destruction of property.
Crucially, the mindset is not singular to any faith group; rather it is a matter of intolerance and impatience.
Where Everything Starts
I’ve been following the riots, not through traditional media rather through first-hand reporting via twitter and Facebook – these are real time updates where I’ve noticed published media tend to be 15-30 minutes behind. On the issue of technology there have been widespread requests to shutdown the Blackberry Messenger service, which some believe has been fundamental in organizing these riots, to shutting down the entire mobile network.Both are of course mute points and side issues as the same technologies are helping the emergency services and citizens report and warn on incidents.
Amongst the many groups on Facebook that have popped up garnering tens of thousands of supporters is a matter of hours is one where a rioter claims that Mark Duggan, the man who was shot, around whom these riots were apparently instigated, was his friend.
Putting aside reports that he was a gangster and a drug dealer, after his opening status, “I’m loving what is happening…mark wasn’t just any random guy like yourself. He was someone who took care of our own community. In every way possible you imagine in your head”
My initial and simple response to his statement was to question how he is honoring the death of a man who ‘looked after his own community’ by destroying the communities of other people. This, sadly, is the same mindset employed by every terrorist group – the destruction of something else, to express your own anger.
Stripped down, this attitude is not a reflection of any religion, rather, it is the disturbing reality of a poor, selfish, character, unaware of the impact of his actions; just so long as when he goes home to bed at night he has safety and security – a luxury he has no hesitation in denying others.
Responsibility...
Herman Cain isn’t a foolish man; a quick look at his bio on Wikipedia shows a smart, successful businessman. Yet for someone with his position, he has shown the same level of irresponsibility as thugs currently rioting and looting. Sure the two are at different extremes, the mindset is however the same.
As people of conscious, we need to redefine a few things, the first being this war on terrorism. It is already a marginalized phrase as the only terrorists it seems as (crazy) Muslims, while anyone ‘white’ is ‘disenfranchised.’ And secondly, we need to address our approach based on common values – it is possible to have very different faiths while sharing core common values.
If instead of stereotyping large swathes of our communities based on color or creed, we focus more on understanding people and their concerns; addressing those concerns instead of sidelining them, we may be a step closer to stability in our societies.
If a person wishes to cause harm to themselves or to others, in reality there is probably very little any of us can do to stop them. However if our police and security services are going to stand a chance of doing just that, stopping them, they need the support of people across colors, across creeds; they need that relationship of trust to be in place.
The problem is, every time society suffers in this way, it is so much easier to blame someone else than to reflect on whether we were part of the problem in the first place; e.g. spending billions on wars which many of us did not believe we needed in the first place all the while basic services are being cut.
Nearly 12 months ago home Secretary Theresa May said, ‘We can cut police budget without risking violent unrest.’
Instead of cutting our basic services as a means of getting out of this recession, we need to start investing in our people and in our industries. For as it stands some of the rioters opined that their stealing during akin to the bankers who we bailed out while they continue to reward themselves with excessive bonuses. If we’re going to clear the apartment block, let’s look at every floor, not just the lower echelons.
As to the rioters a simple message: Mark Duggan died leaving behind three children. There is much heartache and misery. Be the better persons, and do not inflict heartache onto other people. As if he was a good person, who did good things, by doing bad, you are dishonoring his memory.
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