I don't normally rant on here - I save that sort of thing for the home front. However, and you knew with an opening sentence like that there was a however coming, comments on a news story on the CBC website yesterday had me incensed to the point of ranting and almost raving. And I figured I should get it out of my system before Laurent gets home.
A look at the IRIS website shows that there have been numerous earthquakes around the world in the past two weeks. Many have been minor or in regions where damage has been minimal but several have caused loss of human life and habitation. Here in Italy there have been tremors the past 14 days in the L'Aquila region just north of us - the last one on Monday evening a full week after the first. As most of you have seen that the devastation has been incredible.
The CBC was reporting on a series of quakes (5.5 and 5.1) in a rural area of Afghanistan about 80 kilometers east of Kabul. Though the figures were nowhere close to those in Italy two villages where badly hit with 22 dead and about 200 homes (mostly made of dried mud) destroyed. And because the area is isolated and mountainous aid workers were having some difficulty in getting to the region.
What absolutely stunned me were the numerous vile comments made by readers. A number of people - Canadians mostly - were making statements that showed a level of ignorance and lack of compassion that astounded me. People in my country - my country that I have always been proud of for its caring and understanding of the world - were saying things that make me ashamed of being a Canadian.
It's God's punishment for their treatment of women," countered by "They don't believe in God, they believe in Allah." or ""Hehehehe!!!! Good ole earth quakes eh!!! The country and the people are straight out of the stone age." or "Canada send no aid it is allah's will." and "Hope there are more earthquakes to come but its a good start. Mother nature has its way of dealing with the weak." And one bright soul remarked on the stupidity of constructing houses of dried mud in an earthquake zone.
I am wondering how many people left this sort of comment when the earthquakes hit us here Italy? Not many from what I recall, most of the comments were of support and concern. But surely if an earthquake is God's punishment on one people it is his punish to all people. Or because we are a Catholic Christian country was it not a punishment but a terrible misfortune?
Yes, much about the treatment of women is not right in Afghanistan but I find it strange that the God these commentors invoke takes his anger out on two small villages in the mountains. Surely that vengeful anger (very Old Testement almost stone age) should be directed somewhat higher up the chain? And to the person who wrote "They don't believe in God only in Allah," Allah is the word for God in Arabic, as in Italian they use Dio, in French Dieu or in Russian Бог . In fact if you did a bit of research you would find that an Arab-speaking Christian and Jew would use Allah when referring to God. And in Malta God is referred to, in a Christian context, as Alla. Oh and by the way the Allah that is prayed to derives from the same God that Christians and Jews worship.
As for the use of dried mud to build houses - if you want to get picky bricks are nothing but dried mud. And as surprising as it may seem there are places in the world where they don't have a ready supply of wood or reinforced concrete to use in building. And even those materials, as witness the modern buildings lying in heaps of rubble in the Abruzzo, don't guarantee that a structure can withstand the force of an earthquake. And as for not building in an earthquake zone, tell that to people living in California or Ottawa for that matter.
And having just experienced an earthquake and 8 after shocks I can only say to those who wish it on others, I sincerely hope you never find yourself wakened from your sleep to find the world around you heaving and rolling. It is a very frightening experience. Or even worse, as the people of L'Aquila and Afghanistan have done, I pray to God/Allah/Бог that you never have to watch as a relative or loved one's smashed body is removed from a collapsed building which was once your home.
And I am left wondering what punishment God/Alla/Dio has for those who lack compassion or understanding?
19 aprile - Sant'Ermogene
6 comments:
I love this post!
It has always confounded me how people that profess to be Christian can take pleasure out of the suffering of others,as if it is their righteous right.
Even more confounding is that they just don't get that Christians,Muslims,and Jews all worship the EXACT same God!
Still,as good Christians,we are obliged to pray for them just the same.
luckily the goddess will see to it they get THEIR comeupance...she'll bip them a cosmic bip and they'll never know what hit them..ha
I'm embarrassed to a Canadian after hearing this. Did the ignorant commenters actually sign their names?
DF
People have such an amazing capacity for stupidity. As an American, I'm all too sadly used to my countrymen splashing their ignorance and narrow mindedness around for all to see. Sigh. But I tell myself that people also have an amazing capacity for kindness. We just have to call them on their idiocy while remaining open to the goodness around us.
Oh you have every right to rant..I don't care for people who judge or think it is okay for harm to come to anyone.
As a female Canadian who converted to Islam in Afghanistan and experienced a lot of earthquakes there, I am greatly saddened by but unfortunately not surprised by lack of tolerance. It is ignorance, plain and simple. Let's pray for them that they find their way to follow Allah's will for them rather than judging that about which they know so little.
On another note, the plight of women in Afghanistan is an odd mix of tradition and respect. While women may be very limited in their lifestyles, many are well respected in their homes and even treated with reverence. I encountered nothing but respect by my Afghan male counterparts and was privileged to meet the women in their homes. I may not agree with all of the cultural norms with respect to women, but there is more to it than meets the eye (or the media). As well, there is a devilish sense of humor that was completely unexpected and I enjoyed a lot of laughter in my time there.
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