NO one will ever forget these three photos that shocked the world. There are many more like them but I cannot talk about them all. Instead I would just like us to think about these three photos as examples of all of the children who are suffering from the war.
The first photo is of a Syrian boy Omran Daqneesh who did not show the slightest of emotions as he sat bleeding from a wound caused by an explosion in Aleppo. The second is of Aylan Kurdi, a child refugee who fled from his country with his parents in order to escape the war so that he could live a better life but was tragically drowned. The third photo is of a Syrian girl Adi Hudea, who “surrendered” to the photographer because she thought that his camera was a gun.
In these three photos, Adi Hudea shows fear, Aylan Kurdi cannot show anything because he is dead and Omran Daqneesh is just blank. Aylan’s image makes us think that children are supposed to sleep in bed with sweet dreams and Omran’s baffled way of looking at his blood and wiping it away while sitting in an ambulance make us understand the depth of war. The fact is that these emotions are not fake or acting but are all too real.
These photos are of innocent children suffering from heavy injuries and wounds, bleeding and dying. If children battling the war do not show any emotion even when bleeding, that could mean that they have no more tears left to shed. It could mean that they are tired and worn out because they have been born to be victims or slaves to killing and that nothing good is happening in their life.
These photographs are meant to move people so that they will stop committing crimes and instead serve humanity. However, it is sad to realize that very little has changed since these photos were taken and seen by tens of millions of people around the world. We post and share images on social media, but how many of us are fighting for those who are suffering?
The civil war in Syria has become a proxy war. The neighboring countries are suffering as well. Many other countries from the West and East are trying to resolve the crisis, but it turns out that they are only making the situation worse by ending up in a war with their enemies.
Terrorism has reached a stage that makes us think it is inevitable. It is not. The war is happening in the name of religion and democracy. Our minds, hearts and lives are rooted in the spirit of our religion, traditions and customs. We are not thinking out of the box. We are becoming illiterates even with all of the knowledge that is embedded in us. We are turning our eyes away from atrocity because we do not want to go through hell.
We are not thinking right. Indeed, we can change the world. We should stick to our beliefs, but we should not fear anyone for any reason. We should build up confidence to make a change.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that until the end of May this year, approximately 386,000 people have been killed in the Syrian war including around 14,000 children with thousands injured and waiting for humanitarian assistance. People in the small Syrian town of Madaya are dying from malnutrition. The UN envoy for Syria said that not one single aid convoy has reached Syrian besieged areas this month.
What we can do on our part is to create groups and volunteer in order to provide the basic necessities to the besieged. Many groups already exist and they have done a great job by providing food, water, winter clothes, shelter and medical treatment. Many students have come up with ideas for the refugees, for example, a “wearable dwelling” — a jacket that can be transformed into a tent. But more needs to be done.
The governments of various countries have been playing a key role in providing humanitarian aid and celebrities have been donating millions of dollars, but we as ordinary citizens need to work even harder so that the aid can actually reach the besieged.
Currently, people are reacting to the photos of victims by saying that the world has become blind. I agree, but my question is: “Is the world really blind or is it just pretending to be?”
No human being is perfect in this world. But we can always try our best to be so. My only request to each and every one of us is: “Please open your eyes and see the people around you”. If you do so, the world will gradually become a better place.
Dona Paranayil,
Saudi Gazette
