Fatal bomb!

Hussein Shobokshi WHEN Barack Obama became the first “historic” US president of African origin, he gave a wonderful speech in which he promised the American nation that there would be no longer white America or black America (in a reference to the racial divide between whites and blacks). He also said that there would be no longer red America and blue America (referring to the political differentiation between the Republic and Democratic parties). It was a great speech surrounded by extraordinary hope to overcome the impossible and difficult situation in order to achieve the elusive goal. But something happened on the way toward this dream! The world has changed. America has changed. Racial discrimination has returned. Today, the rise of extreme rhetoric bordering on rebellion and ferocity of the demonstrations are continuing in more than one city in America in protest against the violent practices by some policemen in various US states. There are repeated cases amid a climate of high tension of hatred for minorities in its various forms and types. The case is not confined to the United States of America but worryingly has spread in the West and East. In the case of America, the situation is a matter of surprise, because the country boasted the idea of accepting the other and opening its doors to all the oppressed and fugitives from the hell of tyranny; that was the famous American promise. It had enacted laws and regulations, legislation and policies to protect everyone without discrimination or exception, all under the umbrella of justice. The most dangerous kind of discrimination, extremism and racism is that which extremists apply under the umbrella of religion and what is sacred is built into psyches and extremist thoughts. In view of the recent disturbing scenes, it’s time to remember the great Nelson Mandela, an extraordinary example of tolerance, a man who practiced this noble idea. After his nearly three decades of imprisonment, he came out to govern South Africa. He could have gone out to war or justified himself by shooting each one of his oppressors with a machine gun after his return from detention. But he did not do so. Instead, he practiced tolerance and coexistence which has made South Africa the most important country in Africa today and one of the major economies in the world.