Yesterday someone asked a question in a tweet which had been on my mind: how is it that a coalition of nations is willing to spend tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars to find a missing plane with over two hundred aboard, but we can't figure out how to free a similar number of kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria? Okay, I have expanded on the sentiment of the 140 characters of the tweet, but you understand.
Many have asked whether the slow response of both reporting and international concern is because they are dark-skinned, and reside in an African nation. Surely these factors are part of the ineffective reaction. These children have been snatched from safety by a terrorist group, Boko Haram. This is the Islamist group that attacked innocent people in a shopping mall a few months ago. They are cowards of the worst kind, pathetically using religion as justification. The leader says that Western education is sinful and that he will sell the girls as slaves. Actually, while the majority of the girls are Christian, some are Muslim. Hate is not rational.
One of the differences between the two situations is that Nigeria is a sovereign nation, and it doesn't help that the first lady has made bizarre claims that the whole situation has been fabricated. But surely more can be done.
Is anyone else appalled by what is happening here, both in terms of the abductions and the response?
3 comments:
Yes, I am, David and with those young girls/women missing for over 3 weeks - my heart aches for them and their families.
I am sickened by the entire situation, and yes, the time and effort spent on locating the missing plane and its victims - while important - certainly seems to be trumping these girls.
The people of Nigeria, and in most African countries, deserve far, far better leadership than the selfish dictators that they have.
I think we all feel sympathy for Nigerian girls, but the political system there does not allow for intervention - and they don't care about outside opinions - short of sending in troops (Afghanistan all over?) what can we do? NATO sanctions might have some effect? There are probably many other places in the world where this happens and we never hear about it.
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