Omar EL MOUZ is a high school teacher of English. He Got his BA from the department of English at Ibno Zohr university, Agadir. He is interested in writing articles and stories, translating written works from
Agadir, Morocco
It is needless to say that the recent Paris attacks have shaken some feelings of sympathy and sadness towards the lost victims as well as the injured civilians. In regards to our shared human features, our inner reactions betray the once hidden feelings towards our brothers wherever they are. Yet, the context of the attacks and that of the whole world made it so contradictory to show those noble feelings at a time when we ignore what happened to thousands of civilians of all genders and social classes in many parts of the developing world, such as Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Mali.
It is a general fact that mass media is often recognized to be the fourth power that guides and monitors the members of each society. Therefore, it’s not so strange to sense some kind of authority of mass media over these acts France has witnessed recently. We all know that it shapes the way in which our society members behave. It controls their words and their actions. These members unconsciously internalize those oriented aspects of life by which they should abide. This can be denied by many of us. But the sore truth is that we have become slaves of mass media in one way or another.
The heartbreaking events of killing civilians were strongly condemned and totally disagreed upon. Many messages and/or direct speeches were given or delivered for the sake of showing solidarity and condolence. However, one should pause for a while and contemplate the events in relation to history, culture, religion and many other aspects. Many factors bring to mind some skeptical thoughts which require deep scrutiny. They should be examined objectively to come up with a satisfying view about the events. The whole world needs to know the truth to be unveiled. Unfortunately, most of the analyses, which have been done so far, show that Muslims were the wrongdoers simply because those analyses were conducted by those who want Muslims to be the wrongdoers.
Many people ventured to change their Facebook profile pictures into that of the French flag. That is something desired and appreciated. It shows one aspect of solidarity with all those who lost their lives and also with those who still moan because of injury. On the contrary, almost none of them showed a single sign of solidarity and support in favor either of people in Syria or of those in Yemen, Palestine, or Iraq. All of these countries are still being destroyed and completely demolished. Mass media has shaped our habits to conform to the standards of the West and of those who want Muslims to be the wrong doers. I couldn’t believe why we all screamed and begged France not to be angry because of the attacks. We beseech it to believe that Islam is not to blame in such acts. Ironically, we have forgotten the mere fact that we have deviated to the right path to show the real solidarity among Muslims as well as among all humans. I couldn’t believe also how some teenagers and adolescents were misled the very moment TV and live broadcast videos on the spot were being shared in many social websites. The latter fueled the stream and reshaped our thoughts and beliefs which have already undergone doubt and skepticism.
As a result, the heralds up to now have shown that France is going to lead a vast campaign against Muslims. One of its officials has stated this afternoon that mosques should be controlled and no permission should be offered to non-governmental organizations working in the name of Islam. Wearing the veil has been already banned in official settings. That led some anti-Muslim groups to attack civilian Muslims or sometimes abuse them. At this time, a great determination from the part of the state was declared to put an end to the spread of Islam in Europe.
In short, we can learn several lessons from the Paris attacks. First, mass media has a vital role in monitoring our views towards events. Its supremacy lies in the ability to manipulate the news it broadcasts and therefore, control the way people should think and behave. Second, the present generation has been deprived of its own heritage and origin. Thus, their identity is to question. Third, Islam undergoes several campaigns by preplanned attacks on peaceful civilians. Some deceived people cling to aggressive thoughts towards non-Muslim citizens and therefore, attack them in the name of Islam. Such acts tarnish the image of the true peaceful Islam, and therefore, it paves the way to label it as an aggressive religion. Finally, we should be aware of what is happening day and night around us. We should keep vigilant and stick to the noble values our religion has taught us in respecting others regardless of their religion, race, culture or sex.
