It finally occurred to someone in the media to give some recognition, an identity beyond the ugly number 16, to the innocent people who were brutally murdered (and some who were wounded) in Kandahar (Afghanistan) on Sunday, March 11, 2012 by Sergeant Robert Bales of Washington State. Crazily enough, we can tell you what his wife blogs about (seriously?!) or what his and his wife's favorite vacation spot was (what the hell?), but no one has bothered to ask about the innocents murdered. The white westerners will always bear more importance, more interest than us unimportant little souls from the east.
Here are their names. God grant them the peace they never saw their lives on earth, aameen.
The dead:
Mohamed Dawood son of Abdullah
Khudaydad son of Mohamed Juma
Nazar Mohamed
Payendo
Robeena
Shatarina daughter of Sultan Mohamed
Zahra daughter of Abdul Hamid
Nazia daughter of Dost Mohamed
Masooma daughter of Mohamed Wazir
Farida daughter of Mohamed Wazir
Palwasha daughter of Mohamed Wazir
Nabia daughter of Mohamed Wazir
Esmatullah daughter of Mohamed Wazir
Faizullah son of Mohamed Wazir
Essa Mohamed son of Mohamed Hussain
Akhtar Mohamed son of Murrad Ali
The wounded:
Haji Mohamed Naim son of Haji Sakhawat
Mohamed Sediq son of Mohamed Naim
Parween
Rafiullah
Zardana
Zulheja
SOURCE: No one asked their names.
Ameen. And yes meaningful journalism and the power it can have.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I just said a prayer for them and it made me tear up, as long as they're represented by a figure they don't bear the same weight. Poor innocent children, Lord have mercy on this world.
ReplyDeleteWe have the western world giving money, support and its sons dying every week to make a Afghanistan a better place and stop terrorism and we still have Asylum seekers from Afghanistan turning up west.
ReplyDeleteTheir sons are dying to make your country better and you cant be bothered to contribute, you leave the dirty work to those left behind. Its disgraceful and its part of the reason that the country is a long term basket case. Many Afghans decide to help by joining the police or Army which is funded and trained by outsiders, others flee to countries with modern social welfare systems conveniently bypassing the 4 countries that neighbour Afghanistan that are signatories of the UN refugee convention and are obliged to help. No free housing and schools there.
The constant cross generational exodus weakens the society, another generation says this is too hard I'm leaving, if I tell a good story someone will let me in.