Terrorism has struck close to home!
A Frenchman has been shot dead in the city of Jeddah, in a district right next to where I live! There is a compound in that district known as Sierra Village. It was a compound that I had frequented when I was at school here. Most of the residents there were from the West. It comes as shock to me, and to others, that a targeted killing of a westerner has taken place in Jeddah.
Jeddah had always been a city that I felt very safe in, in comparison to a city like London or Lahore. Jeddah, my adopted home for 26 years now, is seeing the ugly face of terrorism now. Growing up, I never imagined seeing someone being murdered, and here I am today, hearing about the death of a person in the streets. I cannot believe how fast the world is changing nowadays.
Until now, I had been reading about killings in other parts of the Kingdom, mostly in Riyadh or Khobar. For days I would wonder why nothing happened in Jeddah. But now its Jeddah’s turn.
I don’t understand why a Frenchman was targeted.
I played out different scenarios in my head. Since France has opposed to Bush’s war on Iraq, surely this Frenchman was not killed because of the war on Iraq. Wait, maybe, he was targeted by the killer to send a message to the French president to take back the decision to ban hijab/ head coverings in French schools. Or simply, he was killed because he looked like a westerner. What was the Frenchman’s crime? I think his only crime was that he looked like a ‘westerner’: blond haired, blue eyed, white skin- the definition of a westerner that people have in mind. What if that Frenchman was a convert to Islam? The killer would have innocent blood on his hands now!
Sure, there will be some people who will talk about how many women and children are being killed in Iraq. Today, fifteen more civilians have been killed in an air raid by the US military. They will say that it is unfair of me to talk so much about this Frenchman and not talk about those who are dying daily in Iraq. Does the life of a Frenchman mean more to me than the lives of those in Iraq? Not really. To me, a person is a human, no matter what his race, nationality or religion is—he is a person created by God. The Frenchman’s life to me is as equal as the life of a child who was burnt in Iraq today because of the air raid. My sympathy is for both of them—since in the eyes of God, they are equal.
Why I am writing about this Frenchman is because his death has occurred in an area that is only five minutes away from me. When something like this happens, the reality of terrorism strikes close to my heart. It seems more real to me. It becomes more apparent. It makes me realize: I could very well be the next target. (for that, I will have to write to another piece!)
Already some people have told me to not go out anymore and cancel my weekend plans. People are speculating that after the westerners are targeted, it will be the turn of the expatriates of other nations. I am determined to not let the ignorant terrorist win. I am determined to stick with my plans and enjoy my life here. I don’t believe for even a second that what has happened here today in Jeddah is what most people would call ‘jihad.’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3690650.stm
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/09/26/saudi.france/index.html
Yours on-alert,
Mansur
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