#BlackLivesMatter / #IllrideWithYou / #PeshawarAttack

The last few weeks has seen the verdict of Mike Brown's killer,the start of the #IllRideWithYou trend after the attack in Australia and the Peshawar Attack. I feel that all these incidences are important to me because I am  Muslim, Black,and a school child; these situations bring to light difficulty that are faced by all of these groups.

Lets start with the Ferguson Decision.

I remember in the summer how this case was first ignited on social media*1, which is where I first heard of Mike Brown, how he was attacked, and the uproar it caused in his home town of Ferguson.I couldn't believe how people shoot him in surrender, and was even more shocked when I found out that it was police man on duty who shot him down. The injustice upset me, as many people concluded that the only reason that he was shot was because he was black.

The This is when I then remembered that Trayvon Martin was another young man that was shot, and nearer to the jury's hearing in November a young black boy, Tamir Rice was shot dead by police. Between the time that I was writing this post and Tamir's murder, another  two men Eric Garner and Antonio Martin were shot - again by police officers. How disgusting that between the drafting of what was originally a post that was going to mention one person, I ended up mentioning four.*2

I've come to see that this is the sad truth

Ironic how in this episode of Fresh Prince, aired many years ago, the racial tension and equality is recognised, and that today this is the exact way that Mike Brown was shot down. As much as The Fresh Prince was made to make us laugh, its sad to think that such a thing should be even brought up. Its sad to think that in a society that is supposed be at least improving with time, that we still have there is still the same inequality and fear in the air, just because of one's skin colour.

The irony in this photo...

Watch this poem a friend showed me that relates to the situation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfsOIgOVR70

And then we have the Australia's I'll Ride With You Phenomenom.

It was on Twitter that I became aware of the siege in Australia, but moreover, by the aftermath present on social media. It took the one woman who was scared of representing her faith, a woman who was willing to stand by her, and one hashtag to trigger an international sympathy for people who have to bear the brunt of Islamaphobia and tensions against Muslims everyday, especially after an event like the recent siege.Thousands of people almost vowed to support the Muslims, and to see some positive thoughts on the internet was especially heartwarming for me personally. Whether now they remember their tweets of solidarity for Muslims or not, to think the thoughts were there and that the one hashtag got a global response, reassures me of there being some hope of goodness within people of the world.

A thanks from me too

Then Finally the Peshawar Attack.

Again, this was news that I first came across on the internet, but sadder than the above. I was deeply upset to hear that a school had been attacked and as a result masses of children were killed. To think the parents of the murdered let their children go to school one day, never to see them return due to the terrible actions of a few. Nevermind the motive or the murderers, the fact that the majority of those killed were children makes this attack abominable, and when one considers all the elements of the attack again, that act can only be made worse. 

Apparently, the picture of the last boy in his class

For someone who feels pretty safe in school, I could only imagine how unsafe the remaining students must feel now, going back to school after such a happening.

As a person that potentially is all of the three  kinds of people who these stories feature (a Muslim, a Black person, a school kid),  I was definitely moved by these recent happenings

Additional Commentary

*1 I would like to bring to light social media that is often condemned to be a lot of bad things such as waste of time, unuseful etc. Social media is my way of keeping up to date; with people, current affairs, and a way to have a bit of fun and entertainment. I can definitely say here it had a positive use of how it informed me of what was going on in my world.

*2 It took me so long to write this post, too long in fact. What originally was a post only on the #BlackLivesMatter continued to be added to because I would not finish it before the next news story cam out. It bought to my attention that I definitely need to be better planned, and more focused on current tasks to hopefully spend less time and be more efficient with them. Definitely things to consider for the new year and resolutions.