A Reflection On The Boston Bombings.

After the Boston twin bombings last Monday, I like many others, was left with countless questions. How can somebody be sick enough to hurt people? To kill? To inflict such terror on innocent people? Unlike others, my questions became deeper and deeper after witnessing the ignorance that was being spoken. Almost immediately after the bombings, the question was raised “was this a terrorist act?” Living in the post-9/11 world of today, the word terrorist has become synonymous with Muslims, Arabic speaking people, people who look Middle Eastern or of Arabic descent. Were the Boston bombings a terrorist act? Of course they were. The word terrorist is defined as "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposed; the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization."

So how can practically all news outlets and people not call the horrific events that took place a terrorist act? Simply because they didn't have a Muslim or "Arab" to pin it on. Once the shock of something such as a bombing occurring on American soil, in one of our biggest cities, the ignorance came out and all I can think is “this is why people hate America and it’s people.” Americans and their ignorance cause terrorism. No, it is not alright to harm others but to sit back and wonder why people hate America so much without looking at the ignorance of it’s own people is wrong. A student from Saudi Arabia was questioned relentlessly for five hours while lying in a Boston hospital after sustaining injuries from the bomb. It’s clear that because of where he is from, he was labeled as a suspect. Here is someone who values America enough to come to this country probably spend thousands on an education that would most likely be free and better in his own country, but he came here to the “promise land.” 

After 9/11 people began to grow weary of Muslims and rightfully so, but instead of realizing that they aren’t all the same-they grouped them all together. Right now it’s the Muslim’s turn to be discriminated against in our “great” land. Almost every race, nationality, sexual choice, and sex has been discriminated against, so why stop now? The problem is that to Americans anyone foreign, gay, the opposite sex, a different religion, etc is wrong and it’s easier to hate than to love. It’s easier to judge the woman with her hair covered than to ask her why she made the personal choice to cover her hair. It’s not easy being a Muslim in America and after Monday’s ignorance, it doesn’t look like things will change anytime soon. What people fail to realize is that there is good and bad in every creed.  We just passed the 18th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombings by American terrorist, Timothy McVeigh. Timothy was a white, Christian who killed 168 people and injured 450 others because he was angry at America. Should we ban all White, Christians like many people have suggested be done to Muslims? No, we shouldn't.

 America needs to open it’s eyes and understand that as long as she and her people continue to spew hatred towards others, we will forever remain a victim. It's time for America to realize that not everyone is going to like us. Divided we stand, united we will fall.