Manchester

Hello dear readers.

Today, you join a saddened and somewhat conflicted blogger

You may find that the following post is somewhat lacking in this blog’s usual light hearted irreverence as the Seated Perspective spotlight turns recent tragedy and touches on both politics and religion in doing so.

I am, of course talking about Monday’s suicide bombing in Manchester.

What We Know

It was a brutal, senseless, attack. One that robbed 22 people of their lives and injured a reported 59 The repercussions of this devastation will be felt by families and communities far and wide for a long time to come and must surely appal and dismay any sane person who has heard of this barbarity.

The facts of the matter are still a little unclear. We know the name of the man who committed this atrocity. Salman Abedi was a twenty -two year old native of Manchester. Born of Libyan refugees. He was reportedly a ‘regular kid’ , someone known to have gone out, had a drink and behaved pretty much as one might expect a young man to behave.

But something changed and approximately a year ago Abedi dropped off the grid. It is known that in that time he visited Libya and possibly Syria and that may be where he became radicalised. Why, we can only guess at but it may be that whilst travelling he saw first hand some of the damage done by western bombs and bullets in those countries. His sister Johanna is quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying.

"I think he saw children - Muslim children - dying everywhere and wanted revenge. He saw the explosives America drops on children in Syria, and he wanted revenge:"

Whether it was indeed this, some unknown person or organisation whispering a perverted twisting of the message of Islam into the ear of a young and impressionable man, or perhaps some combination of the two is unclear but something happened to change a seemingly normal, if somewhat withdrawn Manchester lad, into the person who detonated a bomb packed with shrapnel consisting of screws, nails, and bolts in a crowd of young families and children.

The Way Forward

Now this is of course only the latest in a seemingly growing number of attacks targeted at ‘the west’ and I think it is beyond obvious that something must be done to prevent a re-occurrence. The question, of course, remains as to what that something is.

There are some who believe more violence is the answer. That we should meet aggression with aggression. Surely though, that just leads to ever decreasing circles of hate, intolerance, and a growing list of the dead and injured.

Then there are some that would have us deport every single Muslim from the country. Uprooting families and even entire communities. Sending children, to, well the only destination I can think of would be ‘back’ to a devastated war zone, and, potentially, the very forces that lead to the radicalisation of young minds. Not a win, if you ask me.

No. For what it’s worth. The opinion of this blogger. A man who has never studied international relations, theology, or politics; a man who’s highest academic achievement, in fact, is a BTEC in business studies, is that the only way to stop the violence is through understanding, through building bridges, through admitting the mistakes of the past, and through acceptance.

On Faith

That is by no means saying that I have any sympathy for the monsters that commit such atrocities. It is by no means making any excuses for such actions and, in fact, I decry and denounce violence in all it’s forms whoever perpetrates it, especially, but not exclusively, when aimed at the innocent, including children. It is also not to say that I don’t have my ongoing issues with religion as a whole and how, in small groups in can bring people together, fostering a sense of identity, unity, and purpose; but that in the larger sense fosters difference, a them and us mentality of god’s chosen true believers and those that are misguided, worshipping awry, or just plain wrong. It is interesting to note that the three major religion that have possibly shed the most blood over the centuries, actually worship the same god.

Of course that is not to say the big three are the only ones with such violent minorities in their midst. Something like the bombings in Manchester and Paris are that little closer to home and therefore tend to be more in the public consciousness but it is true to say that there has been strife and discord amongst other religions too, not perhaps to the same extent but most definitely present. It seems to this godless heathen, that there is something about the pure, hammer hardened certainty of such beliefs (certain political and sociological ideologies too.) that can be used to excuse, and perhaps even encourage seeing others as lesser, as corrupted, as, well, not being us. That in turn can lead to tribalism, and in turn... To violence.

Admitting that the situation in the middle east does not exist in isolation is vital as well. We in the west, or at east those we voted to represent us have affected the geopolitical landscape in ways that I don’t think were considered at the time. The vacuum of power that those actions left behind and the justification that they make in the minds of Jihadis and those that recruit and nurture them have a direct influence on events like Monday’s. It would be foolish to think other wise.

Coming Together

I may be an idealist. I may be being unrealistic, but the way forward, for me, is to bring down those walls, to find out a little about what others believe and why they believe it. I think an openness of mind is called for although I would always advocate a thorough and honest examination and questioning of, not just others beliefs but those of yourself. It is always important to entertain the possibility you could be wrong.

So, yes talk. Where there is suspicion, find out some facts. Where you see someone as different, discover a little about those differences. Be prepared to talk about your disagreements without dismissal, and be prepared to be flexible with your most closely held axioms. If we do this. If we open the dialogue with the mainstream, non-violent majority of those who are different from us and invite them to do the same then maybe, just maybe, this world stands a chance.

Until next time...