Pray for the world

FOLLOWING the March 23 attacks on London, which killed four and wounded about 40 more, Indian blogger Karuna Ezara Parikh posted an emotional poem to her Instagram account.

In it she explained why she believes people should be praying for the entire world.

We are disturbed by the news from #London, but more amazed by the attention it received on social media.

I understand London is a beloved and familiar space for a lot of people

But it troubled me that #Beirut had received so little attention after the horrific bombings two days earlier.

It also troubled me that #Mosul, a place I have absolutely no connection with, received even less attention after the senseless US Coalition bombing that took place there last week. More than 200 innocent civilians were killed.

Worst of all, I found the understanding of the refugee crisis skewed and simplistic.

If you’ve been following the journeys of the people leaving their homes around the world right now, perhaps you’ll understand why the words #SyrianRefugeeCrisis are just as devastating as #PrayForLondon.

It’s time to pray for humanity. It is time to make all places beloved. It’s time to pray for the world.

There was a deadly terrorist attack this week that killed dozens and maimed hundreds, and it didn’t take place in Paris.

Islamic State (IS) suicide bombers detonated themselves in the southern part of Beirut last Thursday, killing 43 people and wounding 239.

Mainstream coverage of the Beirut attack has been sparse, pitifully dwarfing the current frenzy centring around Paris.

Beirut has also failed to attract the kind of social media attention of the Paris attacks.

In July 2015, more than a hundred Egyptians were killed by IS attacks.

In June 2015, a hundred more were killed in a bombing in Ankara, Turkey.

Then Beirut and now Paris. As Former US President Obama said after the Paris attacks, “This is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share.”

President Obama did not make an official statement in response to the Beirut attacks.

It is not Paris we should pray for. Nor London. It is the world.

Say a prayer for Paris or London by all means, but pray for more... It’s time to pray for humanity. It is time to make all places beloved. It’s time to pray for the world. Yours in Solidarity with Mankind Samaoen Osman Crawford