Until we start listening, no city will be safe

Immediately after the Friday 13th massacre in Paris, some cities around the world covered their monuments in the French tricolour to express mourning and solidarity. Netizens did the same with their Facebook profile photos.

And almost immediately, they were accused of discrimination.

One day before the Paris attacks by jihadists, Beirut was hit by twin bombings that killed more than 40 people. Yet, that tragedy didn’t really gain major coverage. The media was also harshly criticised for being Eurocentric and racist for valuing white people’s lives and deaths more than people of colour, especially Muslims. Why Paris, not Beirut? Why Ratchaprasong, not the deep South?

Honestly, I am not being cynical. On the contrary. All lives cut short by senseless atrocities deserve our deepest condolences. But if we understand why we react differently to different situations, maybe we are getting a little bit closer to ending the vicious cycle of violence.

Critics cite Islamophobia as one of the reasons for mainstream indifference to the deaths and violence Muslims face. If that is the case, we should investigate why the world is outraged by the plight of the Rohingya. And in Thailand’s case, why such outrage does not exist.

While Islamophobia may indeed play a part, can there be other reasons less mundane that account for such indifference? Undeniably, when violence becomes routine, it no longer shocks, no matter who the victims are. When our hearts become numbed, who should we blame?

The level of shock and horror is also determined by the level of our own expectation of its possibility. The less expected, the more shocking it is.

Beirut and the deep South are already viewed as war zones by the public. When terrorism strikes right in the heart of a capital believed to be relatively safe, the greater the shock and grief. Greater still is the chilling fear that such an atrocity will strike us too when we least expect it.

We may be able to justify our fear. But it would be a mistake to overlook complaints about double standards, especially when the grievances are real and coming from the victimised.

It would be an even greater mistake to allow governments to use public fear to legitimise their use of greater violence to retaliate, which will kill more innocent people. There is no quicker way to push the oppressed into the arms of terrorist networks.

The situations in France and Thailand are different, yet certain similarities stand out.

As France hunts down people involved in the Paris attacks, and as the southern violence drags on into its 11th year, we witness the same growing anti-Muslim and anti-migrant sentiments.

The jihadist movement is blamed for its lethal mix of political ideology and religious extremism. Although true, it is economic hardship, cultural alienation and religious oppression that foster a deep sense of being wronged among the Muslim populace, and that pushes many to violence.

This is true with angry Muslim youths in Molenbeek in Belgium and their peers in Thailand’s restive South.

As France is stepping up expensive air strikes on IS strongholds in Syria, Thailand has spent over 200 billion baht in the past decade to uproot the southern insurgency. More than 6,000 people have been killed, or about 600 deaths a year. That should be shocking, yet our hearts are numbed. Meanwhile, torture as part of state terrorism goes on unquestioned whereas justice remains largely beyond reach. Certainly, the end of the violence is not within sight.

How to get out of the trap? How to prevent home-grown radicalisation leading to more bloodshed?

I see the answers in my Muslim friends. They are devout, yet open to the modern world and other cultural differences. Not because they are better people, but because education and work opportunities give them other fulfilling channels to pursue meaning in life while being good Muslims.

The Malay Muslims in the deep South keep telling us what it takes to restore peace. Respect for their cultural identity and history. Protection of their natural resources which are sources of their livelihoods. And — at a minimum — administrative decentralisation to give locals more say to run and improve their lives.

The problem is we are not listening. We believe force is the answer for fear of losing control. Unless we start to redress our mistakes, the terrorists will never struggle to hire new recruits. And as the Paris attacks have shown us — no city will be safe.