You all must be following the news about the riots in Ferguson, Missouri and the beheading of an American photojournalist, James Foley. I see a tie-in between the two stories that many here seem to miss.
Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night and found out that the TV I thought I had turned off was still on. I am pleased that I got to hear Megyn Kelly of Fox News mildly rebuke her producers for showing footage of the riots in Ferguson, Missouri, as she and her guests were discussing the very recent beheading of Mr. Foley by ISIS terrorists. Good job Kelly, she gets it.
The foregoing fit right in with what I’ve been thinking as I juxtapose in my mind the video of the rioters with the video of Foley’s execution. I wonder: So these are the young men who are supposed to fight for America against ISIS? Do the rioters know that there is a bigger threat to their lives than “racist” policemen? They are real pigs out there who want to kill all Americans and all those who live in America, regardless of their colour, creed, income bracket, grievance or immigration status.
The liberal media is failing to put the war on terrorism in its proper perspective even after the savage beheading of Mr. Foley. Gen Michael Hayden is among the few sounding the alarm. Focusing on racism in America fits into the liberals’ meme: America is a racist country. They would have us believe that America’s policemen are the worst. They have not heard real stories about police brutality in other countries. Some Nigerians here are piling on the America is racist narrative as if policemen are saints where they come from.
I want to ask the Ferguson rioters some questions: Do you care only about the killing of one Black teenager? What about pausing to mourn the gruesome beheading of a fellow American? Some of the rioters would call themselves Christians, so I would like to ask them, “What about the killing of fellow Christians in the Middle East, does that concern you in any way? What about just caring about the killing of fellow human beings in Iraq and Syria — some buried alive?
As for the women participating in the Ferguson riots I want to ask them: Do you not also care about the plight of fellow women who along with their children have been trapped on mountain tops in Iraq and are running out of food and water? What about the kidnapping of almost 300 Nigerian girls by Boko Haram terrorists?
The colour of skin of a victim of real or perceived persecution should not be the only factor that galvanises people into action. They are other things we share in common —- nationality, neighbourhood, gender, humanity, religion —- so we should not be so insular as to focus only racism. The killing of an unarmed teenager (Black, White or Brown) should be cause for concern and an investigation should definitely be demanded. But the riots have gone on for about 10 days and the people who are bearing the brunt of the riots are shop owners who did nothing wrong. My extended family members own a store and the thought of their store being vandalised fills me with dread.
When the rioters say “No Justice, No peace,” I wonder, “ how do they define “no peace.” We already know how they define “justice” —- conviction of policeman Darren Wilson. So is “no peace” endless looting of stores? Attacking policemen? Whatever happened to the concept of nonviolent protests that our hero, Martin Luther King taught us?
How I wish the parents of Michael Brown would say something along these lines: We don’t want any other parents to experience what we are going through, so let us honour the memory of our son by stopping the riots.
If a policeman were to shoot an unarmed teenager in my village or any where else in Nigeria what reaction would that provoke? What would the president of Nigeria say? What would the governor of the state where the shooting took place say?
I don’t think any Nigerian governor would say what Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri said. He said on national TV that there must be justice for the family of Michael Brown (not policeman Darren Wilson) and that the policeman must be prosecuted. So he is not waiting for the findings of any investigation panel. Some of these liberal White men think they are helping Black people when they disregard the value systems that have served humanity well for eons.
There is such a thing as respect for those who exercise authority in any society, and when one of them seems to have fallen short of the honour conferred on him by his position, he should not be thrown under the bus by his boss without him getting a chance to give his own side of the story.
It is time for the churches in Ferguson and its environs to do more to restore peace and unity in their mission field and demand justice for all concerned.