The world does not mournfor Muslims

Over the past few years, we have witnessed many horrible terror attacks in the Western world and, most of all, in the Third World. Each of these attacks shocked the peaceful majority of people worldwide – independently of race, religion, or social status.

We took care of the victims and condemned the terrorists’ actions.

True – attacks in the Western world gained more attention than similar attacks in the Third World, or in Islamic countries. The former atrocities were covered more extensively in the media, they were discussed more intensely by politicians, and they led to stronger reactions from the populations – primarily via social media.

My explanation for this difference in impact was the better media and broader internet access in the Western world and the fact that many people in Islamic countries are jaded due to the wars and attacks there.

▶︎ However, the terrible attack in New Zealand has destroyed my line of argument.

I was wrong. We, the people, independently of our race, religion, or social status, do not mourn in the same way for all victims of similar attacks. We do not condemn all terrorists in the same way. The media do not cover the massacre in the same way – and our politicians do not engage in the same efforts.

We only take to the streets, post our condolences, and change our profile pictures for “white victims”. An attack on Muslims – even in the First World country – does not lead to the same kind of outrage in the media. Politicians do not march hand in hand for peace. Nothing is projected onto memorials and buildings to show our solidarity.

I can’t even point my finger at the “non-Muslim world”. In Muslim countries, there is the same lack of declarations of solidarity.

Besides the lack of motivation to show solidarity with the Muslim victims, there are also astonishing descriptions of the perpetrator. Certain media do not write about a “terrorist”. In this case, he’s a “murderer” or a “gunman”.

So I’m wondering: Are the terms terror, terrorists, fanatics, reserved for killers with passports from Islamic countries?

Surely there will be no additional security checks at the airports after this terror attack – where randomly picked white people would have to explain that they are not connected to any terrorist organization. The latter belongs to the everyday life of people from the Islamic world.

▶︎ My final point might sound harsh, and I’m sure many readers will attack me for it. However, my hope is that some will try to understand the message behind my words.

It is incredibly sad that so many people have lost their lives. I’m mourning together with their relatives. But one thing I have to say: I’m glad the terrorist was NOT a Muslim.

In this case, the families who are mourning the loss of their loved ones are suffering – and not all Muslims.

If the constellation had been the other way around (Muslim terrorist / Christian or Jewish victims), millions of Muslims would have to suffer from the media’s attacks in the coming weeks and months. They would be collectively accused by the public, be put under general suspicion, and be observed even more closely by the security services.

My prayers are with the victims – but nothing will happen. The victims will be buried. The terrorist will go to prison. We will continue to live our lives. And there will be further terror attacks on Muslims.

*Daud Noorzai (41) is considered one of the best-known and influential German Afghans. He is particularly advocating for women and the younger generation in Afghanistan. He was awarded the Afghan state medal. Noorzai was born in Kabul in 1977. He fled to Germany with his family, where he grew up and studied economics. In 2004, he went back to Afghanistan on his own initiative. He founded one of the biggest media outlets, then went into politics and became head of the office of the President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, in 2015. Lately, Noorzai has also founded a consulting company in Kabul that specializes in foreign investment and big infrastructure and energy projects. 60 young Afghans work in his office, with a 30 percent share of women. To this day, Noorzai consults with many young politicians in the country and contributes to its modernization.