We Are Humans First

A journalist called Saira left an interesting message for us. I am reproducing it below:


We all have tags, right from the moment of birth -- of name, caste, relationship, birth, domicile, wealth, race, nationality, gender, language, class and so many others. Simply cannot run away from them. And most times we get lost among these man-made tags and forget the ultimate and most natural one of all -- of being human beings and what it means to be human.

I read a story about two boys, about 8-9 years old, both badly injured in violent attacks, who were being treated in adjacent beds in a Tel Aviv hospital. One an Arab, the other an Israeli. The families of both were angry at the fact that the kids were being treated side by side. Even in that state, the kids are seen as enemies of each other than as just two small children fighting for their lives. Why is that so difficult?

We leave you with Saira's question - Why is it so difficult? Tell us.

Blogger Talks Back

We got a response from a blogger who shares his experice of attitutes of his classmated when he says he has Muslim friends.

Blogger Taurean Dude says:

Well I can relate to the post. Most of my school friends are either Muslims or Bohras and so I am very comfortable with people from either community. Infact some of my best friends are from these two communities.

But when I entered college, I came across some people who would stick to their Hindu friends and avoided being friends with Muslims, which was, kind of, weird for me.One Hindu friend once even told me, "Dude I feel shit scared even walking down Mohammad Ali road"(which has a high Muslim population). And when I told him I visited Mohammad Ali road almost every month and specially during Id for the wonderful food they serve there, he was just staring at me in shock. To him that idea seemed impossible.

I don’t know what to say to people with such mindsets, because anything you say, they just won’t hear you out. For them Al Qaida and those fanatics define these religions - which is a really sad thing.

Like it goes in the Airtel Ad, we can overcome differences if only we talk!