I am Ahmed
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I am not Charlie... I am Ahmed the dead cop. Charlie disrespected me and ridiculed my faith and culture and I died defending his right to do so. #JesuisAhmed
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There is something very attractive about the "I am Ahmed" sentiment. His death received pretty much an "honorable mention" in the mainstream press. I guess I should be impressed that one Muslim got attention for doing something that wasn't seen as subversive or extremist.
I understand that I will not ever be able to appreciate fully a point of view that is not American, but I do try and think about what it must be like to not have had my advantages. (Maybe that in itself is too American). I think that I understand how people from other countries and cultures could feel oppressed and how that can change the way one thinks. But I lack the ability to make it okay in my mind that people could celebrate mass murderers, as, apparently, some Pakistanis felt obliged to do -- and American media felt obliged to present. I will also admit that on the night it was broadcast that Osama bin Laden had been killed, and they showed Americans celebrating in the streets, I felt ashamed. I was not a bin Laden fan, but it seemed that the death of a human being deserved a bit more decorum.
I think we are desensitized to the humanity and dignity of others. It makes me sad. We do everything from a distance and do not understand human impacts. We dehumanize each other to make it okay to hurt each other. Shameful.