IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray
# 184-A
May 9, 2014
“Once a mother…”
May 11th touts mothers, natural ones, adoptive ones and stand-in ones — those women who look out for children ahead of themselves and move heaven and earth to protect them.
Today, when mother around the world writhe in agony over suffering children, hungry children, and threatened children, we must not forget those mothers in Nigeria whose daughters were kidnapped by the fanatic militant Muslim group Boko Haram. Muslim society is well known for mistreating women and relegating them to low status. Among their practices are forced female circumcision (without benefit of anesthesia), burying to their necks in sand and stoning to death women simply accused of adultery, honor killings of young women by family members — often by their own fathers
I have one question. Where are the feminists in this fight? Although I often disagree with some of the women in Congress for extreme views, I must agree with those who come forward demanding that something be done about Boko Haram.
It is interesting to read that former Secretary of State Clinton did not designate this group as a terrorist group. Just what kind of depravity must a group engage in to warrant her condemnation? Maybe someone should ask.
I must refer to a comment by a Purdue military history professor. There is no such thing as partial victory. You either achieve complete victory or no victory at all. Again and again, the world community witnesses a repeat of prior horrific deeds.
Apply Boko Haram’s military strategy to it. Eliminate it with no mercy. Remember, it also makes it a practice to gun down Christians and murder innocents by the hundreds. Simply droning a leader does no good. Followers label the dead leader a martyr and another quickly steps into his place.
This Sunday when you, or any of the women in your life, enjoy a child’s hand made card, open a gift, or sniff a wonderful bouquet of flowers, please take a moment to remember those mothers across the world lacking basic respect and freedom to rear their children in safety.
Some claim that, worldwide, people are the same. I counter with a clear comparison. Consider the cry “Women and children first!” In the Western world, that cry is to save women and children first. But, in the Muslim world — especially among militant Muslim groups — men place women and children directly in the line of fire. Oh, these men put the women and children first, but first to die.
Pray for the world to come together to find these kidnapped young girls, return them to their mothers, and — most importantly —destroy the evil afoot in Nigeria. The world community must set an example for any other group that would plan such evil acts. Militants only understand force. The world must exert a crushing defeat to their evil ways.
There are differences among cultures. What’s more, there are differences in the way women are treated. Every day should be the Mother’s Day we know. Think about it.