middle east :
A report from ROADS OF SUCCESS by LOUREEN AYYOUB ---
Hate breeds hate , it is often said . Well , what happens when love is integrated into the equation ?
Women and children have been some of the most targeted victims of ISIS ’ injustices . From public beheadings to sexual enslavement ; the question is , how much stress and distress can the body and mind truly endure ?
For Zaid , a beautiful young Yazidi boy who was minding his own business in the town of Sinjar , Iraq – stress struck him in the most shocking and unexpected manner . ISIS stormed into his parents ’ home , forcing them to convert to Islam or be killed . Zaid ’ s parents were adamant on remaining loyal to their roots and refused to accept the militants ’ ultimatum . Right before Zaid ’ s young eyes , his parents received bullets to their heads . Shot dead , immediately . Zaid ’ s body went into complete shock upon processing what had just occurred and he became paralyzed from neck to toe . He was eventually rescued and taken to the IDP camp in Duhok , Iraq , but now with the need of a wheelchair .
Zaid is one , among many children , who are left to survive with the horrid and traumatic memories of losing loved ones through the most undignified means .
Nouri , a nine-year-old Yazidi boy , now resides in a small tent with his aging grandparents after losing his own parents and remaining in the hands of ISIS . After a period of torturous captivity with every form of abuse becoming the norm , Nouri was strategically struck on his foot by ISIS , ensuring that he could never walk normally again . Although Nouri made it to the IDP camp , his club foot and traumatic experiences have caused him to be extremely withdrawn from others .
Children like Zaid and Nouri are more in need of love than ever before . Their seemingly hopeless outlooks on this world and the people in it can only be redeemed through a fresh taste of genuine compassion .
It is only when we took the time to listen to the grievances of these communities , break bread with them , encourage them , and empower them , that we began to see smiles slowly develop . If nobody takes the time to show them any sense of compassion , they will live with the lie that the world has forgotten them , which may open their hearts and minds to dangerous ideologies . Just like a political power vacuum is often consumed by whatever dissidents are brewing in the region , if a heart is facing an ideological vacuum , virtually anything could enter it .
As tensions increase with terror attacks now reactivating in our own backyard , distrust and hate towards the unknown tends to be the automatic reaction . However , as such responses unfold , the fundamentalist ’ s mentality also worsens . But as we saw with Zaid , Nouri , and so many others , the only option to destroy this now global epidemic is to display the other side of humanity - love .
So , hate may indeed breed hate - until love intercedes and disrupts the cycle .
ROADS OF SUCCESS Founder & Member : Yvette Isaac Member of HIM Since 2010
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