That is why I believe confronting extremism requires courage inside our homes as well; the courage to review what we say, what we allow to be said in front of our children, and what we reshare without thinking. We must pause at the sentence that teaches contempt, the tone that turns cruelty into a virtue, and the laughter that rewards insult.
«This one is an infidel», «All of these are infidels», «Whoever is not on our doctrine is astray», «We alone are the people of truth», «There is no good outside our organization», «Whoever does not join us has chosen falsehood». In such discourse, a human being's life is reduced to a verdict cast upon them, erasing their deeds and morals, as if the speaker knows what is in hearts and holds authority over the destinies of creation.
And when the extremist organization monopolizes the truth, it becomes the sole reference that determines for a person whom to love and whom to hate, what to listen to and what to reject. Its members are granted a certificate of righteousness, and distancing oneself from it becomes an accusation requiring defense. One of the most dangerous things about this is that a person feels assured of their righteousness simply by belonging, ceasing to question what they do.
His difference existed all those years. It existed when he opened his door to us, when he checked on our sick, when he helped us in distress, and when he shared his bread, time, and worries with us. How does it suddenly become a reason to deny his grace, abandon him in his ordeal, or gloat over his misfortune? What happened to everything we knew of him firsthand, for it to be defeated by a phrase of incitement we heard from someone who doesn't even know him?
What are these hearts that darken with malice? Where are kindness and mercy? And what kind of morals are these that feel no sympathy for the suffering, no grief for loss, and no compassion for a mother crying over her child? I cannot accept this numbness, nor this evil and malice in dealing with people's pain. Gloating over a stricken person, relishing their helplessness, and trying to prevent others from comforting them are things that make me feel nauseous.
And what hurts me most is when these phrases are uttered with a tone of self-satisfaction, as if the speaker did the right thing by closing their heart. What virtue is there in seeing someone whose kindness you knew suffer, only to seek a pretext to abandon him? And what loyalty remains if years of companionship all collapse at the first instance of incitement?
I want our children to preserve people's affection, rights, and grace, and to understand that a difference in religion does not erase love, invalidate a neighbor's right, or nullify the duty of loyalty. Whoever stood by us deserves to be remembered for their stance, and whoever lived among us in safety deserves to find safety with us. I will not accept raising a child to disown someone who loved them, or teaching them that hardness of heart is proof of true faith.
The ignorance that worries me is this insistence on not knowing, yet speaking confidently about people, their religions, and their intentions. Its proponents say: «I know them», and when you ask them about anyone they actually know among them, they repeat a story they heard. And they say: «Everyone knows the truth about them», as if repeating an accusation makes evidence unnecessary.... To be continued in the second and final part
