“The politics of murdering children”

“The politics of murdering children”

By Pastor Rasheed Z Baaith

     “He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent” (Psalm 10:8)

A new politics has emerged that is having an impact all over the world, a politics born out of fanaticism, unfiltered anger and homicidal beliefs. It is the killing of children and the decision by some to view them as targets of opportunity to gain revenge, notoriety and money.

In the Middle East, already a cauldron of nationalistic irrationality, Israeli teen agers were kidnapped and murdered by Palestinian extremists and in turn a Palestinian teen was kidnapped and murdered by Jewish extremists. It seems it is not enough that children are killed on both sides in what is viewed as collateral damage by bombings and shootings, the adults in their blood lusts are now attacking children in the most direct and violent ways possible. How anyone can view the murders and kidnapping of children as acceptable political and/or war strategy is way past my comprehension level?

I understand the Middle East is a war zone and it is a sad fact that children die in war. But to target them directly is barbaric and vicious. And those labels apply to both the Israelis and the Palestinians responsible for these crimes. Neither party can voice the mantra of “We’re just trying to survive” with any real conviction. Murdering children is not about survival, it is about sanctioned terrorism on the softest of targets.  In a word, it is reprehensible.

In Nigeria Boko Haram has been murdering Nigerian boys for at least the past five years. In February of this year, Boko Haram killed 40 – 60 boys by shooting them as they attempted to escape from the attack on their school. Others had their throats cut or were burned alive as the buildings were set on fire. I’m willing to bet most of us didn’t know of that mindless atrocity.  That brings us to another point: what does it take for the global press to bring attention to these kinds of inhumane behaviors? Is it the location, the language spoken by the victims, the color of their skin or their gender? How can the kidnapping of girls bring global attention that the burning alive of boy children does not?

Speaking of which, how many of us are still praying for our Nigerien daughters kidnapped by Abubakar Shekau and his henchman? I hope all of us. Prayer works, 63 woman and girls recently escaped and returned to their burnt village where 30 men had been killed by Shekau’s orders.

With him, it’s not just the politics, “There is a market for selling humans,” Shekau said. Yes, I imagine there is.

Of course, it’s not just terrorists and governments who have targeted children, here in America, young people are using guns as a way of controlling people, events and territory like never before. In Chicago over the holiday week end, 60 people were shot and seven killed; and it seems Miami is as deadly as the streets of Iraq.

I think the Bible sums it up best: “Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:7)