think of the children...

The other day, while sipping my morning coffee and checking the news from the rest of the world, I came upon a story that made me furious. On Wednesday taliban "fighters" detonated a bomb in Pakistan that killed at least 8 people. Sure, three of the victims were American soldiers, but the rest were civilians, and not just any old civilians, children. The blast also destroyed a recently rebuilt school which is where at least four children were crushed in the rubble.

My heart goes out to the families of the victims. While it doesn't dull the pain of their loss, the soldiers knew they were in hostile territory, and in times of 'war' men and women in uniform are lost. That's simply a shitty fact of life. But the civilians who were there to celebrate the opening of their new school, an institution that is designed to enlighten and build communities, were robbed of not just their sons, daughters, family and friends, but also their future. Across the world, the greatest indicator for success in a community is the percentage of population with an education. ANY education. The taliban may say they were attacking the Americans and destroying an American project, but dammit they hit the Pakistanis. I know I have no idea what goes on in the minds of the taliban cowards, but how can you justify such a target? How can you look a neighbour in the eye and know that tomorrow, you're going to kill their daughter and ruin their family's chances of getting an education? The literacy rate in Pakistan is somewhere near 50% and it drops considerably the further away you get from the cities (I remember seeing somewhere it's 10% among farmers). How can you, as a man, say it's fine to take away the hope for a brighter future from a child? It makes me sick.

My next question is for those who somehow support the taliban... WHAT THE FUCK? Do you really think that killing children and destroying schools is what Mohammed had in mind when he said that it was every muslim's duty to fight for religious purity? I can honestly say no. In the Qur'an it's written that muslims will only ever fight the attacking soldiers, maybe the talidouchebags don't have this in their version of the Qur'an... Ch.2 V.191+194 "And fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight against you, but do not transgress. Surely, Allah loves not the transgressors. ...no hostility is allowed except against the aggressors." I'm pretty sure the killing of children would be classified a transgression and I don't know that they could be considered aggressors... It makes me sick that 'extremists' can completely overlook a KEY tenet in their holy book. And every muslim in and around the taliban and al qaeda should really take a step back and smack themselves upside the head with the Qur'an... Maybe it'll knock some sense into 'em. Or maybe it'll just knock them out. I'm ok with both results.

Bah, I apologize for the lack of structure, flow and wit in this post, but I'm just not sure how to express my dismay at how these dirtbags can run around in several parts of the Middle East with impunity despite their disregard for the cause they claim to be fighting for... that's all I've got for now.