The Manchester Massacre

Yesterday we witnessed on our television screens a massacre of people as they enjoyed a concert by the artist Ariana Grande in Manchester, U.K. These were mostly youngsters, just having danced away as their pop idol sang those familiar songs. They were at the peak of happy emotions, and then the reality of life hit. This was done by someone with so much hate that they could not bare someone else being happy. This man, who has been identified as 22 year old Salman Abedi, had hate burning like a raging forest. It was so intense that he walked into Manchester Arena booby trapped. He looked at those kids’ faces and his one intention was to bring an end to it. And for what? In the name of many things: his religion? A deep seethed self justified hatred for the western culture? A belief that the west has been unfair to his religion, people and way of life – and the best next thing was to kill them all – or kill as much as he could. And is he the only one? No! There are many waiting in his wings to do the same thing. Their greatest success is when they are able to slip through a crack and inflict deadly heinous damage. The greatest song in their ears is the fear cry of those they have hurt. Yes rightly so, we must be aghast. We must be intolerable of this hatred. We must refute this barbaric affront.

They pit their religion against others; against Christianity; against culture; against freedom. They pit Islam against freedom and peace. Despite the clashes of culture and religion that might exist; these people have taken Islam and wrapped it in a bow of hate and they are going to dish it out no matter what. They hide under the banner of ISIS, as though ISIS really cared about them. As though ISIS will give them a pension plan, opportunities for their kids, a well paying job, a safe neighborhood, drinkable water etc. They deceive themselves that the battles they fight are more than these, whereas even these they do not have. They bear allegiance to a norm that cannot win. And do you want to know why they cannot win? Because evil never wins. And for all the people they kill, maim, and destroy in one way or the other – with their insatiable consumption of hate – they still will never win.

And so what must our reaction be? Certainly not hate. Because if so, they have won and converted us to their religion – which is really hate. And more so, we cannot see all Muslims as hateful and destructive; since being a Muslim is not a homogeneous nor monolithic belief. There are Sunnis and Shiites and other variants unnamed. Also as I have come to understand, Islam does not ask of the people to go out and blow people away. And neither does it perpetuate hate. In fact I understand it perpetuates peace. And so every Muslim must be outraged alongside every other sane human being. Not to tell them how to feel, but indeed simply to feel the way every normal human will feel who is not impregnated with hate and vile propaganda. And because I know they feel this way, it heartens me.

I remember that scripture which says light will drive out darkness. That scripture holds true today, and we must hold fast to it. Jesus is our Light. He will drive out darkness, such that darkness will not be able to comprehend. And in this case, such people who commit these crimes in the name of a belief, will find themselves on the other side of the truth.

I know all of these does not console the families of those lost in the past, or even those lost in Manchester yesterday. But we must be comforted that the Light of God cannot be deemed no matter what. And in the face of their carnage, He will shine; and shine even brighter than they can cope with. I pray God’s blessings shine on these families and comfort them in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Linda Faith

Linda faith is the Editor in Chief of Jewels Magazine. She has authored eight books. She is a prolific writer and powerful speaker, inspiring many women to be all God has called them to be. She is the founder of Joy Women’s conference which reaches out to empower, inspire and motivate women in their faith walk. She was a software developer before she started writing.