Reflective Essay

This semester I was exposed to the inter-connectedness between terrorism, globalization and social justice.  A connection I was unable to link prior to this class. Without a doubt, this course was insightful and opened me up to realize the complexities and widespread emergence of terrorism.  Living in North America the word terrorism is often synonymous with the “Middle East” or “Islam” but this course opened me up to understand that terrorism is an issue for a lot of religions and is also in almost every part of the world from Canada and the United States to Europe, Asia and Africa.      

Out of the various core concepts that were introduced to me throughout this course the one that stood out to me the most and will most likely resonate with me for a long time would be the “global sociological imagination.”  The definition of this term is “the quality and capacity of mind to link one’s life, decisions, actions and indeed life chances locally to the myriad of decisions, actions, and indeed inactions of people in other parts of the world.” (Quist-Adade, 2012, pg.14)  This is a concept which is an extension of the “global village.”  What happens in one part of the world has instant repercussions in other parts of the world.   This core concept helped me understand sociological issues that were covered in this course because it made me understand that although there may be violence and terrorism occurring in other parts of the world which are far away in terms of geographical location these actions have instant repercussions in my part of the world because the world is a global village.  Often we ignore issues in other parts of the world because we don’t think that there our own problems and we see them as being far away and not something to be concerned over.  However, this term made me put into perspective how small our world actually is in that the decisions made in one side of the world impact the other side almost instantly.   

A specific concept that I had preconceived notions about prior to this class would be Social Justice.  Initially, if someone mentioned the concept social justice to me like many other ordinary people I automatically thought about poor kids starving in some third world country.  What this course made me realize was that failing to resolve issues surrounding social justice was causing young people to join terrorist organizations.  This course helped me shatter the notion that all terrorist organizations are created without any reason and just trying to create some ruckus without a cause but I realized that people such as me who has a luxurious life in a western nation such as Canada are failing to help human counter-parts in other parts of the world and therefore these people are resorting to terrorist organizations because they offer something better than what they already have or are currently being given.  I was unaware of the connection between social justice and terrorism.  In addition, I was also unaware that war was not a universal concept.  I feel that the generation I am born in has witnessed a lot of violence and therefore we fail to realize that there are cultures in this world that don’t even have a word for war.  This gives me hope for the future that a world without violence is possible.  Ultimately, if we continue to ignore social issues of oppression and global inequality in other parts of the world the terrorism problem will only continue to grow.

In conclusion, this course helped me expand and open my outlook and understand the interconnectedness between terrorism, globalization and social justice.  Overall, what I particularly enjoyed about this course was that it provided me with information and ideas that will assist me throughout my lifespan.  Unlike other courses where most students forget all that they have learned right after writing the final exam I feel that the information that I have learned in this class will resonate with me always.

Class Discussion: One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter (Paraphrastic Reading)

In the beginning of the semester we were presented with a quote which states “One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter.”  The class discussed vigorously about how a terrorist to some may be a freedom fighter for another.   Therefore, where do we draw the line and how do we differentiate between a terrorist and freedom fighter.  We discussed various examples such as Che from Cuba.  Ultimately, this is a controversial issue which is hard to digest and therefore will be always be subject to debate.  The most important segment in the entire discussion would have to be “everyone’s opinions/views are different.”  I find this to be the most important segment because it makes us understand why the quote “one person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter” will always remain subject to debate.  That’s because everyone has different life experiences and  views situations differently.  Everyone has a different pain and sympathy threshold  and overall when you have individuals committing crimes to the citizens of that nation they may be a freedom fighter but to outsiders looking in they would look like a terrorist.  As a result, the class came to a consensus that it’s just a very tricky quote.

Class Discussion: Will child bombers pose a threat to western countries in the future (Affective Reading)

In class today the case study I presented was on a news article on child bombers that were arrested in Pakistan.  It discussed how children as young as 8 are being recruited to carry out suicide bombings and to transport bombings.  Then I explained to the class how this was happening globally in various parts of the world.  Therefore, the question I posed to the class was will child bombers potentially pose a threat to western countries in the future.  I feel that the class made great points about how without a doubt it could be a threat and how this would potentially increase profiling in countries such as the United States.  I think that without a doubt child bombers will pose a threat to western countries because they would potentially be able to get through the system easily due to very little suspicion of children.  I believe that this would also create issues for people because its possible that governemnet organizations will begin profiling children in fear of child bombers and this could create a lot of issues on borders and airports for parents with young children who meet the criteria of child bombers.  I know that child bombers are becoming a frequent trend in various parts of the world however I can only hope that young children can make wiser decisions and possibly parents would think twice before selling their children into a lucrative business for purchasing and selling children into this business because it is a crime to steal the childhood of these children.

Class Discussion: Islamic Extremists in Nigeria (Affective Reading)

In class today we watched a video by Al Jazeera on Islamic Extremists in Nigeria.  The video was about how Islamic Extremists are trying to make Nigeria an Islamic state in which Sharia Law will apply.  After the video everyone began discussing what we thought about the video.  The most important part of the class discussion was when we began discussing whether terrorist groups use religious as a front and the questioned posed to the class was are terrorist groups based on religion actually religious.  Overall, the class came to a consensus that in fact these terrorist groups are not religious and just use religion to excuse their behaviour.  I feel that the class discussion talked about some very important issues because often we hear about all these terrorist activities taking place around the world and we know that they base their argument for religious reasons.  I think that terrorist groups prefer using a religious excuse because they are able to recruit individuals who may believe in the same religion in order to work for them by making them interpret the religious texts in a specific way.  I believe that this is an excellent tactic and a strategic move by the terrorist organizations because it allows them to gain more popularity amongst the average citizen and I know that if they didn’t use religion as a front then perhaps there would be less people willing to work for these terrorist organizations.

Gao residents reflect on their freedom (guardian UK) (Dialectic Reading)

What question did the video raise?

Are people in Gao happy now that the liberation forces have got rid of Islamists?

How did the video answer this question?

Yes, throughout the video it was quite obvious that the people of Gao are much happier due to the freedom they now have.  Many people stated that they were unhappy with the Islamists because they had imposed the hijab and forbade all forms of entertainment.  Now that they are gone people are enjoying music, modern clothing and freedom.

How does the answer match our own ideas and experiences?

It was great to see that these people are now happy and able to do as they please.  Personally, I would have a very hard time following strict rules which forbade specific clothing and entertainment because I prefer choosing my own clothes and entertainment is important in my life.  Therefore, it was great to see that people of Gao were now able to make their own choices happily.

Pakistan marked blast leaves devastation in Quetta (guardian UK) (Paraphrastic)

This video was about a bomb attack that took place in the Quetta region of Pakistan.  The neighbourhood that was attacked was Shia-dominated.  During this attack there were approximately 65 people who died and 180 which were injured.  The responsibility was taken by a Sunni militant group. A five-sentence segment that I thought was the most important in the video was “…us who are getting killed.”  I found this to be the most important because it was very powerful  and indicated that Shias were being “othered” for their beliefs and therefore being attacked. It is the whole concept of us and them.  The Sunnis of Pakistan don’t have the same fears as these Shias. Shia localities in various parts of Pakistan are often the targets of many bomb attacks which results in a lot of fatalities. No blasts occur in Sunni dominated areas whereas the Shia dominated areas are being targeted. Unfortunately, this is something I am aware of and the reality is that often Shias in Pakistan are enduring hardships due to their distinct and different Islamic belief system and supposed alliance with Iran in a country like Pakistan where the majority of people are Sunni.  This is an unfortunate reality where people of the Shia community now no longer feel safe even at home due to the targeted bomb attacks that people from their community face on a daily basis throughout Pakistan.

Malala Yousafzai: first interview since getting shot by Taliban (guardian UK) (Dialectic Reading)

What question did the video raise?

Does Malala have hope for a better future for the females in Pakistan?

How did the video answer this question?

Yes Malala does hope for a better future and now that she has the world supporting her she is more confident in what she believes in and is still advocating rights for girls and women to have the right to educate themselves.  She sees her survival as a new life to continue what she has started.

How does the answer match our own ideas and experiences?

I personally believe that Malala exemplifies to the world that there still is hope for the women in Pakistan who want an education but aren’t able to due to social customs and fear of the Taliban.  She exemplifies that despite the hardships that these women are enduring you should not give up and continues fighting especially when the rest of the world is supporting her.