Boom

1 day on from a major milestone in our nation's history, a phenomenal effort that spent big bucks and thousands of man hours in preparation, the age-old national day songs of the 90s continue to linger in the air. Streets continue to be littered with patches of red and white, and the national flags continue to fly high, and proudly, in the housing estates. This is our 49th birthday. Having come thus far, being a fortunate generation to witness the fruits of our forefathers' sweat and blood, the whole nation shouts patriotism. The unfamiliar tunes of loyalty ring in our ears as all the bad presses from the past 1 year suddenly got swept beneath the carpet, overnight...

As the clock struck 9, and the day's programs builds up to the grand finale, streams of magnificent lights shot up into the sky. They defied gravity, they even defied norm- in a momentary instant, the famed Singapore skyline glared brilliantly, revealing the prosperity of the nation. Roaring businesses, established names, first-class infrastructures, luxurious designs, all these point toward a roaring success Singapore has achieved as a nation. Boom... boom... boom... boom... Red and blue stars added a shade of artificial beauty into the backdrop, yet at the same time hinted at an ambitious, and perhaps arrogant, intent to paint nature's portrait however we wanted it. 

Boom... boom... boom... boom... The same night, at about the same time, somewhere further west on the longitude, the synchronized ignition of explosives was about as far as the similarity stretched. Here in Iraq, what we hear about is the committing of daily atrocities- beheading of civilians, massacres of children, raping of women, enslaving of teenagers, starving of the old, running over of cities. Howls of destitute bellow through the otherwise dead night, both in metaphorical and literal sense. Isolation meant that help was either not forthcoming or has been denied. A huge part of the world continued to ponder, to think, to consider, and to even weigh. Recent war memories rendered even the big brother apprehensive about coming to the rescue of the Iraqi people. "The United States cannot and should not intervene every time there's a crisis in the world" about summed up the stance. A partial authorized air strike did little to bolster Iraqi and Kurdish forces when both stood helpless in withstanding against the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group when cities were being overrun (article). Today at this moment, even as I am writing this, thousands continue to live in fears. Genocide! One of the Iraqi MPs cried out in plea for intervention from the Parliament. This is a desperate situation. This is not just a religious war, the kind of hatred is unfounded. One video captured the decapitation of a Christian man- he was made to renounce his faith. He did. His executor spared him from the bullets and he explained that this is an act of mercy. Then he ordered for him to be beheaded, nevertheless. 

Hundreds of videos have been circulated since, and thousands of articles have been spread. Social media played a big part, with some changing their profile picture to the hebrew letter "N", which has been used as a symbol by the ISIS to identify the Nazarenes, more commonly known as the Christians, for persecution. This was an initiative started by the English church as an expression of solidarity, and it pretty much hinted at the helplessness of the general public. What can we do, like seriously; how can we contribute in tangible ways in light of all these atrocities. As the author put it in his article, "the trouble of standing in solidarity however, is that when it's done from being a laptop screen in a cosy branch of Costa Coffee, it achieves pretty much nothing."

In this side of the world, we celebrate our home, but that is their home too. Wilberforce famously said this, "you may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know", while Edmund Burke also challenged that "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Brothers and sisters, let us remember, let us stand together, let us rise up. My friends and I are going to be fasting and praying to intercede for their deliverance. Do join us in hearts, souls and minds.