The terrorists' war, a fight with no cause

Ema Apenu, London

I grieve with a heavy heart for those affected by the bombings in Bali last Saturday, and feel enraged towards those cowards who use religion as a means to murder innocent people searching for their daily means...

I only just returned from a trip to Bali. I left Bali on the 26th of September after spending 10 days memorable there. I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel in the heart of Kuta overseeing the beach where I was only a stones throw from Kuta square where the bombs went off.

Had I still been there, it would almost be certain that I and my fiancie would have been either at the Raja having a meal, or getting a massage next door, or walking to or back from the food court at the Mateharri Shopping complex that stands at the center of Kuta square.

Seeing images from the coverage of the explosion distorted memories I carried back with me of this paradise island that gave me so much during the time I spent there.

I just can't get over the sheer horror and devastation I see; I was there not up to a week ago, I met some of those people lying there now injured or lifeless; they shared smiles with me, shared time and memories with me, those innocent people, those lovely people going about the daily hustle trying to make a living, just about getting by with what they earn. Why them?

What did they do? Most of the waiters that work at the raja live on a salary of less than #100 per month, yet they serve with sincere appreciation, caring for your every request ensuring you have a memorable experience. They stand there welcoming you till late with a smile, was that their crime?

What did those lovely people in the Reflexology massage spa do? Mostly sitting or standing outside with their advert boards and flyers asking you ever so politely if you would like to have a massage; And If you chose to have one, which we did almost daily, you are ushered inside the building where there is always a queue waiting for this magical experience. As you go inside the building on the ground floor, there is also a cyber cafi with phone booths for those wishing to make international calls, and sitting there is a lovely pregnant lady who always has a smile to and a warm greeting to share; what did she do? What was her crime? What did they all do?

On that stretch of road in Kuta square lies shops that stay open till late, bars, restaurants and even a KFC; all these local people that stand there daily providing all these services with sincere warmth, welcoming you to experience a slice of their heaven. All the motorbikes for rent, the taxi drivers tugging at you for a fare, the agents with winning vouchers for the various hotels that stop you and give you a good laugh as you walk by; what did they all do?

The seafood restaurants at Jimbaran that give us the opportunity to eat our food and watch the waves from the sea come to bed; to hear the sound of the water mixed with the singers that come to your table and sing you a classic and make the experience something exceptional; the care shown as the proprietor offers you and all others who visit his establishment a free ride back to your hotel; What did they do to deserve this?

Bali is a tourist town, designed and built to provide an experience that is unique and true only to Bali. The people there show you love, they appreciate your being there as they know you bring opportunity, you bring hope; they welcome you not because you buy, but because you dare to try. As one of the very few Black people there, I was privileged to get even more attention. Getting smiles and hearing chants of "yo brother, what's up?" as I walked down the street; people walking up to me and asking me where I'm from, shaking my hand, making me feel special. All these people depend on us the tourists for their daily bread. Is that their crime?

My trip to Bali provided so many experiences that literally transformed my life, and I'm devastated at this tragedy and enraged at the cowards who hide their murderous intent behind extremism. Those coward who would never put themselves at risk, but prey on weaker minds to fight for a cause that has no relevance or significance to us as a species trying to coexist and understand why we are all here.

Most religions teach compassion and brotherhood, love and forgiveness; but these cowards focus on distorting the ethos to serve their personal so called political agenda. If they have any inclination of what pain and suffering they cause to those who are just trying to get by, make a living, or share a moment with loved ones; the livelihood for so many taken away, the reality they now have to face and the fears and losses they have to embrace; All this pain and suffering for what? What do they want? What is the gain?

Yes, we recognize that you are a coward, that you are ready to die cause you don't know how to live; you existence is justified by hate and your heart is darkened by the fear of what you don't understand. Read that book well, read to understand, and maybe some light would be shed on those beliefs you have; maybe then you'd realize the consequence of what you have done, and the utter irrelevance of what you are doing.

If GOD is love, and you claim to fight in his name, then how can you act with such contempt in His name? Why take the fight to those who have done you no wrong? To those like you who live here on this planet searching for the significance of their lives? Are you the only one with an ideology, with a cause to die for? Are you the only one with a problem?

If you chose to make a statement, why not make one that benefits mankind? Isn't that the essence of being part of a family? Aren't we all here now, in this place? Do you know why I am here or what I was sent here to do? You didn't create me, so why do you feel that you have the right to take my life, any life?

These cowards have no conscience, they have no mission to fight for, they worship no God I have ever heard of; they are just murderers seeking for a means to justify their perverted inclinations.

I just don't understand what those innocent people did to deserve this kind of savagery?

The writer is a qualified Electrical/Electronics Engineer who just recently returned from Bali.