The terrorists' war, a fight with no cause

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.