The intention of part one of this series was to suggest where our fears come from. That is not what this series is about. My aim is to do the opposite of those who seek power by provoking fear.
I aim to humanise those we have dehumanised through our reinforcement and fear of otherness.
The above video is of an english actress. The intent of the film-makers is clear. To help you to put yourself in the shoes of the victims. This film was manufactured by somebody who scripted a scene to manipulate your viewpoint. Some people are less inclined to let themselves feel sympathy knowing the child is just an actress.
For this reason I present you with a real girl.
This real girl really has been through the story depicted in the narrative above.
A little Syrian girl, Aisha (5 years old), selling tissues on the streets of Turkey to help her family survive, is absolutely shaken when she sees a man in uniform (police) coming towards her. So much so, she grabs on to a passer-by for dear life. Despite the officer's attempt to calm her down, she repeatedly begs to be let go and promises to not do it again, thinking she is going to be punished for her crimes. Her style used to make the emphatic promise was the gesture used by some Arabs of kissing her hand and placing her finger on her forehead, which children use when asking for forgiveness after doing something terribly wrong.
Her behavior highlights the psychological background of the Children of Syria towards "military dress". Imagine what these children must have suffered to scare them like this.
Now just how different are the islamists?
Aren't their women severely oppressed?
They wear the hijab...
We wear the white wedding dress.
If you really think wearing a hijab is what makes these women oppressed then why do we still insist on wearing the colour of chastity or celebacy or purity on our wedding day? If you can say that it is your choice to wear that colour, then can you respect when they say it is their choice to wear the hijab?
Israa the 11 year old Syrian refugee
Lets move on to the story of Israa. Israa and her family have been through a lot. They lost their city of Aleppo.
Without a story any human may become a "media narrative", just a refugee or "migrant".
"Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity."
∼Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie