I hope I can

Over the last few weeks I have really been asking myself if it was reasonable to go to Africa this summer or not. I tried to make it out last summer, but I couldn’t. This summer, I want to go, but I already feel the financial pressure of being able to raise the money to get out there. It would be so much easier for my schedule and wallet to look into other options. I know that there is a lot of work that could be done here to help a lot of organizations out, but my heart is constantly reminding me of smiles on young faces in the places that I have been before. I feel like God has so much for me to do for those children that I feel sad when I cannot be with them, taking care of them, playing soccer with them, comforting them in the storms, or telling them that they are worth more than what the world whispers to them in the darkest nights.

I asked if it was possible to have a backup plan. A harness, a net, a chute. Something to fall back on if I couldn’t make it back. Honestly, I don’t want one. I would love to hope without doubt. I would love for my mind to run free with plans of what I could do with the time that I would have in the land far away. I hope beyond to the impact that it would make. I think further to the type of man I want to be, to what God has for me, to what he has for the world. Does this all play in? Does this moment, this field experience, this research question have an impact? Would I miss something if I were to stay and find something else?

I want to go. I want it to be possible. It might not be reasonable, but it’s something that I can stand in faith for. It’s something to work towards, something to hope for. I don’t even want to ask about what would happen if it doesn’t work out because I don’t want to let myself think that this won’t happen. So I won’t. There is nothing I would rather do than to spend a month in Africa, renewing relationships with orphan care centers, investigating trends, offering myself and the gifts God has given me, and the mission that He has placed in my heart concerning the welfare of these children. What else could I do?

The House of War

For our first assignment in Globalization, we were asked to explore the relationship between Globalization and Terrorism. Are they linked? What aspects of Globalization make it more likely?

I was torn on this subject due to hating the fact that 75% of terrorist acts relates in some way back to Islam. Since I have traveled a little bit, I have spent some time with Muslim people. I don’t like the way that they are portrayed in the mass/global media. They are some of the warmest, nicest, and most genuine people I have ever met. But, terrorism still happens (not always relating to Islam) and the issues are so much deeper than I addressed, but this was what I finally came up with. Please comment/discuss.

The House of War

Wherever cultures collide, there is going to be a struggle for what a culture determines as right. Due to globalization, people from all over the world have traveled to new places to learn, take jobs, and seek other opportunities as well. Muslim people do not assimilate very well into the new places that they live in. Western Europe has seen a huge influx of immigrants from Muslim countries. Many Muslim men travel to find greater opportunity for themselves and their family. Some of them have been persuaded by greed or comfort to pursue more Western ideals, dress, and ethics. Young Muslim children are growing up without their father’s present, whether physically or emotionally (not unlike the US). This leaves them open to search for value in other places. Eventually, some are picked up by the local imams and religious leaders that are usually from places such as Saudi and the Gulf States, Egypt, Morocco, and other places where well-educated imams are being sent from to be the religious leaders for the immigrants. These leaders are often more radical in their ideologies and interpretations of Holy Scriptures. They see the West as Dar al-Harb, or the House of war, and part of their purpose as good Muslims is to convert it to Dar al-Islam, or the House of Islam. Once an area has been converted, it cannot revert because it is the house of God.

Globalization affects the Muslim world in many ways. On one hand, you have Muslim people going out, taking their money, investments, and manpower outside of Muslim nations, and on the other hand, you have a huge influx of mostly Western companies, advertisers, and ideals invading Muslim nations as well. Dar al-Harb is taking strides to overcome Dar al-Islam. Along these lines are the battlegrounds for global terrorism. The young, mostly educated men are fighting against the evils of the West, attempting to establish Dar al-Islam for future generations. But, they are also unwilling to address the conflicts of their own worldview, interpretations of their religious leaders, and the responsibility of the demand for Western influence. Others who engage in terrorist acts, like female suicide bombers, do so under coercion from extremists capitalizing on their economic status. The poor have always been among us Globalization has increased the gap and put more money in the hands of the middle class and wealthy, and made the poor much poorer. The poor have often become the recruiting grounds for terrorist organizations who promise poor families an increase in wealth and honor, which they would see nearly impossible to get otherwise.

To conclude, global terrorism and globalization are linked due to the clash of civilizations, values, religions, and markets. Global diversity and technology enable those who want to commit terrorist acts, whether Muslim or not, to find each other and do so relatively easily. Because of Globalization, terrorism isn’t limited to ideological extremists, but effect people who are easily coerced into terrorism (but not limited to terrorism) for a variety of reasons: money, honor, family status, or provision.