Video Of Mob Lynchings Of Two Teens In Pakistan Sparks Outrage
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When I read the headlines "Video of lynch mob killing two teenage brothers sparks mass demonstrations across Pakistan" I shuddered. Why? What terrible thing could these two young teens have done that would provoke a mob to kill them? But as I delved into the article, it just turned out to be another one of those barbaric, horrific, senseless acts that seem to be occurring ever more frequently across the globe- and all caught on tape.
On August 15, in a town called Sialkot, two brothers 17-year-old Moiz Butt and 15-year-old Muneeb were on their way to play cricket. They had just eaten breakfast, prayed and were on their way to the field with their equipment in a bag when they were attacked by an angry mob. Apparently, there had been a robbery nearby the previous Sunday, so neighbours were encouraged to be vigilant. When the attackers noticed the boys with their bag, they automatically assumed they were the culprits and went from being vigilant to vigilantes and brutally beat and then hanged the two kids. No trial, no jury, they just took the law into their own hands and killed what appears to be two innocent boys. Although not all the details have emerged, the boys supposedly had been in several fights over who should get to play cricket on the field. But no-one deserves to be killed by a mob, that's why we have laws. Laws are what make us civilized. What makes this even more shameful, is that there were actually police officers who stood by and didn't do a damn thing- all caught on tape.
I'm not sure what reason those who videotaped the tragic event had for filming it on their cell phones, whether it was honorable or not, but the one positive thing is that those who were definitely identifiable have been arrested. At least 10 so far, 4 of whom are policemen.
Although the outcome wasn't as tragic, back in February a Seattle 15-year-old was beaten up by a group of kids in the metro station while security guards and others stood by and did nothing - all caught on tape. Then there's the case of Derrien Albert who was beaten to death when he got mixed up in a fight between rival gangs outside a Chicago school- all caught on tape.
I suppose we should be grateful that in this world of technology, with cameras on cellphones and video cameras in stores, businesses and on some streets, that although we might be losing some of our privacy, at least it serves a greater good when it comes to situations like these.
Pakistanis are outraged with what happened to the two brothers, as were we when confronted with this same kind of senseless mob violence, especially when officials with the potential to prevent escalating violence sit around and do nothing. But it goes beyond individual responsibility, yes we are our brothers keepers and should do everything we can to protect others from harm, but what is causing all this violence, especially among our youth? Unfortunately, I don't have any answers.
Source: UK Daily Mail
