Decided to give CNN a chance today. I put on a special report about Muslim youth in Palestine. I was overwhelmed by the range of emotions I felt while watching this program.
The story followed a man who spoke about Hamas boot camps, which trained children to use guns and to hate. At first I was hesitant to continue watching. Then they gave reasons for these kinds of Hamas camps. CNN cited lack of funding which led to no daycare centers, no toys or distraction for young children. There were several scenes of children and families sitting in the ruins of missile-blasted homes. One young boy, around 5 years of age, took us on a tour of his “home” – a couple of broken walls and some rooms without a roof. He kicked around a rock while talking of being a “defender” of his homeland.
One of his friend’s mother is interviewed. She is a widow, living with aging mother and four children. Her husband, she says, was killed by an israeli missile. On camera, she proceeds to state that she is very angry and will teach her children to hate. She was very specific and brutal with her words. She blames “Jews” and thus will teach her children to hate them. She did not hesitate to say that she will also instruct her young children to kill.
At the end of the program, an American man was interviewed. He funds childrens day camps around Palestine. He hopes that these will keep children away from danger and extremists. I hope so too. No one should inherit bias, prejudice and hate.
I’m still so shaken up from watching this happen to children, both the war and the hate. They may escape their war-torn lives one day, but a state of mind is much more difficult to erase.
I’m still so shaken up from watching this happen to children, both the war and the hate. They may escape their war-torn lives one day, but a state of mind is much more difficult to erase.
