Saley Ibrahim Composition Fall 2001 Different Views on One Story Imagine waking up on an ordinary day and going to work. As you stare out the window, you see a plane. You do not panic because you expect it to fly over the building, but it doesn't. The plane comes in through the building. How come you never thought this day would be the end of your life? Why didn't you get a chance to say goodbye to your loved ones? Then imagine sleeping on a mattress on a cold mud floor and hearing a blast. When you wake up, you find yourself soaked in blood at the "hospital"; as you see both of these images, two different views will emerge in your mind. War is always the least thing we expect. Factors that create tension between the United States and Afghanistan are affected by media, loyalty, and relations. Whether we realize it or not, the media has a big impact on our point of view. If you watch two television channels located on opposite sides of the world, the issue of terrorism gets controversial. This is the case of the American news channel CNN and the Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera. Each channel has views that are bias, so people who watch become bias too. Both channels report the same story, but they differ. In the beginning of the attacks on Afghanistan, CNN claimed only four people were killed from the attacks while Al-Jazeera claimed several hundred. The cause of this is different perspectives that derive from culture, ethics, and religion. Loyalty is being faithful to something you believe in. The United States regards this as a war against terrorism: one that requires all Americans to be loyal to their country, citizens, and its symbol, the flag. Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaida network claim they are being loyal to their religion, Islam. Americans trace loyalty to what their country stands for: freedom, liberty, and justice. Osama Bin Laden's loyalty reflects his view of the complicated Palestinian / Israeli conflict. Many people believe the more "connections" you have, the easier it is for you to get things done. The United States is one of the strongest nations in the world. Their power comes from money, technology, a strong military, and allies. The political leaders of the strongest nations are siding with the United States. Afghanistan has some Muslims and other citizens on their side, but they do not have power other than loyalty to their religion. Afghanistan has many enemies other than the United States. Within the country there are two alliances; all the countries that border them are also in disagreement. The United States and Afghanistan have power, but it is of a very different nature. In this case, both countries have conflicting views on factors that contributed to war. Although both sides will follow their plan, in the end, both will be overcome with loses and no gains. In the United States and Afghanistan the political leaders are safe. The only people who suffer are the innocent citizens. There will be no end to this because both countries are being terroristic. |