Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News- 2013-04-16 

While the loss of life is a tragedy, the media attention focused on the Boston Marathon bombings where 3 people have been killed and 144 others injured, it seems that the loss of life in the West takes precedence over life in other parts of the world.

Across Iraq dozens of attacks including a brazen car bombing on the way to Baghdad airport, have killed 50 people, just days before the country's first elections since US troops withdrew.

In North Western Pakistan a suspected U.S. drone missile strike killed five people near the Afghan border Sunday evening.

In Syria at least 25 people, many of them children, have been killed in two Syrian government air strikes.

Sister Khadija Patel, Radio Islam’s Africa correspondent and Daily Maverick journalist told Radio Islam’s Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat that this was not a new debate.

She cited the example of a hurricane (Sandy) that threatened New York and what a pivotal moment it was in international media. “The fact that this hurricane was threatening New York even though the hurricane had significantly died down by the time it hit New York. But in the meanwhile when the hurricane was far stronger over the Caribbean and when it wreaked absolute havoc over the Caribbean inflicting many, many casualties, there wasn’t the same interest from the international media,” said Patel.

She said that many commentators called the international media out on their views pointing out, whose lives and whose property were more valuable. “Is American lives and American property more valuable than the rest of the world? These are significant questions we must answer,” added Patel.

Patel quoted an African proverb (“The writing of history belongs to the victors”) and said that it must be understood that America is the most prosperous nation on earth and Americans have the reins to the way we understand the world. “We must realize that much of the international media is based from a fundamentally Western centric view of the world,” added Patel

So after having experienced the shock and grief of the Boston bombings, can the world and international media not empathize a little more with Iraqi, Pakistani, Syrian or other victims from around the world? Compassion for all humankind is the only way to turn such tragedies towards positive energy.

While the act of terror or terrorism has no religion or nation its victims are precious human beings and valuable human lives, who must be the objects of compassion for us all.