Evil, its symbols and the environment Essay 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Evil, its symbols and the environment 2 - Essay Example Two rebel groups clashed against the Sudanese government because of its neglect of Darfur and its citizens, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) (sometimes also called Liberation and Justice Movement) and Sudan Liberation Army (SLA). The Sudanese government unleashed an attack against the rebel forces and the ordinary citizens in the city were just collateral damage. Men, women, and children of all ages were murdered on both sides of the conflict (Reuters). Though at present the atrocities in Darfur have somewhat ceased, the harrowing events that went before were enough to leave the community in despair and disarray. The best symbol I can associate to the conflict in Darfur is the balance. As defined in J. C. Cooper’s work, the balance symbolizes â€Å"justice; impartiality; judgment; man’s merits and demerits weighed. The equilibrium of all opposites and complementaries†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (26). The warring parties think that the balance of justice and power are tipped agains t their side that is why they sacrifice countless lives to try and tip it in their favor. In thus struggle, the community pays the price. According to Barbara Coloroso, genocide is an experience of evil which shatters human communities. In this paper, I would like to present how genocide wrecks communities through three different perspectives: through the eyes of the Sudanese government, the eyes of the rebels, and through the eyes of the common citizen. Then I will try to draw conclusions from these differing perspectives in light of being a student of religion and culture – gleaning practical and philosophical lessons and insights from the experience of those that have witnessed and participated in the genocide at Darfur. The Perspective of the Sudanese Government Strong yet compassionate leadership is essential for a community to progress. Darfur became a territory of Sudan in 1916 and for more than a century, everything was relatively peaceful though there were insurgent groups that wanted to restore Darfur as an independent state (O’Fahey). The attack of the rebel forces against the government of Sudan was not tolerated because tolerance would be seen a sign of weakness. And so the bloody war and genocide started on 2003 continuing until the present with the fighting spreading to neighboring countries like Chad and the Central African Republic (Hentoff). The issue of trust. As the leaders of the community, it is expected that a country’s government will protect its territory and will most likely extinguish any flames of insurgency so as to unite its people and keep them safe. But communities are first and foremost built on trust. If the government doubts members of its citizenry and brands them as rebels and insurgents, then they will not be able to uphold their responsibility as protectors and mediators for peace. One of the government’s responsibilities is to uphold justice but in Darfur’s case, the line between good c itizens just trying to make those who are in power see that they have been neglected, and those that just want to destabilize the rule got blurred. Thus, whom will the government protect? Who can they trust? The issue of â€Å"the greater good†. Part of the responsibilities in leading a community is making tough and unpopular decisions. UN estimates that at least 300,000 people have died because of the atrocities in Darfur (Reuters). That is just .08% of the 37.2