Daily Times

The recent tragedy engulfing the historic Notre-Dame de Paris into flames and destroying its iconic spire has taken over the news media by storm. Following the fire that broke into the 674-year-old cathedral, considered a part of France’s history, billions of Euros of funds have been pledged and poured in from influential businessmen and high-profile people for the restoration and renovation of this cathedral. They hope to restore the cathedral to its original shape and repair this structure to its former glory that been a symbol of the French Gothic architecture popularized during the mid-16th century. Visited by nearly 14 million visitors each year, the Notre-Dame de Paris is an epitome of architectural prowess displayed by those who conceived the design more than six centuries ago.

Although the Notre-Dame de Paris has its unique place in history and restoring it to its original state shows the belief people have in the sanctity of this structure. However, this shows the myopic view of the West when it comes to disasters. One wonders what kind of religious connection there should be for the world to converge their resources to help those living in poverty-stricken Congo, Mozambique, Uganda, Tajikistan and Yemen – world’s five poorest countries according to FocusEconomics, a leading provider of economic analysis and forecasts for 130 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Perhaps it is not the fault of those funding the renovation of the Notre-Dame de Paris that they do not see the destitution prevailing in the third world countries. It is, however, the system itself that has compelled or programmed the thinking process of the developing and developed world leaders and influential individuals to ignore the problems of the least-developed world and concentrate on the maximization of their own capital and resources. Therefore, the resources remain in limited hands while the least-developed world continues to live in starvation.

While anyone can point a finger at the Europeans for ignoring the world and looking at their vested interests, the same can be said for those Muslims who have enough to feed an entire continent but do not work against the system

While the world itself works on its own strategies governed and executed by those in power, they do abuse their authority to exercise their hegemony, to instill fear over the weak, to create their economic supremacy or in the quest for ultimate annihilation over their enemies, who obviously are weak. For centuries multiple regions of the world have been in a conflict which has been escalating over time. Recently, the Middle East has become a barren land because of the Syrian Civil War and the Yemen Crisis. Countless civilians have fled their cities and even their countries while scores of people have lost their lives. These wars have also destroyed the infrastructure of Yemen and Syria along with the heritage sites, mosques, areas of historical significance and the very cultural legacy these countries were once known for. However, no such influential group or businessman came forth to extend any help. It was anticipated that this help may not arrive when no aid arrived for those countries where death, destruction, and destitution has been a norm for decades.

The world stands witness of the number of famines spreading across the world since 2200 BC. Seventeen major famines have spread during 1980 till present with the most recent ones in Somalia (2011-2012), West Africa (2012), Yemen (2016 till present), and South Sudan (2017 till present). When intense financial support was poured in to reconstruct the Notre-Dame de Paris, why was it not replicated when entire countries lost their population, wealth, agriculture and serenity by the hands of their oppressors? Giving away billions of Euros to restore a monument or a building having cultural and religious sentiment is understandable, but not providing relief to the parts of the world that need immediate attention shows the global mindset of prioritizing actions for effective results. While anyone can point a finger at the Europeans for ignoring the world and looking at their vested interests, the same can be said for those Muslims who have enough to feed an entire continent but do not work against the system. The system that works to keep the classes of the population divided so that the vacuum can never be filled between the least-developed, under-developed, the developed, and the developing countries. The leaders of the world must set the direction they need to move and prioritize their decisions. Otherwise, the dystopian-like conditions from one region can spread across the world and then it would be too late to pool in the resources to restore the status quo.

The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist. He can be reached atomariftikhar@hotmail.com