Explosives And Empathy: The Story Of Basim Razzo | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics

Explosives And Empathy: The Story Of Basim Razzo

Faulty American intelligence cost Basim Razzo his entire life, yet he inspires hope by preaching empathy and awareness.

509
Explosives And Empathy: The Story Of Basim Razzo
Ahmad Al-Rubaye

Today, I had a life-changing experience.

Today, I met a man named Basim Razzo. He traveled all the way from Iraq to come to Penn State and speak to a group of very lucky students. Basim’s goal is not just to communicate with the Penn State community, but to share his story with as many people as possible– to anyone who is willing to open their minds and hearts to his story. He was kind enough to let me reflect on his powerful words.

Basim is a survivor of the destruction of war. The war on ISIS in Iraq tore through his hometown, Mosul. He described with sorrow in his voice to 700 students, myself among them, that living in a war zone is “complete hell.”

He worried every time his children left the house. He tried to keep his family inside the walls of their home as much as possible. He did this out of fear. The fear of a car bomb being set off down the street or a missile strike on a daily walk to the office. The fear of soldiers shoving their guns in the faces of civilians or the fear of receiving lashes for not being dressed “properly.” The fear of not knowing if your loved ones will return when they walk out the front door. The fear of civilian casualties that “simply come along with war”.

No one can begin to imagine the terror of a war zone until living in one.

In September of 2015, Basim’s nightmares became a reality. His home, as well as his brother’s directly next door, were both bombed in the middle of the night. Basim lost his wife, his daughter, his nephew, and his brother in the attack. He woke up to the silence of the aftermath and the pain of numerous injuries. There was no roof over his head, and his home was in shambles. Basim lost everything– and for what? He simply wanted to know what cause was so great, that such destruction was necessary.

No words that I write here could possibly capture such immense loss. No condolences could ever make this loss okay. But Basim’s loss was not the point of his story. Basim did not come to us looking for compassion. He came to us to teach how far empathy can take you in life. Basim came to inspire.

And that he did.

While you read, rather than focusing on the sorrow of loss, focus on the hope that Basim has inspired. Basim is a kind soul who has risen above pain and anger, in order to preach peace and empathy.

Fifteen months after the attack, and after a long and tiring investigation, Basim learned that he and his brother’s homes had been targeted by an American coalition, performing an airstrike on what they believed to be an ISIS Facility. This was false intelligence. Americans had made a grave mistake.

The Razzos were certainly not ISIS sympathizers – they were innocent Iraqis. Faulty American intelligence had cost him his entire life. As an American, I would believe that Basim should hate us all. Should want revenge. But Basim does not hold a spot for hatred in his heart– he simply prays that this violence will stop.

Rather than hate and blame, Basim is confused, he is upset, he asks why, but never does he hate. He described what he felt as an understanding of what had happened.

Basim somehow understood that although this was a terrible occurrence, it was a mistake. Through this, Basim invited us, the listeners, to experience empathy. To preach empathy instead of hatred in the wake of such destruction is a heroic thing. This empathy is what drove Basim to try to explain to us, with a humbling humility, the reality of war. Basim wants to make a difference by spreading this teaching of empathy, so that this world, even in the wake of war, will not be one full of hatred. He wants to spread awareness of the horrors of the world because so many of us are sheltered.

As young Americans, we are brainwashed to believe everything we see on the corporate news. We let the media incite fear inside of us. This fear prompts us to be afraid of Middle Eastern society.

Basim described being an Iraqi citizen as being labeled as “bad” by those of us who simply do not understand the culture. He took on the “bad apple” metaphor. Just because there is one rotten apple in a dozen, does not mean that every single apple is rotten. While the truth is that there are good people and there are bad people, Basim reminded us of something that we often forget through cultural differences: We are all human— everyone deserves equal respect, not the shame of a stereotype.

Why, just because I am an American, should I receive more respect than an Iraqi? Why should I be spared from discrimination, pain, sorrow, death, and war? Why do I deserve this privilege? I do not, and neither does any single person reading this article. We fall into the “bad apple” category by allowing this to go on out of a lack of awareness of the innocent lives being taken by war and discrimination.

It is time to face reality here. I cannot turn my back after meeting such an incredible, hopeful, and inspiring human. I recognize that we must learn to become more empathetic, less hateful, and more aware if we want to see a change.

Today, I watched a student from Turkey weep in the arms of a man from Iraq over the shared pain of loss, a loss that I have never known. I was just an observer– I did not understand this pain, yet I was in tears. Basim told this student, “Do not cry. Be at peace with yourself.”

Today, this peace is what I want to get across. If we can find a way to be at peace, to be better people, just as Basim did in the wake of so much pain and loss, we can inspire hope for a better world.

Travel. Experience. Converse. Learn. This is what Basim told us can cure the unawareness that we face. We must let go of our fears and step out of our comfort zones in order to understand. To understand is to gain empathy - an empathy that can change our world.

It seems an impossible task. But how can something like empathy be impossible when a man who has faced so much loss feels no hatred, but rather forgiveness?

We should want to be better, and we should want to be less blind. Basim Razzo said that he believes in fate and destiny. I am a believer as well, and I do not believe that war and loss is the fate of our world.

So, what do you believe? What will you do, what will we do to mend the broken path that our world is spiraling down?

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

339
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

1863
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition

10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

3153
How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

It’s that time of year again when college students live at the library all week, cramming for tests that they should have started studying for last month. Preparing to spend all day at the library takes much consideration and planning. Use these tips to help get you through the week while spending an excessive amount of time in a building that no one wants to be in.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments