On Friday night, tragedy struck the people of Paris, France as shootings and bomb blasts hit the Stade de France, Bataclan concert hall, and four other popular locations. 129 people were killed, and 352 others were injured. The morning after the attacks ended, ISIS claimed responsibility for all casualties, and stated that the sites of attack were "meticulously chosen" and these bombings were "just the beginning."

People across the world rose in solidarity for those in Paris. The hashtag #PorteOuverte ("open door") circulated all over Twitter by people who could provide shelter, as well as those that needed it. As the lights in Paris were shut down in mourning, Sydney Opera House, San Francisco City Hall, and many other landmarks were lit up with the colors of the French flag. Facebook developed a safety check feature within hours of the attacks that allowed users to notify friends and family of their safety status with the tap of a button.

But this article isn't about Paris.

It's about Beirut, and it's about the dozens of cities that are just like it.

Beirut is the capital and largest city in Lebanon, and on Thursday, two suicide bombings struck the city, killing 43 and injuring more than 240 others. The attackers haven't been formally identified, but ISIS claimed responsibility for them as well. Lebanon's Foreign Minister has stated that the proximity in timing between the events in Beirut and Paris weren't "a complete coincidence" and that these shootings and bombings were indicative of "a message that terrorism is capable of waging wars and coordinating systematic attacks at the same time wherever they want."

This isn't a new occurrence; lives are lost to similar blasts and shootings every day in Syria, Nigeria, Pakistan, and many other countries. Yet we don't see the World Trade Center in New York or the Angel of Independence in Mexico illuminated with red and green for Syria or green and white for Nigeria or Pakistan. We don't see #باب مفتوح trending on Twitter, and we don't see Facebook profile pictures changing for those in the Middle East and Africa.

None of this is to say that we should neglect what happened in Paris or that the deaths of innocent Parisians are not significant. Rather, we should be aware of terrorism and other atrocities taking place anywhere, not just Western nations. Groups like ISIS do not exist to tear down only France and the United States; they exist to tear down the world. As members of the global community, we should also care for those who are not fortunate enough to check in on Facebook with their family members or find a safe place to stay just by scrolling through Twitter.

So yes, let us pray for Paris. But let us also pray for Beirut, for Syria, Nigeria, Pakistan, and everywhere else that faces terrorism and constant danger.

"It is not Paris we should pray for. It is the world. It is a world in which Beirut, reeling from bombings two days before Paris, is not covered in the press. A world in which a bomb goes off at a funeral in Baghdad and not one person's status update says 'Baghdad,' because not one white person died in that fire. Pray for the world that blames a refugee crisis for a terrorist attack. That does that pause to differentiate between the attacker and the person running from the same thing you are. Pray for a world where people walking across countries for months, their only belongings upon their backs, are told they have no place to go. Say a prayer for Paris by all means, but pray for, for the world that does not have a prayer for those who no onger have a home to defend. For a world that is falling apart in all corners, and not simply in the towers and cafes we find so familiar." - Karuna Ezara Parikh