NY TIMES
This article shines a new light on the Taliban and al-Queda forces. Kidnappings have been a common practice in Pakistan for many generations and are still occuring today for money and the release of captured fighters. What is odd to me about this is the accounts from hostages of these groups who have been set free. Although they described it as an overall scary experience, they also shed light on the Taliban's softer side where soldiers would let hostages join in fun games and meal times with the others. In one paticular account, a hostage reported to have had painkillers retreived for him after a torture video over Skype to help him recover. They even sometimes let their hostages roam freely around the compound with not as much as a shackle holding them to the ground.
I think this reminds me that terrorists are people too. Despite having radically different views than "the norm" of how things ought to be, they still show the same basic qualities represented by all people. This leads me to believe that people around the world are more alike than different because although they all have different goals, motives, and beliefs; they still share universal feelings for others and have some level of morality (with the exception of a very small percent). I can say with confidence that 99% of people who come across a helpless person in actual pain would feel some urge to help him or her. As seen in the article, even the terrorist who held a man captive was willing to get him painkillers from a market place to insure he would not be in so much pain throughout his stay.
This article shines a new light on the Taliban and al-Queda forces. Kidnappings have been a common practice in Pakistan for many generations and are still occuring today for money and the release of captured fighters. What is odd to me about this is the accounts from hostages of these groups who have been set free. Although they described it as an overall scary experience, they also shed light on the Taliban's softer side where soldiers would let hostages join in fun games and meal times with the others. In one paticular account, a hostage reported to have had painkillers retreived for him after a torture video over Skype to help him recover. They even sometimes let their hostages roam freely around the compound with not as much as a shackle holding them to the ground.
I think this reminds me that terrorists are people too. Despite having radically different views than "the norm" of how things ought to be, they still show the same basic qualities represented by all people. This leads me to believe that people around the world are more alike than different because although they all have different goals, motives, and beliefs; they still share universal feelings for others and have some level of morality (with the exception of a very small percent). I can say with confidence that 99% of people who come across a helpless person in actual pain would feel some urge to help him or her. As seen in the article, even the terrorist who held a man captive was willing to get him painkillers from a market place to insure he would not be in so much pain throughout his stay.
