As World Mourns Paris, Many in Mideast See Double-Standard

But it added that “during an ongoing crisis, like war or epidemic, Safety Check in its current form is not that useful for people: because there isn’t a clear start or end point and, unfortunately, it’s impossible to know when someone is truly ‘safe'”.

What Mr Hussein said relates to a truth that so far many columnists and pundits are unwilling to acknowledge, that events “there” and “here” are interconnected: that Arabs and Muslims are victims of the same tormentors as well, and often to a much greater degree. The theme of these messages was, simply put, why “pray for Paris” when violence rips through countries around the world every day? In the wake of the attacks, a few Beirut residents are asking “where is the love?”

Hawraa Taleb weeps near her maternal cousin Haidar Mustafa, a three-year-old who was wounded in Thursday’s twin suicide bombings, as he sleeps on a bed at the Rasoul Aazam Hospital in Burj al-Barajneh, southern Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, November 13, 2015. Over the past year, more than 700,000 requests for asylum have been submitted to European countries by refugees fleeing horrific violence and persecution in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries. “I heard about it on Arabic news and from my family”. A father in Beirut saved dozens with his heroism when he used his body as a shield over a suicide bomber. Mostly, he’s resigned himself to the country of his heritage being an afterthought.

“In Baghdad it’s not just like one attack”, he said. “I don’t think that will change”.

The coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris came after suicide bombers killed 43 people in Beirut and a Russian airliner full of passengers was downed in Egypt. ISIS has claimed responsibility for both attacks, and many say that backlash against Muslims as a result of these attacks are playing right into the Islamic State’s hand.

Acknowledging the many factors implicated in the supply and demand of media coverage is a valuable discussion, and there is no guarantee that today’s equilibrium could not be improved.

Facebook gave out a Paris flag users could post on their profile, to display their sorrow for the Paris attack, but didn’t offer a Lebanon flag profile for the attack in Beirut.

He accused British media of under-playing the deadly attacks by Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL) on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and the Turkish capital, Ankara. How come they didn’t report on the American victims of the bombings in Lebanon? “That, in itself, is sad”. Two were a married couple who left behind an injured three-year-old.

Unlike what have been reported by several media outlets across the world, including MWN, Angelina Jolie, did not call for focusing media’s attention on Lebanon’s bombings following the Paris terrorist attacks. “Schools were closed, as well as other institutions. I also know the Lebanese living here emotionally reacted to it, but there’s a sense of isolation rather than community”. We should not forgot what happened in Lebanon the night before the Paris attacks, but there is no ranking system for innocent lives lost and there is no limit to the compassion we can feel. Yes: we are in an era in which many Americans are struggling to overcome ideas of entitlement; and black reporters just don’t seem to have as much trouble figuring that out. The news began trending on both Facebook and Twitter, which was odd, since the attack happened in April.

What’s more, tragedies in Beirut and Paris shouldn’t get the same kind of coverage.

“And as early as Saturday morning in the US, about 12 hours after the news broke, the Internet had flooded with support for Paris; Facebook photos could be edited with an overlay of the blue, white and red flag of France, “#PrayforParis” circulated on social media sites with huge popularity and new articles that denounced the act of terrorism on French soil were shared and reshared on Facebook. It wouldn’t be surprising that controversy broke soon after with people questioning the selective outrage over the attacks.