Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary General...whilst the world is moving at a snail-like space to counter global terrorism and extremism, terrorists are moving at jet-like speed? Receiving, Ban...are you receiving, Moon?
To begin with, humans have been extensively implicated in murdering one another, mostly for unnecessary reasons, e.g. greed, power, sadism, and hate, and have gone way beyond animals in inventing and mastering highly efficient means of destruction and torture. No one has inflicted so much suffering on humans than their fellow humans. Furthermore, human brutality has not limited itself to the human realm, but has extended to include the animal kingdom. The mind-bogglingly inessential needs of humans are once again at work in their dealings with animals: Many members of the animal kingdom have been systematically and mercilessly hunted by humans for merely luxury-motivated reasons: their skins, furs, horns, and meat. The deluded idea that various parts of dead animals have extraordinary healing powers has led some people working in the area of alternative medicine in certain parts of the world, such as Asia, to encourage the killing of animals. Numerous animals have also been killed by humans merely for sport and trophy acquisition. For all of those reprehensible reasons, countless animals have paid with their lives, often undergoing a great deal of suffering in the process: giraffes, rhinos, sharks, cheetahs, wolverines, leopards, pumas, tigers, kangaroos, lions, ostriches, grizzly bears, peacocks, and zebras, among others. Furthermore, every single day, humans slaughter a huge number of animals- such as cows, sheep, pigs, deer, chickens, and fish- in order to eat their flesh, at a time when modern scientific research has very clearly shown that humans can lead long, healthy lives without ever needing to eat meat or fish. In the process, previous critical questioning of a vegetarian lifestyle has been refuted: “Where would you get your protein from? Your vitamin D? Your iron? Your omega-3 oils?” critics would ask vegetarians. Not anymore: One can easily get one’s protein from milk, eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds. Vitamin D is obtainable from milk. And while it is true that the bodies of vegetarians can absorb from plants only half of the iron they need, combining iron-rich food with something rich in vitamin C- such as a glass of orange juice- can in fact double the rate of iron absorption in the body, thereby solving the problem. Cereals fortified with both iron and vitamin C too can overcome this obstacle. As for omega-3 oils, which are found aplenty in fish, especially salmon, and which are good for the health of our hearts and brains, one can get those from flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts. However, because these contain only ALA-type omega-3 oils, and due to the fact that the human body is not very efficient at converting those into the other, more important types of omega-3 oils, namely EPA and DHA, a vegetarian may have to take algae-based supplements which provide plenty of those oils directly from the original source- algae- without needing to go through the piscine middleman.
The important question that now arises is: Given the fact that the available medical and scientific evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates the superfluous nature of a meat-based diet, why is that humans still persist in butchering animals every single day and on such a massive scale? It is my contention here that this is mainly the consequence of the confluence of two factors: deep-seated human contempt for the worth of animal life and the resulting desensitization of human feelings towards the loss of such life. This callous disdain for animals can paradoxically coexist with some love for them: Witness how many people around the world have been outraged by the recent killing of Cecil the lion even though many of those are in fact meat-eaters and feel no compunction about having cattle killed for their totally unnecessary meat. Witness also how many meat-eaters appear to have great affection for some domestic animals, such as cats and dogs. What at first glance may look like human love of animals quickly vanishes when one observes that humans tend to show particular affection towards animals they cannot eat. Hence, for instance, the different attitudes to the killing of horses in Tunisia (where people do eat horse meat) and in England (where people don’t.) This distinction, it seems to me, is a major motive behind decisions made by humans either to oppose or condone the killing of some animals on a large scale; that is to say, most humans do not hesitate to dichotomize “legitimate” and “illegitimate” targets for slaughter. If people were as animal-loving as they claim to be, they would all be vegetarians.
The perpetration of cold-blooded acts of violence towards other people, of which terrorism is one type, shares much with the systematic slaughter of animals. Terrorists, tyrants, torturers, and warmongers are all influenced by similar factors in undertaking their abhorrent tasks: Their interaction with the political, social, economic, and cultural context within which they live contributes to their profound disregard for the lives of those whom they deem to be worthless. Coupled with their own specifically desensitized feelings towards their victims, the perpetrators of brutal acts of violence embark on their deadly missions with determination and enthusiasm and see no wrong in subjecting other human beings to thoughtless carnage. They normally show no contrition and are absolutely unrepentant about the atrocities they commit. The perpetrators of barbaric acts of violence too distinguish between “legitimate” and “illegitimate” targets for slaughter, with the distinction being instigated by a lethal combination of gradable contempt for the worth of other lives and the desensitized nature of the butcher.
Just like we need to value the life of an animal as much as we do that of a human being before we can put a stop to the wanton slaughter of animals, we also need to regard the worth of every single human being’s life as being the same as that of any other human being before we are able to end senseless murder. It is not for nothing that serial killers usually grow up inflicting acts of savagery on animals before they do so on humans.
About the author
Husam Dughman comes from a family that is historically descended from Europeans on his father’s side and Middle Easterners on his mother’s side. He was born in Libya and educated in Libya and the United Kingdom. Before Qaddafi came to power, Husam Dughman’s father had been the president of the University of Libya and his maternal grandfather had been a prime minister. Immediately following Qaddafi’s military coup d’état in 1969, both stood up to the Qaddafi regime and were consequently imprisoned: Husam Dughman’s father was incarcerated for a period of 10 years, during which he was subjected to regular torture by the Qaddafi regime, and his grandfather was incarcerated for five years.
In the 1990s, Husam Dughman returned to Libya and worked as a university professor of political science. Due to conflicts with the Qaddafi regime, he resigned from his university position in 1997 and subsequently worked in legal translation. Years later, Husam Dughman left Libya for North America, where he has been working as a newcomer specialist, helping new immigrants and refugees with their settlement. He currently resides in the United States.
Husam Dughman has published a book, Tête-à-tête with Muhammad, and he has also published various articles about the Middle East. He is currently working on a new book on the Abrahamic religions and atheism. You can find out more by visiting his website at http://www.husamdughman.com
Concluded.