THE recent tragic killing of an Indian worker inside a restaurant should be an eye-opener for all. All of us must have heard about the incident or viewed the viral video clip that caught the tragedy on film. The Indian worker, from the state of Kerala, was shot dead following an altercation last week. The worker was shot and killed inside the restaurant after a heated argument that led to a brief fight with the killer. The clip, that was widely circulated, showed both the killer and the victim exchanging kicks and punches. At that time the killer was standing inside the worker's zone, near the counter. He then ran away only to come back with a gun and fired at the victim, who ran inside. The victim ran toward the phone and was on it, and the last picture of him, we all saw, was on his knees, in pain and on the phone. While condemning the callous shooting, people also openly began discussing about people who carry firearms. The culture of carrying weapons and using them in public willy-nilly by these people is turning into a new, yet dangerous, phenomenon. Many questions were raised, primarily, during the exchange of views on the social media. What has happened to our people and youth? What is leading them to such violence? Why do people think that part of being a man or being macho is to use a weapon against people? Is the value of the life of a human being so cheap? In the above-mentioned incident, the cause of the killing of the worker was so trivial that it borders on the absurd. The victim was killed because he was late in delivering a sandwich order. It was no coincidence that on the same day I read the news of the execution of a Saudi man who had stabbed to death his friend following a heated argument in Makkah. This shows that the culture of responding with violence is on the rise. I keep asking myself, what will happen to the family of this poor victim? What are they going through when they know their father, husband, son or brother died because of a silly reason committed by a violent person who does not value life? This poor victim who left his country to work and earn a living was buried in the Kingdom away from his home. His four-year-old daughter will see his smile no more. His wife will not receive his calls. His parents, if they are still alive, will not be able to receive Eid greeting calls from their son. My heart and prayers go out to the family of this victim. Comments on the social media groups revealed that society was shocked by the inhuman act after they saw the clip and, the vast majority called for capital punishment to be handed down to the killer. There were people who said the court should sentence him to death without the possibility of escaping the penalty by paying any blood money, because he should be a lesson to others who act this way. They also called for society to compensate the victim's family with donations and offers instead. Though, they argued, this would no way bring back the victim to life, but it would go some way in the form of atonement. Any crime is not justified, but this one is doubly not justified because human life is not as cheap as the price of a sandwich. I remember long time back — and even now with the series of shootings in the US — we used to criticize crimes in America and how people are sometimes shot and killed over brand new shoes or for a few dollars. It looks like we are going in the same direction with more people carrying weapons in public and using them or threatening others for frivolous reasons. I have been always given the advise not to get into any argument with anyone on the street because no one knows if the person is carrying a light weapon or a gun in his car. Now so it is all the more pertinent to follow the advise seriously and staying clear of altercations. People who are carrying weapons with them, bragging about them and also brandishing them with impunity are in clear violation of the country's rule and there should be stiff punishment against them. We should have zero tolerance for those who pull their weapons on people, using the weapons to threaten, maim or kill during a fight or otherwise. Authorities should take a tough line against such offenders and devise ways to control the growing proliferation. There is the Prophet's (pbuh) saying narrated by Abu Huraira, "None of you should point out towards his Muslim brother with a weapon, for he does not know, Satan may tempt him to hit him and thus he would fall into a pit of fire (Hell)." There is also the verse in the holy Qur'an (5:32): "But whoever kills a believer intentionally — his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment." I marked out this incident to highlight a blight in society where people resort to force rather than reason to settle an argument. They believe in settling scores rather than the issue. Any form of killing is abhorrent, for killers on the road are no different. For it is their indifference to others that lead to accidents and deaths. But this attitude of machismo and reliance on arms to get their way is truly base, while going only to prove that their gross acts are inhuman. — The writer can be reached at [email protected] Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng
