Abduction: A Jungle in the Heart of the City
Dr. Michel E. Abs
The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)
On the first anniversary of the launch of the
Ecumenical Day for the Abducted and Forcibly Absented
Organized by the Middle East Council of Churches
And the 11th anniversary of the abduction of the two Archbishops of Aleppo
Being abducted by another human being or a group, and being removed from your daily life, family, and loved ones, to be confined to a place haunted by terror and suspicion, is a return to primitive life. By what right, heavenly, or earthly, does one creature seize another, equal in dignity and the right to life and freedom, remove him from society and throw him into the jungle of abduction?
This “right” that the kidnapper grants to himself cannot be only explained by his sense of belonging to the forest and not to society. It is the logic of the jungle that still occupies a large place in our modern societal life, which still harbors a lot of primitiveness.
Whether the kidnapping is for financial or political reasons, family disputes or military conflicts, there is no justification for inflicting this hostility on innocent unarmed people. Innocent, yes, because they are the only ones who are kidnapped. The violent and the criminals nobody dares to approach them, except rarely, because they are protected by their followers, guards, and other types of mercenaries.
Do the abductors, who absent people from their lives and society, know how much harm they are doing to the abducted and his family?
Most likely they know, and they do it on purpose to torture the abducted and his family and achieve their purpose.
The suffering of the abducted, as well as the suffering of those who are waiting for news about him or waiting for his return, is envied by no one. It is the pain that accompanies them every day, they live with it day and night, have it with food and drink, and sleep with it every night whenever it is time to sleep. That is, if they find a way to eat, drink, and sleep.
It is the pain that is equivalent to the pain of the final separation, with the difference that it is continuous and tinged with suspicion and ambiguity. It is the bleeding wound that consumes a person and destroys his daily life and aspirations, so we classify abduction as a crime against humanity and society.
You kidnappers who disregards people’s pain and suffering, have you ever thought about the damage you caused to the abducted and his environment? Have you asked yourself what your position would be if this happened to you? Where is your remorse, where is your attitude towards the Giver of Life who created us free, when you perpetrate such an act? Do you have an iota of faith and gratitude towards the Creator, God? Do you dare to look at yourselves, at your parents, at your children?
I do not think that my questions have any impact on the souls and consciences of those who commit such acts, because, if they had an iota of this, they would not have committed them.
For decades, our country has been experiencing abduction and disappearances on a large scale. From the abduction and slaughter of Armenians, Syriacs, and other components of this nation, to the abduction of Palestinians and the long-term arbitrary arrests - which is equivalent to abduction - that they experience, from the Nakba to the Gaza war, to the abductions that took place during the wars in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria, including the abduction of the Archbishops of Aleppo, whose abduction we remembered this week for the eleventh year, through the absence of the Imam dear to the hearts of the Lebanese, to everything that is happening in our country, all of this makes us live in a forest, and everyone knows who is behind all this, the spreaders of sedition and the dispersers of peoples.
The laws dealing with abduction and its derivatives have evolved significantly in recent years, and the number and voices of activists in this field have increased, but abduction is still rampant in many places in the world and there is no one to deter the perpetrators, because their actions are only part of the crime that humanity has not succeeded, and may not succeed, to curb.
It is necessary to continue raising awareness and understanding of the consequences of abduction, through media and educational programs, in the hope that the coming days, thanks to this awareness, will bring us a light that illuminates the consciences of the perpetrators and discourages them from the sin and harm committed by their hands, to people who did not cause them any harm.