Youssif, a 5-year-old Iraqi boy doused with gasoline and burned by attackers in Baghdad, arrived with his family in Los Angles yesterday. His trip to the US to receive treatment for the burns was paid for by over 12,000 CNN.com users to a fund set up by the Children’s Burn Foundation.
Youssif’s family was stunned with what they encountered in the United States. His mother exclaimed, “Oh my God, it’s so green. Am I in heaven?” His father echoed the sentiment, standing on the balcony of the apartment they will be staying in while Youssif receives treatment.
“You see America on television, but you never imagine or dream that you will ever be here.” He paused, tears in his eyes.
“It’s more than paradise.”
Read the story on CNN.com.
This is indeed a wonderful story. While reading it, though, I thought about the horror that must be life in Baghdad, and other parts of Iraq and the Middle East. I thought about just how good we have it here, and in my heart I want Youssif and his family to stay here with us forever. That family has had enough torture and grief; let them stay with us, never again to know the fear and terror of the day little Youssif was so savagely attacked.
Youssif’s family is hardly the only one to suffer tragedy in Iraq. How many other Youssifs are there in Iraq? In the rest of the world? What can we do to help these families? It seems an overwhelming task. I can’t help them all, but we can.
I’m renewing my commitment to CARE, and I hope that others will find a charity they believe in and do the same. I think we also need to make our voices heard in Washington, as well. We need to press our leaders with letters, with protests, with whatever peaceful means it takes to make them understand that we want to be part of the international community, known not as tyrants and bullies, but as generous, kind, caring folks who will welcome burned little children and their families to our communities to get not only the care they need, but our love and compassion.
We average Americans, at the news of tragedy, give so much that we sometimes overwhelm charities. We may not always follow through the way we should — after the tragedy fades from the headlines we go back to our own lives. But, when the next tragedy strikes, we’re there again with donations and action.
Because of this, in my deepest heart, I honestly believe that Americans are good, loving, compassionate people. I cannot fathom the disconnect between that and the actions of the leaders we’ve elected, and I cannot understand why we even elected them. I hope, in the next election cycle, that a candidate will come forward who espouses these ideals, who puts in place a sane foreign policy, who wants to work with the rest of the world, not in defiance of it. I want to vote for someone who will lead America to be engaged constructively with the rest of the world — it is the only way to fight terror. I want to elect someone who will work with partners all over the globe to find solutions to climate change, poverty, and hunger.
That way, when we go to visit our friends in other lands, we can say to them, “This, too, is paradise.”
