Paradise Now

This semester I am taking a terrorism class that teaches about terrorism throughout time and the world and how to prevent future terrorist incidents. Last week in class we watched a movie called Paradise Now. At first I was bored with the movie because the whole thing is in Arabic and so I had to follow the English captions at the bottom, and I was really tired. However, I was soon following the plot closely: two Palestinian men sick of their oppression turned to terrorism. One felt that the suicide bombing of Israeli citizens was the best way of advancing the Palestinian cause, while the other was afraid to lose his life. Near the end of the movie, the two characters switched their opinions on the situation, and ultimately the suicide bombing did take place.

This movie made me realize that there is more to international conflict than I had ever thought. I realized that the Palestinians are oppressed and they long for peace and a home. They have resorted to terrorism because they feel they have no other choice and no means for an army. After the movie, our teacher asked us for any thoughts. I was seriously too shocked to say anything; I was on the verge of tears. I wish that there wasn't so much hate and revenge and discrimination and death in this world. I recommend that everyone see this movie and try to stay informed on the political events that take place everyday.

Ash