In one of my recent posts I had posed the question ‘Does Black Lives really Matter?‘, after Derek Chauvin, was sentenced for killing George Floyd. The former Minneapolis Police Officer was sentenced to 22 and a half years in jail last month. Chauvin faced 40 years in prison for the 2020 death of Floyd in custody during an incident that sparked massive protests.
It won’t be wrong to say Black lives do not matter much for the US authorities, as is evident from the sentence given to Chauvin. And although ‘All Lives Matter’ is a slogan that is associated with criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement, I would like to emphasize say here that the slogan does not mean the same for me. Black lives do matter as we have all been created by the same God, irrespective of our color or race.
So what do I mean by All Lives Matter?
When I say all lives matter I want you to understand that: 1) You should value your life and use it for a constructive purpose: As an individual who has been made unique by God you need to understand your worth. It important that you appreciate whatever your Creator has blessed you with and express gratitude to Him for everything. 2) Give importance to the lives of others, including the black and minority group people. This is because each one of us has been blessed by special qualities irrespective of color or race. In fact, as a Muslim I believe that God will judge us all by our deeds rather than our wealth, color or race on the Day of Calamity when He will raise us again after our death.
Marty Rubin has said in one of his quotes, “Every human life has infinite value and to destroy even one is a crime against all humanity.”
Finally allow me to say that according to the Holy Quran, any person who wrongly takes the life of another or kills an innocent person is as though he killed the entire human race; and whoever keeps a soul alive, it is as though he kept alive the entire human race.
In case you are thinking why I am telling all this after all the protests over Floyd’s death have ended since long and even Chauvin has been sentenced, let me say that I want you to remember that all lives cant matter until black lives matter.
Towards A Better Life 