Doing good in a danger zone
Maybe it makes sense for some calculating faction in the Afghanistan conflict to murder a group of nonpartisan medical care providers. Under certain sordid circumstances a reputation for brutality may well be desirable. It's conceivable that a cowed populace and a wary humanitarian community could suit some warlord's political purposes. Presumably an aggressive big fish in a backwater pond feels some compulsion to make a big splash. Perhaps a dead Christian is a glorified notch in some ideologue's rifle.
All these things are possible and maybe even plausible. But from the standpoint of almost everyone else in the world, the early August killings of 10 members of a medical team in a remote area of northern Afghanistan was an utterly senseless, morally outrageous and ultimately evil act of unnecessary, unhelpful and incomprehensible violence. There is nothing good about this situation. It's bad news for everyone. Senseless. Harmful. Bad.
And yet it happened. On August 5, an international team returning from a two-week mission to conduct eye clinics and provide medical aid to poor people in remote villages was ambushed in fusillade of bullets. Ten workers, including six Americans, one Briton, one German and two Afghans, were killed. They were operating under the auspices of International Assistance Mission (IAM), a Christian agency that has been active in the country since 1966. "The vast majority of the local people welcome [our] work in their communities," says IAM executive director Dirk Frans. "God willing, we will continue to serve the Afghan people." Among the dead was team leader Tom Little, an American optometrist who has been working in Afghanistan for more than 30 years.
Deviltry
More deviltry was afoot in these killings than mere banditry. Politically, an unstable countryside makes it easier for the Taliban and their supporters to stay in the game. It doesn't work to their advantage when the locals get too friendly with foreigners.
The attacks also surfaced religious tensions. A Taliban spokesman claimed the workers were killed because they were "spying for America" and "preaching Christianity." He said, "they were Christian missionaries and we killed them all." Like some other organizations in the region, IAM is motivated and inspired by its Christian faith to serve in Afghanistan. But they pledge to operate their programs with a spirit of mutual respect and in accordance with Afghan law, which prohibits proselytization. IAM has denied the medics and their Afghan interpreters were missionaries.
Regardless of the real motive, the results are devastating. In a remarkable bit of understatement, an IAM press release said the "tragedy negatively impacts our ability to continue serving the Afghan people." World Evangelical Alliance international director Geoff Tunnicliffe echoed the sentiment. "These senseless killings of humanitarian workers are a great atrocity and will significantly impact the delivery of aid to thousands of poor people.
"Once again the most needy in society are impacted by pointless violence."
Now here's the question: what prompts aid workers to head into such dangerous situations? Hint: in most cases, it's not the money. It certainly wasn't for this team. In a blog posting just a few weeks before her untimely death, Dr. Karen Woo of London wrote that "the trek will not be easy; it will take three weeks and be done on foot and with packhorses—no vehicles can access the mountainous terrain." She went on to say, "the expedition will require a lot of physical and mental resolve and will not be without risk. But, ultimately I believe that the provision of medical treatment is of fundamental importance and that the effort is worth it in order to assist those that need it most."
Many of the people who are willing to do good in danger zones find this kind of motivation—the mindset that lays self-interest aside to attend to the needs of others—in a robust commitment to Christian faith. This echoes the attitude of Jesus Christ, who willingly set aside the comforts of heaven for a demanding and demeaning existence on Earth, capped by a senseless execution. Yet today we understand His great sacrifice to be the gateway to an ultimate reconciliation.
These medical workers have followed the example of our Lord. Our prayer is that their spilled blood will be the wellspring for something good beyond our current comprehension. Senseless? Yes. Beyond redemption? Never.
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