Feeding off the Hunger of the Poor

An article by Borzou Daragahi of the Los Angeles Times, and published by the Boston Globe has the odd title “Hard-line Islamists feed off anger of poor.” The article is worth a read for a variety of reasons. In the complex situation of the Middle East and beyond, the very basic question of hunger and thirst is surely at a critical level. We neglect this to the detriment of not only a modicum of social stability, but our own humanity. That is not to suggest that the solutions will be easy — they never are! It also raises the question of who is really paying attention. One could read the article as implying that the Islamists are taking advantage of the tragedy of human hunger for their own political/religious agenda. It is undoubtedly an intentional part of a strategy. But if our response is also one of action for the sake of our own security and political advantage, then who is really “feeding off the hunger of the poor.” Shouldn’t we care for the hungry simply because they are hungry?

See the news report on the UN Global Food Summit:

“Delegates from 183 countries at the Rome talks were supposed to issue a resounding declaration on Thursday on ‘eliminating hunger and securing food for all’.”

“But squabbling about trade barriers and geopolitics raised the prospect of the statement being scrapped.”