GENOCIDE: A WORLD ISSUE

By: Matt JoynerAPWH Final Project

WHAT IS GENOCIDE?

The word genocide is defined by Merriam-Webster as, “the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group.”

Genocide has been around for millenniums, and is unfortunately a pressing issue in today’s society.

EXAMPLES OF GENOCIDE

You could track genocide well before the beginning of the Crusades in the 11th century.

Some classic modern history examples are:The HolocaustRwandan GenocideDarfur Crisis

THE HOLOCAUST

The Holocaust, deriving from the German word, holokauston (meaning “sacrifice by fire”) was an event during World War II featuring the massacre of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and the disabled.

The leader, Adolf Hitler, believed in Aryan Supremacy and that all others were inferior and were a disease and a serious problem to the development of the German economy, recently demolished from the wrath of the Treaty of Versailles (1919).

Approximately 11 million people were massacred through various methods such as concentration camps, gas chambers, and labor camps.

RWANDAN GENOCIDEThe genocide that occurred in Rwanda is probably the most “dense” genocides in recorded history.

The genocidal event lasted about 100 days (April 6-July 16, 1994).

Approximately 800,000 to 1 million Tutsis (and some moderate Hutus) were massacred by the Rwandan tribe, the Hutus.

It is estimated that more than 6 men, women, and children were murdered every minute of every hour of every day. This efficiency was maintained for more than 3 months.

Survivors, to this day, still are treated very poorly.

The picture above is that of the graves of some of the victims in Rwanda.

DARFUR CRISIS

Darfur is a region in Sudan and is home toabout 6 million people from nearly 100different tribes.

In 2003, two Darfuri rebel movements – theSudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice andEquality Movement (JEM) – attacked the Sudanese government on terms of not acting on quarrels in the area.

The government responded by releasing an Arab militia, the Janjaweed, throughout regions of Darfur.

Over 400,000 Darfuri civilians have died.

2.8 million people have been displaced within Sudan.

Janjaweed militia and government forces have been responsible for 97% of the killing.

GENOCIDE TODAY

Believe it or not, genocide is occurringin this moment in the Middle Eastwith the Islamic State of Iraq andSyria (ISIS).

ISIS originated as a branch off of the group al-Qaeda.

The Arabic group is known for killing dozens of people at a time and carrying out public executions, crucifixions, beheadings, and other gruesome acts.

Many mosques and other holy temples have been blown up in Syria and Iraq by the group. Millions have been displaced from their homes.

THE SOLUTION

Genocide has been a major problem due to the fact that many people act out through terror and acts of genocide when they disagree on certain topics.

Many major first-world nations have acted against genocide and have quenched must of the rigor of genocide in multiple nations.

In the cases of ISIS, many nations, including the USA, are in the process of taking drastic measures to stop the Islamic State.

WE as a nation can do our part (in the future) by ensuring we elect grand people in the 2016 Elections here in the USA. Strong leaders brings about strong influence and sometimes success.

SOURCES

"Darfur – Facts And timeline." New Internationalist All Posts RSS. Web. 22 May 2015.

"Fast Facts on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)." WPTV. Web. 22 May 2015.

"Genocide Facts." The Rwandan Genocide. 17 June 2012. Web. 22 May 2015.

"Past Genocides - Armenia, Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur." United to End Genocide. Web. 22 May 2015.

Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Holocaust Facts - 33 Things You Should Know." Web. 22 May 2015.

"Past Genocides - Armenia, Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur." United to End Genocide. Web. 22 May 2015.