How Everything Changed One Dark Night

The Morning After

Last Saturday was not a dark and stormy night. It was however dark. Like all nights during the holy month, people we're celebrating iftar, the breaking of the day long fast. Iftar is a time of solidarity, friendship and family, a thanksgiving sized dinner every evening during Ramadan. Unfortunately, last Saturday night Islamabad was shaken up literally and figuratively and iftar ended tragically for hundreds of devoted Muslims.

The gravity of the Marriott bombing is lost on many people. It was Pakistan's largest domestic act of terrorism coming after the recent installment of a new president. Some called it the Pakistani 9/11. Around 60 people were killed including the Czech ambassador and at least 6 other expatriates. Over 260 people were injured, 90% of these being Pakistani. These were guards, drivers, waiters, and other everyday people. Islamabad has formally been known as a bubble protected from Pakistan's internal chaos where life carried on quite normally. In one evening, that bubble was burst revealing no place is immune from terrorism.

Saturday night, the city of Islamabad shook violently. My house shook during the deafening blast and we evacuated in fear of an earthquake. Windows were shattered for blocks. Smoke rose into the cloudy night. The city hibernated in response. Expats with organizations both diplomatic and humanitarian were advised to avoid public places including restaurants and stores. It was a time of uncertainty. People frantically attempted to contact friends and family. It's a time where you feel everything is slipping away.

Living through a bombing revealed a truth that I've known for a long time. When these events happen, we must know what we believe. We must have a foundation to hold onto when the rug is pulled out from underneath us. This is true across all cultures and in all countries. Where do you turn in tragedy? What remains constant in life? What remains constant in death? These are questions we answer in the quietness of our hearts, and the smoke of a shattered and fearful city.