We are more similar than we think.

An African man was beaten to death in Delhi in an argument over hiring an auto-rickshaw. He was rescued by a group of locals who called the police and took him to hospital but he died. On the same day a restaurant owner in Delhi was shot to death over a paltry bill of Rs 1,085. A few days back a young man was shot to death in Bihar for daring to overtake the car of the son of a local politician. Last year a student was beaten to death in Bengal because he would not go to a political meeting. Why is killing someone so easy in India? Because our conviction rate for violent crimes is in single figures. Even when someone is convicted of murder, because of public outcry, prison is a very pleasant experience where you are allowed out to get married. In Bihar murder convicts sentenced to life in prison are attractive as grooms. The media created an unnecessary hysteria about racism in the case of the death of the African man, overlooking the fact that he was rescued by local people. At this time of the night there were probably very few people around which is why it took time for the locals to chase off the goons. This naturally enraged embassy staff of African countries stationed in Delhi. Indian businesses in Congo have been attacked and people have been hurt. Before they start to accuse Indians of racism Africans should reflect on their own attitudes. Skin whitening creams are extremely popular in African countries, even though some of them have dangerous chemicals in them. On the other hand, African-Americans in the US are very scornful about women who are not black enough or are from mixed parentage. We cannot forget that 96% of blacks in the US voted for Barack Obama only because he is black, when no one had heard of him before. Authorities in France rejected an offer of a software which can mine data to pinpoint impending terror attacks out of the vast amounts of intelligence because the company was from Israel. To wear a Jewish skullcap in Paris is to invite attacks from Muslims who are immigrants from African countries. European countries are building walls to keep out migrants from Africa. Hundreds of thousands of Africans are migrating to Europe in very dangerous conditions. Why? There is violence inside Congo against the President, Joseph Kabila. There is violence in Burundi against an illegal third term by the President. Civil war has led to severe famine in South Sudan. This is not to condone racism which is abhorrent. Violence in any form, against anyone is unacceptable. African nations and India must create safe societies at home if we are to get respect from others. We are similar in many respects, aren't we?