Remembering Rwanda

Posted by Julette Millien at 4/7/2009 10:07 AM
Categories: Real Stories Real Decisions
Tags: Rwanda genocide Forgiveness
The following message came to me today from a friend, Jean Michel Habineza.  Please read and reflect.

Jean Michel Habineza
Today at 5:07am

On this day, we are commemorating the death of 1million Rwandese during the 1994 genocide.

Day after day they were killed by their neighbors, classmates, relatives because they were different from them. For a 100 days people wished they were born different, they prayed for a miracle and were longing for a light of hope!

So I ask you wherever you are take a minute of silence for the million of Rwandese that perished, pray for God to give strength and healing to those that survived but most of all light a candle for Rwanda.

But I would like you to reflect a little bit on some issues.

In Rwanda more than a million people died by the cruelest means possible because they were born different.

Even though your case might not go as far as what happened In Rwanda I would like to ask you how many people you hate because they were born different.
How many people do you discriminate because they do not have the same opinion as you do so therefore you take them as being less human than you?

Rwanda's case is similar to many cases around the world like racism in the US, catholic/protestant in Ireland and many others issues around the world.

Genocide starts from the mind.

So as we are remembering the loss of our loved ones let us stand together to fight against hatred and division. But we must first renew our mind,

So brothers and sisters in Rwanda muhumure, take care of each other and as the survivors are mourning let us embrace compassion and love for them for it’s never easy to loose relatives and family and friends to such horrors.

Let us stand together and say “never again”. “ never again will we agree to be divided by lines like race,gender etc” “ never again will we agree to stand still while injustice is being perpetrated, “ never again will we be drawn to the point of hating a brother/sister for what he did not choose to be”

May God bless you all, May God bless the souls of Rwanda.

Thank you for reading and even more for caring. Join the group on Facebook below for more information.

The following excerpt is taken from the Group description for:

Forgiveness a step to reconciliation project - a Facebook Group

"There are many people that were able to forgive the perpetrators that killed their parents and relatives. Many of these after forgiving they were liberated from that hatred that had been in them for more than 10 years. Jean Paul SAMPUTU is a great example. He has been a great ambassador of Rwandan culture many times at many venues. For many years he had been struggling to overcome the resentment that he felt against the person who killed his parents in the 1994 genocide. It was only after forgiving his offender that SAMPUTU was able to overcome the bad and become Free. “
The power of forgiveness helped me to overcome pain ,suffering and the spirit of Revenge”.
This quote was taken from the speech jean Paul Samputu Gave to the world at the occasion of Pangea day on may 10th 2008."

Let us learn from our mistakes.
With Love,
Julette Millien
♥ ♥ ♥

 

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