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I’m Afraid

Of the Madness Overtaking the World

By R.S. SillanpaaPublished 6 months ago Updated 4 months ago 3 min read
Top Story - July 2025
I’m Afraid
Photo by Matthieu Joannon on Unsplash

I’m afraid

Of the madness overtaking the world

How it is okay to shout, ”globilise the intifada”

And acceptable to call for the death of Israelis, Americans, and the West

I’m afraid

Of the rising antisemitism, masked as anti-zionism and being pro-Palestine

Yet, for anyone willing to see, it is clear this is not about Palestine, and it’s certainly not about human rights

If these groups truly cared about human rights

Then why are they silent when the Druze are being massacred in Syria?

When Christians are being beheaded in a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo? (Democratic, yeah right)

When nearly 13 million people have been displaced in Sudan because of the war?

When they celebrate October 7th and never once condemn the taking of hostages, including the elderly and children?

I’m afraid

Of their selective outrage and of their siding with terror groups

Their loudness on one matter and silence elsewhere speaks volumes

This is not about human rights or freeing Palestine

It’s about the demons that hide within them and among them

That lead them to turn a blind eye to real crimes against humanity and the rising number of antisemitic attacks

Just the other day

A group of minors was removed from a plane in Spain

Their leader beaten and arrested

For daring to sing songs in Hebrew

They were on their way home from a summer camp

How will throwing them off the plane help Palestine?

They weren’t even Israeli; they were French

So don’t tell me again it’s just about Palestine or that antisemitism is not on the rise

I’m afraid

Of how these people flooding the streets call themselves liberals yet will shout down everyone who dares to disagree

You see feminists marching in support of terror groups that consider women less valuable than men

Members of the LGBTQ+ community supporting regimes that would throw them off roofs or hang them from cranes

Antiabortionists backing ideologies that teach children to hate and who hide in schools and hospitals

I’m afraid

Of where the rising presence of radical Islam will lead in Western countries

Where countries like the UK already have sharia councils

And tried to keep the lid on the grooming gang scandal

I’m afraid

Because of the silence of the vast majority of people

Of how they think, it has nothing to do with them

Until it’s too late

I’m afraid

Not so much for myself

But for my niece and nephew and others of their age

What kind of life will they have if we allow this hatred and radicalism breed unchecked?

But of course

These are all things you can’t say out loud

Because if you do

You are labelled Islamophobic, far-right, or both

Yet, I am neither

(It would have been challenging to be a teacher in London if I were)

I have no issues with people of different races, cultures, or religions, only with radicals

The definition of phobia is “irrational fear”

It is not irrational to fear radicals, whatever their faith may be

There is nothing irrational in being alarmed by the atrocities committed by these radicals

And far-right

Since when was it far-right to be proud of your country?

To be proud of your heritage?

To call out the crimes committed by certain groups of people?

Or am I far-right simply because I dare to disagree?

Because I’d rather not be on the side that according to Ayatollah Khomeini is on the “right side of history”?

So, at the risk of the “liberals” calling me far-right and Islamophobic

I have said what should not be said out loud because

I’m afraid

If ordinary people like me don’t speak up

The hatred will continue to spread

I speak

In the hope that together we can turn the tide

Before it is too late

- - -

I truly wish for peace in the Middle East and elsewhere. But it won't be achieved while radicals who hate others more than they love their children are free to spread their terror and supported by certain groups in the West. Groups of people who claim to hate privileges, yet enjoy incredible freedom, freedom that is denied to those who live in countries ruled by radical regimes.

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About the Creator

R.S. Sillanpaa

Why is it so hard to write about myself? That's where I get writer's block!

In short, I am a writer, dreamer, and a cancer survivor writing about a wide range of things, fiction and non-fiction, whatever happens to interest and inspire me.

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Comments (11)

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  • Grz Colm4 months ago

    Very well articulated and thoughtful. It’s very disturbing. Also some the violent tragedies you mentioned I’d not heard of. Sickening.

  • Carol Ann Townend6 months ago

    I send my love. Dawn from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, once said "The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it," and I agree with her.

  • Regular folks have been afraid, afraid to speak their minds honestly. For fear of retribution and harassment, to be "cancelled" by people who exhibit irrational hatred for anything with which they disagree. Perhaps that era of insanity is fading away, and we can come back out of our shells, and once again speak freely about what really concerns us. Thank you for having the courage to speak up. Well done.

  • Courageously written. Whether one agrees or not, the honesty and urgency in your words are undeniable. It's clear you speak from deep concern, and that matters. 🕊️

  • Aspen Noble6 months ago

    This was a powerful and deeply personal expression of fear and frustration. I appreciate the courage it takes to speak openly about such complex and emotionally charged issues. Your perspective raises important questions about selective outrage, silence in the face of real suffering, and the need for nuance in conversations that often get reduced to slogans. Thank you for writing this with such clarity and conviction.

  • KASHIF karim6 months ago

    congratulations on being top, meet me a doctor with cinema mind

  • David Wayne Wright6 months ago

    I could feel the pain in your writing. I don't know who was the first to open the door to this new era of radicalism, but it needs to slither back into the shadows where it belongs.

  • Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

  • Alexander McEvoy6 months ago

    I’m very much the same. I always make the joke that I’m a radical centrist because I just want things to work. Civil rights makes society better? Fantastic, let’s have lots of those. Public healthcare, education, and transport is good for everyone? Great, love it. More please. Freedom of expression contained within reasonable limits as determined by a fair and democratic society? (I’m Canadian limits are part of our constitution) yes. Amazing. Love it. Hate speech should never be protected. But I’ve had friends on the left who see nothing wrong torturing children assuming said children have blue eyes. Because their axioms state that blue eyes equals pro slavery racist. Introduced that one to a black girl I knew with blue eyes, the friend actually started crying. I know people on the left who want to limit who’s allowed to breed to make sure that only “family’s with progressive ideas” can continue. I know people on the left who believe that any person of mixed BIPOC and European ancestry should be sterilized at birth. I know leftists who want to execute children on live tv if their family’s net worth is over $1M Both sides of the spectrum end up in the same place if we tolerate the radicals. They’re all the same. The problem is defining the spectrum as left and right. Really, the two options should be liberal or authoritarian. Sometimes, authority has its function. More often, just letting people be is the most efficient solution. And any step towards authoritarianism WILL. ALWAYS. be turned against the person/people who took it

  • Kendall Defoe 6 months ago

    I'm truly fed up with both the Left and the Right. We need the Center to hold things together. ☯️

  • I just don't want any war, hate, or killing anywhere. Why is it so difficult for everyone to be at peace 😭😭😭

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