What the Middle East Should Learn from Turkey’s Night Club Shooting
Turkey hasn’t caught a break in the last month, much like the Middle East. Every time one country begins to breathe a sigh of relief, a bomb or some kind of atrocity happens in a neighboring country. Making this one of the most tumultuous regions in the world.
That being said with all that is happening in the region we still remain to be one of the safest destinations in the world (minus Aleppo, areas of Iraq and Yemen). We never had to fear school’s being shot up by troubled white men or students, neither our malls being breached or let a lone our night clubs and so forth, due to what we assume is decent security at these public places.
I write this as a plea, a preemptive measure on behalf of all the citizens in the region that frequent places of worship, malls, bars, night clubs and family outings; to take our safety seriously.
No life is worth losing to an insane masked man or woman, because you simply think this won’t happen to us. For those who have been to Istanbul, we have all partied at the Reina and danced the night away on the Bosphorus; that could have been you or I, that could have been us anywhere in the world for that matter. Simple measures can be set into place to lessen the likelihood of any of these atrocities from happening on our home turf. Please take note:
Metal Detectors
Yes, we have them at our hotels and malls in Egypt, Lebanon and a handful of other places. But they don’t exist at our sports clubs, places of worship, bars and night clubs. Please invest in them, you may just be saving your life, your business and other innocent bystanders.
Security cameras
Security cameras in the venues are great for catching the assailant after they have committed the crime, but what about placing cameras around the parameter and having them monitored by security 24/7? Or, better yet, what about monitoring them during working hours to try and limit the chances of an attack?
Check women’s bags
I’m a woman and I’m telling you to check my bag upon entering any of the above mentioned places, most people wouldn’t think twice but a small handbag can be carrying much more than lipstick, perfume and a wallet. Again, you’d rather be safe than sorry!
Egypt is one of the few countries that does routine security checks when going into parking lots, malls and even some gas stations. Although those security checks are not fully executed properly and look like they aren’t taken seriously, they are a bit of a deterrent and may make anyone with intentions to reek havoc think twice!
WE SAID THIS: Why these security checks haven’t been applied to all venues regionally or even worldwide is beyond me. How many innocent lives have to be lost, till we take a stand?
