Delmar, NY is in the verdant Catskill Mountains not far from the mighty Hudson River. It's an upscale village that's been declared one of America's best communities. Kabul, Afghanistan is different. It's too dry to grow much vegetation and its river is just trickle most of the year. It has only a passing acquaintance with the modern world.
Tom Little, an optometrist from Delmar, went to Kabul in the 1970's and spent most of the next thirty years treating Afghans. He and his wife Libby raised three daughters there as Tom supervised clinics for the International Assistance Mission. This quiet, shy man learned the local language and wove himself into the community he was committed to helping. They lovingly called him "Mr. Tom."
Little trekked into the treacherous mountains to serve shepherds, subsistence farmers and their families. Many had never seen a doctor, let alone an optometrist or dentist. On his last trip he led a team that included a surgeon, dentist and nurse. Dr. Karen Woo, the surgeon, asked NBC if she could bring a camera on the trip but they thought it was too dangerous and wouldn't give her one.
NBC was right. After two weeks of hiking between villages the team was stopped by the Taliban. As reported by NPR, "Little shouted, "Who are you?" The attackers hit Little on the back of the head with a gun. He fell down and they shot him." They killed everyone in the party except for one Afghan who begged for mercy while reciting verses from the Quran.
The survivor reported "the attackers were very happy - even dancing with each other." They said they killed them because they were "spies who tried to convert Muslims." Nobody who knew the victims believed this. IAM has been a registered Christian organization with the Afghan government since arriving there in 1966. IAM Director Dirk Frans explained "Our faith motivates us but we do not proselytize. We abide by the laws of Afghanistan" that make proselytizing illegal.
If Mr. Tom opened minds to a loving faith it was by providing a Christian example. Jennifer Gish of timesunion.com noted, "Tom Little knew the dangers, he'd lived them through three decades, but the man who brought eye care to the most remote places of Afghanistan couldn't see his life any other way."
His devout Christianity - the thing that drove him - deserved attention. But it was ignored on Meet the Press when a panelist noted that "This is exactly what Hillary Clinton is trying to do. More civilian projects." Secretary Clinton called the victims "heroic, generous people." Neither mentioned they were Christians or the fact they've been providing help without fanfare for decades.
Ms. Clinton eventually gave religion a plug: "Muslims around the world join people of other faiths in rejecting last week's murder of humanitarian workers in Afghanistan." Based on what evidence? The silence of the Islamic community is deafening.
And the disregarding of selfless, valiant Christan faith is appalling.
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"Mr. Tom" was NOT from Delmar. He was originally from Kinderhook, and after spending 30 years in Afghanistan told those he met he was indeed "from Afghanistan" - The jury is still out on whether or not the party was stopped by Taliban - NBC SHOULD HAVE GIVEN KAREN THE CAMERA! I have a post dedicated to Dr. Woo's memory on my blog, here.
ReplyDeleteThe sources I used, including the National Public Radio piece, noted Delmar as Little's hometown. I haven't seen Kinderhook mentioned anywhere. No less an authority than the Secretary of State said "The Taliban has proudly claimed responsibility for for this despicable act of wanton violence." There is an ongoing investigation but the consensus is that the Taliban is responsible.
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt your accuracy, but I intend to get facts right and can only rely on multiple published sources to do so and can only use the information that's available.
In your blog you take issue with Michelle Malkin's use of the term "Christian medical volunteers" instead of just "medical volunteers." I'll tell you why it's important: the media jumps on stories about "Christian" wackos who do not represent our faith. We have a case here where Tom Little's faith drove him to help others. He was a Christian and worked for a Christian organization. Even though he didn't proselytize, his actions were Christian in nature and should be seen as such. To deliberately ignore this element is to passively reject the goodness of our faith.