Rayan united us in hope and in sadness

There is a family in Morocco grieving for the death of their beloved child, Rayan . On Tuesday, five-year-old Rayan Aourram fell into a well about 32 metres deep, to remain trapped until his death. His family first reported him as missing and then found him in the well where authorities worked painstakingly to keep him alive and rescue him. After waiting by the site of the well in the Moroccan town of Bab Berred, Rayan’s parents’ lives were shattered as he was declared dead shortly after he was finally pulled out from the well by rescue workers. They had to deal with their loss under the glare of cameras and global media coverage, as their story captivated the world. It is impossible to fathom the extent of sadness and anxiety Rayan’s parents and family felt since last Tuesday. But by Thursday, news of Rayan had travelled around the world. There was an outpouring of emotion in Morocco, the Arab world and beyond – praying for his safety. And with the development of the story came the constant media coverage of a story that represented hope but also one’s worst fears, the inability to protect a child. The need to cover this story was both due to its compelling human angle but also because there was a public fixation to know what would happen to Rayan. That fixation came with a groundswell of emotion and support. Despite the deluge of daily devastating stories of children dying in different Arab countries due to conflict or poverty, Rayan highlighted a solidarity and kindness uniting people of the Middle East and North Africa. For a very short while on Saturday night there was hope as Moroccan television announced that Rayan had been pulled out of the well. Yet authorities were careful not to announce how the child’s health was. Social media flooded with prayers of thanks and jubilation. Within minutes, that jubilation turned into absolute sorrow as authorities confirmed that Rayan had died. It is still unclear at what point the death happened. The pain of Rayan’s parents’ loss is theirs to suffer, but there is a wider community that suddenly feels tied to their son. Suddenly the highest trending word under ‘news’ on twitter in the region was the word ‘heartbreaking’ – as so often news is from this part of the world. The reality is that this collective feeling of loss and sorrow is a product of the 24-hour news cycle and social media. The combination allows people both to follow intricate news details blow by blow but also to become commentators and analysts through their own social handles. Some people bemoan the ‘voyeur’ aspect of strangers inserting themselves in to the story of someone they have never met, but in general the sense of good will and kindness being espoused is one shows the ties that bind people. Arabs around the world were praying for Rayan and sharing a common moment that is all too rare among political divisions. This moment of unity following the loss of Rayan could be a time to help other Arab children for whom it is not too late. There are other young children in a number of Arab countries who could and should be saved. Syrian children dying in the cold, displaced Iraqi children suffering in decrepit tents, starving Yemeni children in need of aid, Lebanese children suffering from cancer without medication, Palestinian children unsure of their future living below the poverty line, and so many others. While they are nameless and often just referenced as statistics, they are just as alive and worthy of care and rescuing. While Rayan did not make it, his miracle is in reminding us of our humanity and how much we should care for those children we do not know but can help. That is the hope this region needs.