Why does piracy grow among the Somalians continue?

 Four Americans were killed Tuesday, February 22, 2011, in the north Arabian Sea aboard a yacht owned by two of them, Scott and Jean Adam.  Somali pirates seized the boat last Friday despite the fact that naval task forces from the European Union and NATO have 34 war ships on those waters.  The sea is enormous, and pirate activity in the region is intensifying in numbers and in violence.  In fact, the pirates are escalating their tactics, using "mother ships to launch smaller attack boats, enabling them to strike as far as 1,500 miles from the Samali coast" (www.politicsdaily.com).

Somali officials want intervention to squelch this plague of piracy coming from criminals among its citizens.  Those traversing those waters, whether civilian, commercial or military vessels, must deal with threats to their safety and terror.  Public outcry, among those aware of the situation, is significant.  Yet, their number and their threat grows.

Why does piracy grow among these Somalians, despite the fact that many of them have been captured, sentenced, and even killed?  International opinions are decidedly against them!  Some would say that it has been physical and financial success.  The BBC reports that they took 1,181 hostages in 2010 and were paid millions of dollars in ransoms (goafrica.about.com, 1/18/11).  Some would say that the odd shape of the country, narrow but having a long coast line, or the vastness of the seas they scour, give them a sense of security.  Others say that these pirates are trying to protect the waters off their coastline from international pollution and pillaging of fish and other marine life whereby Somalia's citizens can earn a living.  The answer may not be clear, but the problem is.  Piracy is a growing trend.

Have you stopped to think about the fact that sin does not stay dormant or stagnant in one's life.  Unchecked and unremoved, it grows.  Societal sins may start subtly and sparsely, but when not renounced, they move into the mainstream and are even embraced.  Sin never ceases to be ugly, dangerous, and life-threatening.  Whether one grows bolder in it, enjoys a measure of success despite it, or seeks to justify it, God views it just the same.  So must we!  It is dangerous, devilish, and deadly.  May we ever strive to remove its effects from our individual lives and "let your light so shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mat. 5:16). 

 

Neal Pollard