Humanist Dr Karen Woo lived “an intensely packed and rich life”
Karen Woo blogging
Dr Karen Woo was murdered in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, along with nine other members of her international medical team (six American aid workers, a German and two Afghans). Badakhshan is known as a safe and beautiful area, even a tourist spot.
There are conflicting views about who is responsible for the deaths. If it was the Taliban, it took them an unusually long time to claim responsibility, they could have taken hostages but didn’t, and the victims were robbed of passports and possessions, which is unusual for a Taliban attack. But on the other hand, the team had recently returned from neighbouring Nuristan, a Taliban stronghold where they may have drawn attention, and targeting westerners in Badakhshan at the moment, when Nato want to hand control to Afghan forces, may be a strategic ploy.
Either way, some very selfless people are dead.
Even as the stupefyingly inhuman race to claim responsibility for the killings goes on inside Afghanistan, some voices in the media around the world turned their attention to placing blame on the medics themselves, apparently having swallowed the Taliban line that they were “preaching Christianity” and deserved to be executed for missionary zeal. These speculations have compelled Woo’s family to assert her humanism, to promote her passionately lived life, and to defend her humanitarian motivation, free from religious or political agenda. We republish here the family’s statement in full.
Karen Woo tending a patient
Our loving and talented daughter/sister Karen Su Ying (Cori) Woo has been tragically taken from us. She was due to be married on her return to the UK.
Her motivation was purely humanitarian. She was a Humanist and had no religious or political agenda.
She wanted the world to know there was more than a war going on in Afghanistan, that people were not getting their basic needs met. She wanted the ordinary people of Afghanistan, especially the women and children, to be be able to receive healthcare. She undertook this trek as a medical doctor, accompanying medical supplies and to provide treatment to people who lived in an extremely remote region who had little to no healthcare available.
Her commitment was to make whatever difference she could. She was a true hero, whilst scared she never let that prevent her from doing things she had to do.
She would not want this tragedy to overshadow the ongoing plight of those still in the greatest of need.
Karen you were an inspiration to everyone you met. You combined brains and beauty, intelligence, drive and kookiness in equal measure. You led an intensely packed and rich life: dancer, model, stunt plane walker, doctor and aid worker. Whatever you set your mind on you did so with passion.
You were the embodiment of seizing the moment. You went through life always believing the best of everyone despite everything you’ve seen.
We are so proud of the work you were doing and all that you have achieved.
You made a difference in people’s lives and for that you will not be forgotten. You will be sorely missed by us, your family and friends, here in the UK, around the world and in Afghanistan.
I hope that the legacy you leave is to inspire others to give love and aid rather than perpetuate hate and violence.
- Further coverage: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/08/uk-medic-afghan-murdered-christian-group
- Other tributes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10907188
- More on Dr Woo: http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1301409/Fiance-murdered-doctor-Karen-Woo-insists-preaching-Christianity.html
A really needless death, a great waste of talent. She shouldn’t have been hanging with a bunch of people who had a religious agenda, as I have pointed out on my blog.
http://dave-lucas.blogspot.com/2010/08/rip-dr-karen-woo.html
@Dave Lucas
Or maybe it’s simply that she shouldn’t have been murdered by the people who murdered her?
1. Was she hanging with a bunch of people who had a religious agenda, or was she hanging with a bunch of people working as a religious charity who had a humanitarian agenda?
2. Is it OK to murder people who have religious agenda you don’t agree with?
3. Was it the work of the Taliban, or an unconnected robbery?
4. It’s not like the Taliban approve of female Doctors… or non-religious people generally. Would they have been any less keen to claim responsibility for her killing anyway?
Doctor Karen Woo went to Afghanistan to try to help poor Afghan tribes people.
Whoever it was that robbed and murdered her and her colleagues did a completely wrong act.
In her short life, Karen Woo had already made a substantial contribution towards the well being of many people and she could have gone on to achieve so much more.
Her regrettable death has robbed us all of the unique contribution she could have continued making to all humankind.
We are all diminished by her untimely demise.
Our thoughts should be with her family and friends at a time like this. They – and we – have lost a truly wonderful and unique human being.
We should treasure her memory for all time and never forget her humanistic efforts.
Dr Karen is a good sample of a good mother and sister for me i live in Afghanistan and i needed her help and she was helping those people wore Affected from war of mojahedin and taliban’s and all who Cause of this large number of Widows and orphans and she is still in my heart and hope that one say we could have a nice peaceful world