A suicide bomber killed at least 22 people and wounded 59 at a packed concert hall in the English city of Manchester in what Prime Minister Theresa May called a sickening act targeting children and young people. Many said police believed they knew the identity of the bomber and police then said a 23-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the attack carried out late on Monday evening as people began leaving a concert given by Ariana Grande, a U.S. singer who attracts a large number of young and teenage fans.

Ayah Berro, a eighth grade athlete at Unis Middle School stated,”I feel bad for their parents.” No one should experience this type of negative energy anytime in their life. The singer had left the stage. The high energy, bright lights and loud music were over. The crowd of mostly satisfied young girls and their parents were leaving the 21,000-seat Manchester Arena. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but provided no evidence and neither U.S. nor British officials have corroborated that.

Hussein Alsaidi, an eighth grader at Unis Middle School stated, “It’s not their fault, they don’t deserve to die.” The pop star’s fan base is primarily girls and teenagers, so the venue was packed full of families. Saffie Rose Roussos was leaving the show Monday night with her mother and sister when a suicide attack on the concert in Manchester tore through an entrance foyer to the sports arena. He also said, “ This attack makes us muslims look bad and gives people a bad image about us Muslims.”

Zeinab Alghanem a honors student at Unis Middle School reputed, “ This reflects the Muslim community despite our best efforts.” This attack is active hate that no one should ever need to bear with.  Zeinab says, “ If I ever experienced this I would like to tell people that Muslims aren’t bad and we wouldn’t want you to ever have to face this situation.” People portray us because that’s all the media shows.

There is no evidence that the attacker who bombed Manchester Arena was targeting women. What is undeniable is that it’s a hard world for little girls. An Ariana Grande concert is where they go to dance silly, belt out lyrics and flail their awkward limbs together, glorying in loud music, and flashing lights.

Nasrene Mroue, Middle School Journalist