EDITOR’S NOTE: Ethiopian Review is interested in this topic because it relates to the thousands of Ethiopian immigrants in Dubai who report of horrible abuses at the hands of their employers.
By Surat S.
A response to journalist Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi:
First thing first. I find your attitude (in the opinion piece you wrote) about Mr. Hari’s article is kind of a tit-for-tat and coming from a self-described journalist totally childish. Mr. Hari wrote about his experience in Dubai and his piece was just that. The people he interviewed and the places he visited are not made up, but that was his experience. If you can refute any part of his writing, you can do so based on facts. But if your line of argument is London is much worse than Dubai, then you miss the whole point of the article because Mr. Hari was not comparing Dubai with any other place but documenting his experience. If you feel that you have something to write about London, you can do that but you need not compare it with any other place unless you are doing a comparative piece.
You did not mention any specifics in Mr. Haris’ article that you find objectionable but condemned it in its totality because sometimes that is the best of course of action when you are short of credible argument. I can go over every example that you mentioned about London and give you a comparison with Dubai but I will give you a glimpse of what you failed to comprehend in Mr. Haris’ piece. For your information, I have lived in Dubai for more than a year and visited the place several times over the span of two decades; and I have been in London many times for a very short period of time.
Your first negative example about London is the number of homeless people and let me take the figure at its face value because it is not even relevant. I live in America and I know first hand that almost every major city has a problem with homeless people. And among the homeless, a good percentage of them are mentally sick and need immediate care. The government and welfare agencies are constantly trying to address the problem so far with little success. But the point I am trying to make is you don’t even have the right to be homeless in a city such as Dubai or all of the Gulf States because they will ship anyone who is staying in the land if they are unemployed. This is not like comparing apples to oranges; this is something like comparing apples to a rotten, insect infested orange. The sad fact of the matter is human rights violations are rampant across the region and if you really need to write about anything, do not be offended because someone find the will to write about the land of your ancestors, but try to tell us about a great deal of injustice that Mr. Hari did not find the time to document.
And then you mentioned about the awful nature of women prisoners in Britain (I thought we were talking about London) and by implication you tried to tell us that any journalist who comes from a nation of such atrocity should have no business writing about other places. Again, it all comes down to the issue of human rights and the places where it is respected. Not only in London or England, but almost all industrialized countries have their share of social problems be it in the form of drug and alcohol problems, ethnic issues, gender issues, economic hardship, gang problems, homelessness, lack of medical care, etc. But unlike any of the Gulf States or Middle Eastern countries, these and many others societal problems are constantly debated among the population and the lawmakers to find a solution. Some countries are getting better in managing the problems and others are having a difficult time dealing with them. But the point is, unlike much of the Arab states, the problems are not shunned or ignored but are discussed openly in an effort to find a solution. Because of the system of governance, sometimes governments are changed because of these issues. I wish I could say the same about the city you tried to defend needlessly.
In your zeal to defend the honor of your region, you dug deeper to find examples of injustices that Britain did against other than its own people and you brought us the example of the millions of Indians who served the Queen during World War II. I agree with you that we should learn a great deal from the history of injustices and suffering that Britain, America or the western world had brought against the third world countries. Thousandths of books have been written about the unjust nature of colonialism and its aftermath. And I am quite confident that many more will be written by future historians to enlighten us and guide us not to repeat those mistakes. But Mr. Qassemi, I am sure that you will be the first one to admit that Britain of today is not the place you knew a decade or two ago. And I have to admit that America of today is the not the nation that I saw when I landed the first time more than two decades ago. America is not proud of the way it treated the native Indians, African Americans and many other ethnic groups throughout the centuries. We have also to admit that nothing is static; we are all witnesses to the dynamic changes that is taking places all around us which is also changing us as result. No one is immune and everything is changing. We are living in an interesting time that let us see changes immediately. But unfortunately, all of the Gulf States are intentionally missing this dynamic human revolution. They are good at importing and adopting the western technology while at the same time ignoring the suffering of the immigrant population who are doing all the work to bring material modernity to the region.
The point is human rights group can raise the issue of the suffering of army conscript of Indian origin and demand just compensation for their suffering; I have seen first hand America discussed and addressed, thought not adequately, the issue of Japanese-American prisoners during World War II after a number of decades. The same could happen in Britain and all the colonial powers. Can we say the same thing about millions of slave labor conscripts who are suffering in the desert heat of Gulf States right at this moment? Most of the Arab states have forgotten that these are human being after all, with the same blood running through their veins as those who employ them. Mr. Qassemi, it is not only Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Pilipino, etc, but many of my fellow Ethiopians are suffering because of slave labor conditions throughout the Gulf States. I personally heard numerous examples of abuse of domestic workers who work from the time they wake up early in the morning until they go to bed late at night without any rest in between. Sometimes, the wages of these “slaves” are held for months and at times it is totally forfeited when the employer gets rid of them or if and when they escape from their captivity.
Mr. Qassemi, we are all thankful that we are living in a democracy and have the right to address any wrong that is done to us. Sometimes, we get the short end of the law and we do not get everything that should be ours by right. But no one can doubt that we live in a much better condition that our immigrant brothers and sisters in the Gulf States. Granted, we have so many social issues that we need to address to become a fair and just community, but don’t you dare to compare us with the unfortunate human beings in the deserts of Arabia who have no way out. I think you should be ashamed of yourself in trying to defend the indefensible just because someone wrote not so nice things about your region. You are no better than the people who are putting these people under such terrible conditions because you are trying to tell the world that it is no worse than Britain. You know that is not true and that is a shame.
Jailed repeatedly for his political views, Ethiopian immigrant Sharew paid smugglers around $10,000 to move him through a dozen countries and leave him a year later in the grubby southern Mexican city of Tapachula.
Once on Mexico’s southern border, which has grown into a major stepping-stone for hundreds of migrants fleeing conflicts in the Horn of Africa, he was still 2,000 miles away from his destination: the United States.
The immigrants, mainly from Ethiopia and Somalia are increasingly following a new, epic route down the continent to South Africa, across the Atlantic by boat or plane and then a trek overland though South and Central America… [MORE]
By Maru Gubena Some of my readers may think that my tribute upon the untimely death of the phenomenal, the irreplaceable asset of Ethiopia, the unchallenged cultural and musical symbol and the undisputed role model for Ethiopian musicians of my generation, Tilahun Gessese, whom I, as a political economist and organization strategist have characterized not as a “King of Ethiopian Music,” but as “Edilegnaw Niguse,” is too late and perhaps too little as well. But I know it is neither too late nor too little. Because in our Ethiopian culture, families who have lost a loved one and who are grieving and weeping uncontrollably over the sudden loss of their family member, or someone well loved and highly respected by Ethiopians of all ages and sexes, can be extremely happy to receive any condolence at any time, whether written or in person. Yes, all Ethiopian families experiencing such sorrow, always feel tremendously comfortable and happy with the presence of those who come to share their grief and those who come while shading their tears. This is a part of our Ethiopian culture – a culture implanted deep inside our minds and our bodies.
Also, I know I did not write this text early this morning or yesterday evening but last Friday, the 24th of April 2009, intending to present it in person in my own personal capacity and in my own way, to express my grief and deep sadness at the abrupt disappearance – the death of the Edilegnaw Niguse, Tilahun Gessese, who unquestionably will remain in the hearts and minds of all Ethiopians of all generations. Yes, I wrote this text with the full intention of presenting it in the form of a memorial speech at the memorial service organized for artist Tilahun Gessese by the Association of Ethiopians in the Netherlands, held on Saturday, the 25th of April 2009. But due to the organizational style, the objectives, and the atmosphere of the event itself, which seemed, at least to me, not to correspond with my objective in presenting my talk, I thought it would be wiser to find other means to express and share my grieve with my Ethiopian compatriots in other ways.
Yes, the highly loved, highly respected icon and cultural asset of our country – Ethiopia – was and is indeed Edilegna Niguse, the Lucky King, and the Extraordinary King of the land of Ethiopia. Artist Tilahun is also Edilegna, because, completely different from our previous Kings and Emperors, Princes and Princesses, he was and is a Niguse of every Ethiopian, with no a single social or political enemy. Not even a single person. Artist Tilahun himself and his images will therefore live and sleep so comfortably and so widely in the hearts and minds of all Ethiopians, including the coming generations. Yes, indeed, he is absolutely different from Ethiopians who have had the highest socio-cultural and political positions within Ethiopian society.
It is also undeniably true that, at least as far as my recollections are concerned, in the past fifty or more years there has never been such an extensive, well organized and most memorable state and people’s funeral service as the one we all saw and witnessed last Thursday, the 23rd of April 2009 in Addis Ababa. Again, as far as I can recall, Ethiopians have never witnessed such a hugely attended, unforgettable funeral service for any member of Ethiopian society, not for Emperor Haile Selassie, or for his ministers, who had had the highest political positions in the country. Artist Tilahun is just an extraordinary, very special and unique social animal and far more. Not just a musician or singer, but a son, a patriot, a brother, a husband, a father and above all, a loving friend to everyone, all Ethiopians, not just those who live in cities, towns, or villages, but also those who reside deep inside the most complicated Ethiopian forests or its low and high mountains.
Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy will hold a town hall meeting in Washington DC next Sunday, May 3, 2009. Click here for more information.
This commentary concerns a recent article written by the “Ethiopian” Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) under the name Adal Isaw, and was published on Aigaforum. In the article, MoFA calls for the extradition of {www:Berhanu Nega}, leader of {www:Ginbot 7}, on the basis that he is a “terrorist”. Never mind the legal definition of a terrorist or what a legitimate government is, we are more interested in the fact that the article is an epitome of the mindset of leaders of the regime.
Of course we don’t expect it to be anything else but that. However, we would still like to point out to them that, even looking at the matter from their point of view, they are engaged in a futile exercise.
The piece is a perfect portrayal of the regime’s continued refusal to acknowledge Ethiopians as citizens to whom it ought to be accountable, and whose interests it should serve above all. It also reflects perfectly what has for a long time been the defining character of the ruling party, which is inability to understand the fundamental ideas associated with the struggle for freedom and democracy.
Although the overriding theme appears to be the call for Dr. Berhanu’s deportation, equally important is MoFA’s plea of rescue to America. In fact, it goes further than a plea; it is a warning for America that unless the latter acts upon MoFA’s request, their “counter-terrorism” alliance may be broken.
The article draws a background of a country located in “one of the roughest neighborhoods in the world”. It emphasizes the fact that this happened not by choice, as if that is not apparent already. It appears as if the regime is trying to hide that it actually loves that exact location our country is at. After all, it has been receiving the support that has so far contributed to its survival from the US in the name of fighting terrorism in this “rough neighborhood”.
That is why, in going further to endear itself to the US, the regime portrays itself as an entity whose very existence is to serve the interests of the US. Nowhere does it mention Ethiopians’ interests. Of course one cannot blame it for not acknowledging Ethiopians as its constituents, because they are not. Since that became glaringly obvious especially after the 2005 elections, the regime had to come up with the “developmental state” rhetoric to justify its existence. But in this article, even that fake development talk was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it is an implicit admission that it has not worked either.
Considering all that, it may be fair for MoFA to direct its appeal for rescue at America. After all, according to the regime’s own press release, the recent challenge on its illegitimate seat came from the military. Considering how it has used the armed and security forces to repress dissent in the past and had confidence to rely on them for the future, for the challenge to come from the military is a sign that its ground is shaking.
In the past several years, there have been widespread politically motivated layoffs within the army. The regime has weeded out those it believed supported opposition. The upper level positions within the army were given to those the regime can trust, and are of the same ethnic group as the ruling clique. Despite all these “precautions”, a few people found a way to organize a challenge. So, for a regime that does not have the backing of its citizens, whose attempts to justify its existence have been futile, and whose own army challenges it, it doesn’t come as a surprise for it to totally ignore its own citizens and prostrate itself before a foreign power and beg for rescue. It has to ask some one for help.
The manner in which the request to deport Berhanu Nega is being made to the US government is also worthy of attention. As if there are no laws or procedures in America, the Department of Defense is supposed to take Berhanu’s name because he is challenging an illegitimate government, pass it on to DHS, who will ask no questions about the rights of an individual.
The different agencies of the US government will not take a person as a terrorist just because some rogue government with a habit of labeling all of its opposition a terrorist labels him too. This reflects on the part of MoFA a crucial misunderstanding of the values upon which America was built, in addition to the tenets of basic human rights. It is also a reflection of how business is conducted in Ethiopia, where the judiciary and other branches of government have repeatedly proven themselves to be no more than the executioners of the ruling party’s repression.
MoFA explains that the deportation of Berhanu Nega to Ethiopia will make Ethiopia’s “counter-terrorism” efforts more “effective”. What it really means is that the regime hopes to slow down or destroy the struggle for democracy and justice in Ethiopia. We know this because it has been the story of our country for the last eighteen years. This belief that going after individuals will stop opposition has been the defining character of the regime.
Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that the US government deports Dr. Berhanu Nega to Ethiopia. He may be put in the same prison he has repeatedly been put in before, or he may even get executed. Is that supposed to be success? Absolutely not.
The problem with the regime has always been its failure to understand that the question of democracy and justice is one that is shared by millions of Ethiopians. If it wasn’t, the question would have died the day they tortured and killed the first Oromo boy they suspected of being a member of an illegal opposition group a couple of years after they took power. The question would have stopped coming throughout the years the lives of countless Ethiopian citizens were unjustly taken because they stood up for what they believed in. It would have stopped some months ago when they put {www:Birtukan Mideksa} in solitary confinement.
Dr. Berhanu is our brother in the struggle. He, just like the rest of us, understands the sacrifices attached to waging a struggle against repressive regimes. Prison or not, death or not, deportation or not, we will fight the TPLF. And we will remove the illegitimate and repressive government.
The regime needs to understand that killing or imprisoning a person never amounts to killing his or her values. The values are location and time transcendent, and are shared by millions. Just a few weeks ago, the regime’s mouthpieces were questioning just how exactly Berhanu Nega was going to sit in exile and remove the government in Ethiopia. “Is he going to use a remote control?” they mocked. Little do they understand that Berhanu connected with millions of Ethiopians back home through shared values. And this week, they have found themselves claiming that he was the mastermind of a coup attempt locally led by an active military general. The contradictions could not be more glaring. Ginbot 7 denies involvement, but that is beside the point.
Since the claim is coming from the regime itself and they believe it to be the case, what exactly does that teach them? Berhanu Nega could not have used a remote control to direct human beings to make such risky moves and put their lives in danger. These are adults who must have given this a serious thought and chose to go ahead with their plan because they have conviction for it.
Clearly, these men aren’t the ordinary robotic generals (the likes of Gen. Kasa Deme) the ruling party loves to keep close to itself. These are men who have their own brains, and who chose to do what they believed in regardless of the danger their actions entailed. They did what they did while THINKING. And it is perfectly within reason to think that there are more of these people within the army and elsewhere. So, how exactly is going after a few individuals supposed to destroy the movement?
The answer is really clear and short. Leaders of the dictatorship have never understood the concept of individual choice and of principles. That should be self evident because if they did, they wouldn’t be dictators; assuming they are sane and all. They could never understand why a person would turn down their bribes, and their open door policy towards corruption, in order to go do something he/she “believes in”.
They never seem to wake up to the lesson either. They have arrested this man, Berhanu, several times before and each time, he seems to come at them stronger. They thought their attack on {www:Kinijit} has destroyed the movement that humiliated them and showed their nakedness to the eyes of all Ethiopians and the international community. But it seems to get more sophisticated and keep coming at them.
The struggle for justice and democracy keeps getting bigger and bigger. That is so because the organizations are nothing more than the reflections of our beliefs. Each time they and their leadership are attacked, more of us are awakened to injustice. The harsher the attacks get, the closer they get to most of us. So we come to find it in our advantage to join in the chorus and demand justice.
One cannot “foil” Ginbot 7. Because I am Ginbot 7, and I am as alive and free as ever. When you arrest me in Addis Ababa, I will be free in Gambella. When you kill me in Gondar, I will be alive in Wollega. I am whispering the message of freedom in the ears of young people in Welqitte; while you toil to find me in Adama. That is the same whisper that wakes you up abruptly at night. You may rape my sisters and burn our village in the Ogaden, but I am eating at what you claim to be the basis of your existence in Tigray. I speak several languages, and I send your faxes and take the minutes at your meetings. You will be defeated by me. I am Ginbot 7, and I stand for unity, justice and freedom. And I am everywhere.
Dear Ethiopian Review, I was interviewed for the “Dark Side of Dubai” article from Britain’s The Independent newspaper that you have posted on the Ethiopian Review and would like to submit my rebuttal that also appeared in The Independent to be published in the Ethiopian Review as well to even it out as it would only be fair. Kind regards, Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi
If you think Dubai is bad, just look at your own country
By Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi
I recently figured that if British journalists such as Johann Hari who come to Dubai don’t send back something sensationalist it won’t get printed and they won’t get paid. After all, sleaze sells.
I called a British journalist friend of mine and said: “I’m going to write an article about London, the same way your compatriots write about Dubai.” By the time I was back at home I had come to my senses, it’s not fair to London, a city so dear to my heart, or Londoners to be judged by the actions of a few. It’s easy to generalize about a country when figures are manipulated to sensationalize and sell papers.
Homeless man in the streets of London
Say for example that I had written an article that states that, in wealthy first world Britain there are 380,000 homeless people, many of them mentally ill, starving and abandoned in sub-zero temperatures to live on the streets.
Say then that I wrote an article that states that Britain, the so called “jail capital of Western Europe” sentenced in 2006 alone a staggering additional 12,000 women to prison and that up to seven babies a month are born in jail where they spend their crucial first months.
I could have written an article that stated Britain, victor in the Second World War, had given refuge to 400 Nazi war criminals, with all but one of them getting away with it. Or one stating that the number of Indians who died while serving the British Empire, to build your Tube and grow your tea, is so large it is simply unquantifiable by any historian.
Or say I write an article about the 2.5 million-strong Indian volunteer army who served Britain during the Second World War, where 87,000 of them died for their occupiers’ freedom and yet until recently those who survived continued to be discriminated against in pay and pension.
I could have written an article that stated that, in civilized Britain, one in every 23 teenage girls had an abortion and in 2006 more than 17,000 of the 194,000 abortions carried out in England and Wales involved girls below the age of 18.
I could have written an article stating that Britain, the human rights champion, not wanting to get its hands dirty, had resorted to secretly outsourcing torture to Third World states under the guise of rendition by allowing up to 170 so called CIA torture flights to use its bases. Or that Britain’s MI5 unlawfully shared with the CIA secret material to interrogate suspects and “facilitate interviews” including cases where the suspects were later proven to be innocent.
I could have written an article that stated that the Britain of family values is the only country in the EU that recruits child soldiers as young as 16 into its Army and ships them off battlegrounds in Iraq and Afghanistan, putting it in the same league as African dictatorships and Burma.
I could have written an article that states that Britain either recently did or has yet to sign the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, the United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict or the UN’s International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families .
I could have highlighted the fact that liberal Britain is responsible for the physical and racial abuse of hundreds of failed asylum-seekers at the hands of private security guards during their forced removal from the country .
I could have written about the countless cases of slave-like working conditions of immigrant labors such as the 23 Chinese workers who lost their lives in 2004 as they harvested cockles in the dangerous rising tides in Morecambe Bay.
I could have written about how mortality rates from liver diseases due to alcohol abuse have declined in Europe in recent decades but in Britain the rate trebled in the same period reflecting deep societal failures.
I could have written about how in “Big Brother” Britain maltreatment of minors is so serious that one in 10, or an estimated one million children a year, suffer physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect.
Or that according to Oxfam 13.2 million people in the UK live in poverty – a staggering 20 per cent of the population in the sixth richest nation in the world.
I could have written all that, but out of respect for Britain, I decided not to. Because when you stitch together a collection of unconnected facts taken out of context, you end up with a distorted and inaccurate picture: something that Britain’s Dubai-bashers would do well to learn.
