(Tripoli) to the Cape, South of the great African continent?
In this forum, of late we have heard quite a lot about purported Arab
racism in Libya, a racism which according to the accusers has been
exacerbated by the on-going struggle of the Libyan people who are now
fighting to achieve some cherished national gaols, such as some
reform or even elimination of Gaddafi's system. As far as I know,
prior to the Arab Spring Libya has been occasionally shaken up by
waves of anti- African sentiments basically because some African
immigrants/workers have been guilty of carrying on large scale haram/
illegal activities such as prostitution and the selling/distribution
of alcohol; in addition to these glaring misdeeds especially among
some of the non- Muslim immigrants/workers there has been the tendency
to forget where they are and not respect some of the cultural/ Islamic
norms of the host country – and it's mainly this that has generated
the backlash....
Sure we all want peace in the Middle East.
Israel - a light unto the nations - has a very humane immigration and
refugee policy and has been very generous. You have the figures. You
cannot say that illegal immigrants are not a problem:
http://www.google.com/search?q=illegal+immigrants+to+Israel&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&lr=lang_en
As a little country (8,000 square miles less than twice the size of
the Gambia, 4361 square miles) and with a population of over 7 million
people, beleaguered as she is with the multiple problems facing her by
land, air and sea, and not least of all a demographic problem that
could threaten the very nature( soul) and goals of the desired Jewish
state, we must all admit that there is a saturation point as to how
many African immigrants little Israel can absorb and still remain
Israel – in spite of which Israel has done much more than her share in
receiving, accommodating, and really taking care of African refugees.
Of course African immigrants mostly want to go to where the grass is
greener , the standard of living higher, for which reason Israel is
sometimes more of a destination than Guinea, or Boko Haram's Nigeria
or even post-apartheid South Africa where the crime rate, unemployment
and Housing are on the agenda, to be tackled in the coming decades.
http://www.iris.org.il/sizemaps/arabwrld.htm
If , as you say, this news item were intended "to take space" as
propaganda, then it would have been featured in any of the major
Israeli/ international news outlets where it would enjoy a much wider
propagation: South Sudan says, " We love the love the Israeli
people!":
http://www.freeman.org/other.htm
Racism is not a cornerstone of democratic Israel – and we find all
the evidence of this in the official reaction to both the late Meir
Kahane whose " The Challenge" in my view is reasonable and should be
feasible – and of course official reaction to Rabbi Ovadia Josef's
emotional, " The Holy One, blessed be He, regrets that he created
these Ishmaelites" - this at the height of the Intifada . And more
recently, sincerely not wishing his enemy good fortune:
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=186323
As far as all these questions are concerned, Israel is a crucible –
but look at Israel's contributions to Haiti look at the good work
being done by MASHAV in Africa. It's more than enough to be proud of.
http://www.google.com/search?q=MASHAV+and+Africa&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&lr=lang_en
On Jul 12, 3:37 pm, Jesse Benjamin <drjessebenja...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Interesting piece.
> But whatever merits this individual has, I think this is basically Israeli
> state propaganda, especially designed to take space and cover up the fact
> that very ugly anti-immigrant, and especially anti-African sentiment is
> boiling over in Israel, into street demonstrations, racist statements on TV
> and in Parliament, and the like...
> This is the context in which this individual story is being promoted by the
> Israeli army and state, which are very image conscious...
>
> On Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 5:56 AM, Cornelius Hamelberg <
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> corneliushamelb...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >http://idfspokesperson.com/2011/07/11/first-idf-officer-from-guinea-b...
>
> > First IDF Officer from Guinea Began Life in Israel as Refugee
>
> > Second Lieutenant Avi Bari
>
> > Arriving illegally from the Republic of Guinea to Israel in 2005, Avi
> > Bari overcame all obstacles that once stood in his path and became an
> > officer in the IDF. He tells of his journey passing through Morocco to
> > the Egyptian Sinai desert, to a brief stint in prison, to Tel Aviv and
> > finally to an IDF base.
>
> > Second Lieutenant Avi Bari, known to his family who all remain in
> > Guinea as Ibrahima, already enjoys a certain notoriety that he owes to
> > his self-proclaimed status of "the first illegal immigrant to become
> > an officer of the IDF."
>
> > Born in February 1990 in the city of Labé, the Republic of Guinea to
> > Muslim parents, 2nd Lt. Bari was orphaned at a very young age and
> > adopted by his uncle when he was 11. At age 15, armed only with his
> > will to "live a better life", he decided to travel the 5,500
> > kilometers from his native Guinea to Israel, his now adopted country.
>
> > Crossing the desert in pursuit of good fortune
>
> > In 2005, Avi decided to leave his home along with a group of other
> > Guineans. "In Africa, there is no work. I decided to change my life
> > and go to another country," he explains in the simplest way he can.
> > After a brief stop in Morocco, he arrived at the Egyptian capital of
> > Cairo, where he spent a few days before being driven to the Sinai
> > desert. He then waited for the rest of his group to arrive to Sinai so
> > that they could cross the Israeli border.
>
> > "I remember very well the desert. We were in a tent, two boys aged 15
> > stood guard. It was forbidden to get up the day. We were sent
> > tomatoes, tuna, rice by the smugglers. We made a water filter, because
> > the water was full of earthworms. I will never forget this point in
> > time.
>
> > The wait was very long. At one point I started to panic, believing
> > that I was ripped off. But the long-awaited day of crossing the border
> > finally arrived. The smugglers packed us like sardines in a car. Once
> > we got to the Israeli border, the car stopped. We got out and started
> > running. Israeli taxis were waiting on the other side, which drove us
> > directly to Tel Aviv.
>
> > First impressions and first steps in Israel
>
> > Upon his arrival to Tel Aviv, he established contact with other
> > illegal immigrants who taught him about Israel, a country virtually
> > unknown to him. They also helped him take steps to acquire official
> > political refugee status.
>
> > At first I was just in shock. I had 700 dollars in my pocket. I did
> > not speak the language and it was the first time I saw so many people
> > with white skin in a country.
>
> > However, he managed to enroll in the Beit Shanti school which
> > specializes in educating children of illegal immigrants and Israeli
> > children in need. There, he obtained the equivalent of a Bachelor's
> > degree in Israel, studying agriculture in French and simultaneously
> > trying to get a work visa. He was initially denied a work visa under a
> > child labor law because he was a minor at the time.
>
> > Meanwhile, he became friends with Abraham, one of the volunteer
> > teachers from the school, who became a key figure in his career.
> > Indeed, it was Abraham, a French man of Algerian origin, who helped
> > him by finding a host family in March 2007.
>
> > Life in the Israeli army as a catalyst for integration
>
> > It was Abraham who helped make every effort for Second Lieutenant Bari
> > to acquire Israeli citizenship. In 2008 he was officially adopted by
> > an Israeli family living in northern Israel and finally fulfilled all
> > the conditions necessary to obtain Israeli citizenship. His status was
> > legalized at the end of that year.
>
> > My family celebrates Jewish holidays and makes Kiddush on Friday
> > nights. Now I think in Hebrew, I eat Israeli food, I am used to the
> > rhythm of life. I feel 90% Israeli. It took time.
>
> > His assimilation was catalyzed when he joined the IDF in October 2009.
> > From the outset, the IDF offered 2nd Lt. Bari to fill a role as an
> > officer responsible for managing human resources, however, he
> > preferred to train as an IDF truck driver. After being disqualified
> > from driving for health reasons, 2nd Lt. Bari decided to take on the
> > initial opportunity offered to him by the IDF.
>
> > It was in the army that I started to feel Israeli. I learned the
> > culture and history of Israel. We organized trips to Masada and
> > elsewhere, and that made me love the country. In the army, I made
> > friends for life. During my classes, I vowed that I will defend this
> > country. I would do everything to defend Israel, my life is here.
> > The issue of discrimination and racism
>
> > Personally I did not feel that I had to be Jewish to succeed in
> > Israel. The first time I was called a derogatory racial term, it was
> > during my officer training. This hurt me because I'm here like
> > everyone else, a member of a large family. I complained to my
> > commanders who immediately fixed the problem. It warmed the heart and
> > it never happened again.
>
> > I also once thought that being Jewish meant being a genius like
> > Einstein. I realized later during officer training school that Judaism
> > is a religion.
>
> > Today, 2nd Lt. Bari acts as bridge between the two peoples. He tells
> > his family in Guinea about his new life. He wishes to visit his family
> > at the end of his military service. And the future?
>
> > I want to work on the diplomatic relationship between Guinea and
> > Israel. There are no diplomatic relations between the two countries. I
> > want to be the first to do this.
>
> > Once again, the first.
>
> > --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa
> > Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
> > For current archives, visit
> >http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
> > For previous archives, visit
> >http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
> > To post to this group, send an email to
> > USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
> > unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
No comments:
Post a Comment