Unity for a humane world

Unity for a humane world
by Ahmad Fatemi

Jamal Saberi is not a unique refugee. There are millions like Jamal all around the world, from South Africa to Iran and from sub-Saharan Africa to Canada.

Jamal is not the first victim of this inhumane system of governance which rulers of the world have imposed on us. He unfortunately won’t be the last either. Has any one escaped the news of fishing bodies of refugees in the coastal waters of Italy on a daily basis, or the barbaric treatment of refugees in Greek “refugee camps” in the brutal hands of the Greek police? They say there are at least 300 other Iranian refugees in Japanese custody, and who except the Japanese government knows how many Pakistani, Indian , Filipino, Vietnamese and others are being detained, and treated as badly as, if not worse than, Jamal? Jamal at least is fortunate enough to have the benefit of the world’s attention now. Who knows the names and numbers of all others in Japan, Turkey, Iraq, Sweden, x, y, z… and Pakistan? Who knows the names of Algerians pulled out of the sea in fishing nets?

Deporting Jamal is not as easy now as it could have been. Those others however are still being treated in ways that not even dangerous criminals in our “democracies” are.

The Japanese government and its fascist asylum politic is not unique either. When it comes to humane values and individual’s dignity and rights, Japan is not worse than Sweden or so much better than the Islamic Republic.

Yet there is something unique about Jamal’s case. Many all around the world – among them the Japanese government – have started to feel, to touch and to realize a change.

What makes this case unique is not the combination of Jamal vs Japan. What makes Jamal’s case unique is the unifying force behind the campaign “Free Jamal.” This unity is unprecedented, it is deep, it is overwhelming; more importantly it is international. German activists, Canadians, Swedes, Americans, Iranians all over the world are joining a movement which goes far beyond Jamal.

What we experience now at this moment is not even our collective power, but it is an indicator of the worlds’ politics entering a new era: an International front against inhumanity, against the upside-down nature of our world is being delivered to the world. This is the third camp, and the Iranian revolution was the midwife. An International movement for humanity is possible, it is urgent, and the world of the voiceless and oppressed is longing for entering the scene. Our world has never had such an opportunity before, and our rulers have never been so incapable of managing their circus. We together can make this inhumane world of constant wars, oppression, inequality, hunger, and disease a world worthy of the human race.

Jamal’s case is not unique, but the battle for his case is. We have just begun to dictate our own rules of engagement in the first battle of many to come. This is unique.

This new situation was bound to happen. Unity, and united front of the International camp for freedom and humanity was not escapable… now the rest is up to us.

• Let us do what ever we can to win this one against Japanese government; the next one will be much easier. We come out of each one of these battles much stronger.

• Let us compel the Japanese government to respect our universal human rights, our collective will; then to win over the Turkish, Swedish, Canadian, Iranian governments will be easier.

• Let us win Jamal Saberi’s case, and call every other case, all across this world another, a new “Jamal case”!

Unite for freedom, equality and a humane world!

Ahmad Fatemi
MFI