For the past few months, I have had the privilege
of working with asylum seekers from French speaking countries. I have been
interpreting at various clinics. Each time I have come away from a session, I
have had the same overwhelming feeling of how lucky we are, that we really
don't know we are born on this side of the world. I hear all sorts of awful things with my work at T.H.O.M.A.S. but this is different and the huge difference boils down to this; freedom, or lack of it. Freedom to be who you are; freedom to live a fulfilled life if you so choose. In the countries where the seekers come from, there is such daily fear, fear for oneself; fear for family; even the tiny tots are aware of the threats of everyday life and nighttime too,worse than ever. I know some people who, after months of living here are still getting up every hour through the night to ensure that the children are safe and that there is nobody outside in the street who looks threatening. This is standard practice where they come from. You will be asking;what has this to do with most of us? Simply this,we must at all costs preserve the freedom of this country,which we take for granted and don't value for the priceless treasure that it is.  For example, take the
issue of veil-wearing - I like to see people's faces like most other people do, but the people who matter the most in this particular argument are the women who wear the veils themselves. Freedom to choose does not mean as long as you choose what I want! I also need to be sure if I ask someone to remove a veil that it is for genuine, altruistic reasons and not as a means to control and have a show of power over people who have the right to the same standards of life and freedom as everyone else in this country. For those of us who think that we are no longer a free country because of C.C.T.V. cameras and identity cards etc. all I can say is, I know a lot of people who would tell you how lucky you are that these things constitute your idea of lack of freedom; they would also be praying that it stays like that.We have to keep a balanced view in all these arguments and not let the media stir up one-sided frenzies. It isn't just a question of what we feel or don't feel, it is about how the other person feels and wants. The value of the other person is at the root of all good interactions and true freedom. The absence of a sense of value of other people is what leads to hatred, hence the vast numbers of human beings who seek asylum daily.  |
