IS IT AN UNSTOPPABLE PHENOMENON?
ROTARY, OPINIONS – pages 42-43 – 1/KNOWLEDGE TO CONVIVE AND BUILD PEACE – 2015
Is the movement of peoples from Africa and the Middle East unstoppable?
The emigration to the Western world, of Muslims and Christians, tends to increase irreversibly; the disastrous social situation is knowingly exploited by organizations that have set up a real trafficking of human beings.
It had not always been like this
Between the 19th and 20th centuries, millions of Europeans migrated to Africa and settled there, contributing substantially to the economic and cultural development of African countries; without taking root in the social fabric, they found themselves expelled and returned to their countries of origin. After the Second World War, African countries embarked on a strong campaign of demographic development with the result that over fifty years they tripled the number of their inhabitants, causing a growing impoverishment. In the same period Europe grew economically with a richer, older, stable demographic population; a gap that young Africans are trying to bridge exposes the Western Christian population to a “peaceful” invasion by peoples who are very far away culturally with different customs and traditions.
In the recent past, the seas and oceans, the great distances were natural barriers; every civilization grew impermeable, without external influence. The encounter between peoples through colonization and wars was more than an element of rapprochement; it was a factor of r
ejection but of indifference.
A global village
Today, the media have lowered physical barriers between nations, increasing the movements of peoples. The globalization of the media (TV, internet, etc.) and the speed of means of transport have brought peoples physically closer together, making inequalities even more evident. The resulting wisely exploited humiliation has led to a sense of revenge against the rich West, first colonialist, then benefiting from the riches of the poorest under the cover of economic imperialism. The same feeling of revenge is not found against the Turks who dominated the Ottoman Empire for over four centuries by subjugating the peoples in the name of Umma. Cardinal Martini had pointed out that “Islam is not only personal faith, it is a very compact communal reality, a watchword launched by some authoritative voice can recompose and lead back to close unity”. Unlike the European citizen and in particular the Italian, it should be remembered that the Arab citizen, both Christian and Muslim, has an identity intimately linked to his religious beliefs and his community even before the state they belong to.
Universal Values and Human Rights
The twenty-five poorest countries in the world are in Africa where serious genocides, wars between different ethnic groups and communities take place, most of them have Islamic law in common, they have grown up in countries that do not separate religion from the state system and freedom of religious choice is not allowed to remain a personal matter. Most migrants, despite a mentality of prejudices against Europe assimilated to Christianity, continue to prefer it over Islamic countries with large territories relatively close by, richer ones with an abundant need for non-local labour.
Of course, the trend in immigration will continue to increase as long as there is no cultural and economic development in the poorest countries, and the governments of the richest countries have not jointly implemented a policy of programming economic aid aimed at human resources, security and political stabilisation. .
The policy is required to have a long-term vision aimed at a fairer distribution of wealth and sound management of the human elements with the unanimous recognition of Universal Values, human rights and human dignity.
Saving human lives: day after
We are honoured to have saved thousands of lives on the run from the southern shore of the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, we do not know how the social, religious and cultural aspects of the new arrivals should be managed in equal measure and at the same time, with the economic aspects, so that the new arrivals are factors of coexistence and not of division and conflict.
In fact, the Arab is accustomed to living in a homogeneous environment, global emigration confronts them with diversified environment that pushes them to shut themselves away, and there is a lack of culture to accompany them outside the Islamic world. The same can be true for the host country, which accepts new citizens without setting up an adequate integration policy.
The new recruits, especially university students, uprooted from their rural context, with a degree but no job, have become easy prey to widespread movements that cultivate the anti-Western mentality “materialist and corrupt, atheist and unbeliever”, blaming the West (generally assimilated to the Christian world) for its economic and technological backwardness and for the support given to the constitution of the state of Israel. Their motto “jihād is our way, dying in the way of Allāh is our supreme hope” in contrast to “saving lives at all costs”.
These are situations that require from the state that welcomes an educational program of acculturation to the principles of our civil society: distinction between religion and state, religious freedom, equal rights and duties among citizens without distinction.
Italy should be proud to show its identity without false modesty, not leaving the
field free for false prophets; accompanying newcomers also means an opportunity for their free spiritual development, a prerequisite for a fruitful dialogue between peoples. It is important to save lives and preserve one’s civilization by not allowing minorities to invade a sensitive field.
Rotary International
Rotary and its Foundation promote global service campaigns for a better world by improving health, supporting education, and alleviating poverty. Our presence at the United Nations gives us a vision and scope beyond what a single district can do with its own resources to impact quality of life, to engage cultures in a specific territory, and to bring together cultures in a specific area, are the seeds that sprout the fruits for the benefit of the men and women of the community. For example, it is well known that the submission of women and illiteracy hinder the harmonious development of a social nucleus. Without forgetting the international projects that we all know as Water and Polio plus, by implementing the Rotarian literacy project in a specific area promotes the promotion of women by giving them the tools for access to the world of work, economic and cultural independence, becomes aware of their dignity, the first step to claim equal rights. In this itinerary, the woman assumes a pioneering role for the economic development of the society in question and social peace. Stopping migratory movements requires joint action, beyond the possibilities of a single district, with the contribution of local Rotarians or those closest to the territory of emigration. As Rotarians, we turn the wheel between religion, politics, and decision-makers; we are the protagonists of service projects characterized by quality, fellowship, efficiency, and gratuitousness that lead to peace
Giuseppe Samir Eid
RC Milan South-East
Free web translation from the original in Italian
The published articles intend to provide the tools for a social inclusion of the migratory flow, shed light on human rights and the condition of life of Christians in the Islamic world from which the author come from. Knowledge of the other, of cultural and religious differences are primary ingredients to create peace in the hearts of men everywhere, a prerequisite for a peaceful coexistence and convinced citizenship in the territory.