Zawaya

Cultural clashes result in a collision that leads to racism

By: Mohamed Yehdih Ould Baba Ahmed

Some Africans and Asians dream of immigrating from their underdeveloped countries that suffer from poverty, wars, and unemployment, to other countries and regions which they consider to be paradises, namely Europe, the United States, Canada, etc. Although migrants sacrifice their precious belongings in order to achieve that dream, they soon face racist or harassing behaviors from the local populations of the countries they cross on their way to their destination. After leaving their countries of origin, those immigrants suffer from death boats, the plight of the transit countries, the racism of host countries, and the controversy of the culture of origin versus the host culture.

These are unacceptable behaviors according to both the Sharia and the law. The recent wave of sub-Saharan migration to Europe via North African countries, where the migrants settle down for some time, has raised the issue of racism from these countries towards this inflow of immigrants, which is the point of focus here.

And the question is: where does the refusal to positively deal with the immigrants – who have become part of the Arab Maghreb countries known for their Arab and Islamic identity – come from? Does this problem really exist?

Before addressing these questions, we should first identify their causes in order to proceed to a serious treatment, as I always say. The migration of sub-Saharan Africans to the Arab Maghreb Union and their sufferings in these countries, remind us with some difference, of the harassment and racism that Arabs and Muslims have suffered from in the West, where the Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights came out into the light. I personally believe that there are a number of reasons that incite the Maghreb population to reject the integration of this exotic component:

1- The average individual has no value in most developing countries due to the fragility of their democratic systems on the one hand, and the lack of respect for the religious legislation that attaches great importance to every individual regardless of religion, gender, or color, on the other hand.

2- The illegal immigration of Africans to the Arab Maghreb countries is usually a cover for many suspicious practices, such as crime, drug trade, and immorality. This makes the local regimes and populations, in my view, avoid dealing with immigrants properly. Reality and security preoccupations in these countries require dealing with all intruders, whether they are citizens or foreigners, with great caution and rigor, as terrorism has no borders.

3- Africans themselves contribute to discrimination against them due to their isolation and lack of active participation in the transit countries, which they only consider as a gate to the European paradise. These immigrants practice a variety of begging methods in these countries in the name of religion sometimes, and by claiming to be victims of theft or loss of personal belongings other times, etc.

In reality, any money given to these Africans will be spent on getting a ticket on death boats. It should be noted however, that besides this category of illegal immigrants, there are also other groups that have their own businesses and contribute positively to the economies of these countries, as well as students from South and East Africa who shouldn’t be included unfairly in the first lot.

4- The global economic crisis and the local population’s struggle to earn a living amidst the competition with foreigners (immigrant beggars) are also key factors in the existence of some discrimination against these foreigners.

5- The role played by some media in the Arab Maghreb countries – like some Maghreb newspapers that published pictures of shackled Africans involved in prostitution and drug dealing -, is also a factor that frightens local populations away from this minority that has become a reality that must be dealt with, since these foreigners have also become citizens. Truth be told, not all Africans are criminals.

As for the second part of the question, I think that the regimes and peoples of the Arab Maghreb accept the existence and diversity of other peoples and cultures. The region has actually a long history in this regard as evidenced by the presence of black African minorities in Mauritania, and Jewish minorities in most of the remaining countries of the Union. These categories have coexisted in harmony and mutual respect in a relatively satisfying way; some of these minorities have even become influential to a large extent, but this does not mean that there are no abuses by the majority against the minority, and even by the majority against the majority, and by the minority against the minority. Conflict is a common behavior among humans. The economically dominant classes are always the ones that are also politically dominant, and because of class conflicts within the community, there may also be discrimination against poor minorities regardless of the circumstances that prompted them to immigrate, whether they are political or economic.

Finally, we can say that customs and traditions play a major role in this issue, because each group has specific characteristics and a special culture. Collision usually takes place amidst the struggle to impose the host culture and the attempt to conserve the origin culture, hence the emergence of racism.