Seeing the Face, Understanding the Individual

I’ve been reading ‘Do They Hear You When You Cry’. Fauziya Kassindja was born in Togo. ‘At the age of seventeen she was forced to marry a man she barely knew who already had three wives, and prepare for the tribal ritual of female genital mutilation…’

Fauziya escaped to the United States seeking safety and freedom. Instead, she was stripped, shackled, humiliated and imprisoned for sixteen months. Eventually Fauziya was granted asylum in 1996.

It challenges popular stereotypes and prejudices – two in particular:

The immigrant:

Karen Musalo, a lawyer who worked for Fauziya, talks about ‘…the fear of ‘illegal immigrants’ who we imagine to be at the root of many societal problems – from unemployment to crime, to overpopulation… we believe that we are protecting ourselves and our families by keeping them out.’

This American sentiment could have been said in the UK. It’s the anti-immigrant rhetoric of some politicians, Brexit supporters, many here in Lowestoft.

When Ukrainian families came to the UK last year, when I read of Fauziya, I see the face of the vulnerable individual immigrant who’s seeking safety and protection; concern, compassion and support are then more important that any prejudice.

Religion:

Fauziya has a simple but profound Muslim faith. She believes in a God who’s in control, but she doesn’t understand… she trusts Him implicitly through good times and bad. Prayer is vital to her, speaking simply to her God, about her needs, worries and doubts…

Her Muslim faith is expressed in similar ways to my Christian faith…

Layli was a student lawyer who helped Fauziya. Layli’s Bahá’í faith is vital to her… trusting her God, believing in prayer, in a way that Fauziya – and I – could relate to… When Fauziya gained her freedom the Bahá’í community showed practical kindness and generous hospitality…

Musing on my Christian prejudices… lovely Catholic nuns I’ve known, a Mormon family I knew, Muslim teachers I worked with… Fauziya and Layli… seeing the face, understanding the individual, not diluting my faith, but overcoming prejudice.