The Importance of Empathy

Unified against racism

It's a while since many problems and shortcomings has been blamed on immigrants, especially immigrants from less developed countries. It's only natural to expect unrest to follow such fatal strategies designed to target vulnerable minorities. Sure enough, the chaos and violence, fuelled by and flourished on hatred and ignorance, has followed.

A precursor to the wide-spread racism is de-humanizing and portraying immigrants as a threat to the host country's society: "they are not like us", "they are here to get our jobs", "they are after our resources". Putting the criminal act of the far-right aside, the escalation of any racist act or comment, as insignificant as it may seem, like a fire under ashes, sooner or later burns through. Racist acts or comments, weather or not it comes with the prefix phrase or declaration of "I'm not racist, but ...", fuels the flame that can burn all; like a poison dressed with healthy garnishes that still kills.

This time in England though, the counter demonstration against the initial anti-immigration protest brought glimmers of hope.

 نفرت‌پراکنی

صحبت‌های نژادپرستان انگلستان در این روزها به حرف‌های برخی ایرانیان، که خود را میهن‌پرست می‌نامند و بر مهاجران افغان در ایران می‌تازند، شبیه است. خیلی‌ها هم صحبت یا اعمال خود را با جمله‌ی "من نژادپرست نیستم، اما ..." آغاز می‌کنند تا توجیهی باشد برای خود یا دیگران. درد و مشکل فراوان داریم ولی مهاجران دلیل این مشکلات نیستند. گفتار یا کردار نژادپرستانه دیر یا زود آتش زیر خاکستر نفرت را شعله‌ور می‌کند و در این آتش همگی خواهیم سوخت

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Haideh and Nejad Sharing Event, part of Sheba Festival 2024