Date:
Sat, 10/12/2011 This year, millions of people across the world have brought meaning to the terms “Dignity” and “Human Rights” like never before. From Tunis to Cairo, Tripoli to Homs, Manama to San’a, ordinary people have risked their lives to fight for freedom and for a better world for them and their children. We have seen this wave spread and take on new shape in Europe, as the “99%” - the ordinary people - have come together to call for a fairer world.
These events have brought one lesson – change can come from the unlikeliest sources when you least expect it. Change can come from the depths of despair, from the most marginalised corners of society, from the most powerless of voices. Mohamed Bouazizi, who launched a million calls for freedom, was not a renowned leader, big businessman or great politician. He was an ordinary young man with little power but a deep desire for dignity and a refusal to submit to injustice. As Allah says in the Qur’an,
Let us remember those who have sacrificed for the right of all to live as free human beings, and those who are still suffering. Let us remember the role of youth in this struggle - ordinary young people like us, with little power but a determination to build a better future, based on Dignity and Justice. As a philosopher once said,
Intissar Kherigi
Vice-Presidents for Campaigns,
Member of the Executive Committee (UK)
