Actually, let me enlarge that to a global scale, and modify the question to: why do some humans think that certain lands belong to certain humans and go to great lengths to protect lands that they believe are theirs by preventing immigration?
There are no easy answers - even where Maldives is concerned.
Over the past few centuries, imperialism and colonialism have become a thing of the past among some developed countries and we now see them trying to correct their past mistakes by practicing a policy of inclusiveness.
I am led to ponder about the immigration issue after reading this recent article on Maldivian newspaper "Mihaaru" which reported that a Maldivian woman, Ihsana Ageel, has been appointed to the Judicial Bench of New Zealand.
Ihsana started living in New Zealand in 2000 and holds dual citizenship, something that makes me wonder why some countries fear immigration while others don't.
Of course, there is no way that developed countries can accommodate all the millions of refugees from warring states but why then discreetly encourage and financially support wars in order to economically sustain the weapons manufacturing industries which are such influential political lobbies?
Ihsana's story confirms that at least some developed countries demonstrate that they are civilized enough to recognize that all humans have rights to all lands and therefore they should be able to settle in their land of choice.
However, in the Maldives, we are not at all bothered when harboring thoughts about other South Asians with derision - especially towards Bangladeshi unskilled laborers who are blamed for "stealing" jobs from potential Maldivian workers.
Yet, it is we Maldivians who are actually to blame because we have become so high and mighty that we don't want to work in lowly jobs. In fact, if it wasn't for South Asians such as Bangladeshis, Indians, and Sri Lankans, our economy would have already stalled and we Maldivians would literally be starving.
I guess we will go on taking everything for granted until some key aspects of our lives take a critical turn for the worse. By then we may have already become a failed state, God forbid!
And talking about starving, I was heartened when last night I received a SMS from Ooredoo which read: Donate an Iftar pack to a migrant worker in need. Login to m-Faisaa via http://ore.do/iftar
Firstly, most cultures that originate from isolated island cultures are marked by a very high degree of insularity. Since Maldivians have lived on secluded islands for over 2000 years, from a purely anthropological standpoint, the Maldivian xenophobia is understandable. The Andaman and Nicobar islanders who also happen to live on islands in the Indian Ocean are still extremely hostile to foreigners. Maldivian xenophobia has somewhat mellowed over the years with exposure to outsiders. But once these things take deep roots in a culture they don't just dissipate over a few generations.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, the bigoted version of Islam that Maldivians are being taught might be the other reason that contributes to our xenophobia. With the generally held Maldivian belief that our children's minds will be corrupted if they learn about other religions and cultures, people grow up narrow-minded and fearful of other religions and cultures. Add to that the now defacto national narrative of puritanical Salafi Islam delivered through Islam filaavalhu, Khutbaas and Dharus the notion that ours is the best religion and the one and only Truth. Then, xenophobia spawns jingoism. But fortunately for the people of other South Asian countries our jingoism is like that of a valhu kattafulhi.