Every time I write an opinion piece to a newspaper, I get more than 300 negative comments from some danes who are against the refugees ‘ presence in Denmark.
– sometimes I get negative and nasty messages.
– But I miss, that people read my words and write their opinions without looking at my background.
so begins Rahima A, who came to Denmark three years ago with his parents and now goes on the HTX-board at Herningsholm Gymnasium, a letter to the editor to the nation! the
Rahima is a kurd from Syria and has written the book ’the olive branch about the war in Syria, and she has previously written about why the people of Syria can find on that journey home – and why they are not there.
She has also written about finance: the 17-year-old Rahima seems the budget bill is ‘un-Danish courage’: All refugees will be punished (755 comments), and now would like to
– Each time I have written an op-ed yesterday, I check on Facebook and read all of the comments to find out what they are thinking, and why they are against me and other refugees.
– this way I can be smarter in their thinking, which makes it easier for me to argue against their views.
– But I don’t like that my parents read the comments. It hits them really hard because they feel that they can not protect me.
– Each time a newspaper brings a debate of me, haunts my mother ‘Rahima, have you read the comments on your debate? Their words make you hurt, don’t you?’.
– Each of the times I answer, ‘Yes, mother, I have read it, but it did not make me evil, because I am aware that I am in a difficult battle. Those who write hate comments are people just like me, they can hate, means that they can also love. My task is to get them to feel the love for us and not hatred’.
– When a newspaper brings an op-ed by me, showing I am not my mother the newspaper’s page on Facebook, because I don’t want that she reads the comments.
– I’ve never read the negative messages I get, for my parents.
My 10-year-old brother has learned to read Danish recently.
– He read one day the comments on my computer. One of the comments, he was much influenced by, and asked me was: ‘Rahima, why write to you, that your brother is a rapist? Our brother is not a rapist and in the future I will not be a rapist, but a good man.’
– I did not know, what should I say to him at the time.
When he jokes: ‘Why they hate you, Rahima?’, I answer: ‘Because they don’t know me. They fear something they do not know’.
– So he continues: ‘When will they be there to hate you?’.
My answer to the question all the time: ‘When it is successful for me to show them that I’m a human being, just like them, which means that they do not need to be afraid of me. We can live together in love and peace without fear of each other’.
– I was 16 years old, when I wrote an op-ed to a newspaper for the first times.
It was an op-ed in Jyllands-Posten about the war and my family’s situation in Syria. I really got many negative comments.
Thought people would understand me
– It was shocking to me, and I cried profusely. At the time I wrote the debate, because I had something on the heart, which I’d like to get out with.
– I thought that I would get many positive comments, and people would understand me. I thought it actually, because all the danes that were around me were really sweet towards me and always got tears in his eyes when I told them about my life and my experiences in the war.
– At the time I lacked the knowledge about life and had not imagined, why so many voted on udlændigefjendske parties.
– After having sent my first op-ed for the newspaper, I was expecting people’s support.
I expected to read some comments, that could strengthen me, not weaken me, but the result was the reverse.
– At the time I thought that I would not repeat it. I actually thought that all those who read my op-ed was against me, but my Danish friends and teachers taught me that you often experience the negative reactions, but it does not mean that there is no positive reactions on what you write.
– They let me believe that there were many who read my words and agree with me, but they just wrote nothing.
– they were The ones who gave me the support and courage to continue. I have chosen to continue to use words as a weapon in my battle: My fight to spread the love between people regardless of race, religion, or gender.
In the beginning it was very hard, but with time I have become accustomed to getting negative comments. To get the negative comment is actually been a part of my life.
– I do not think that I should stop to write and fight. I also do not think that they will stop writing negative things about us.
– they have The right to say everything they have on the heart, and I have the right to say all what I think and to defend me.
– this way we can hopefully discuss together and reach a solution. There is only one thing that must be stopped: Hatred, racism and war, writes Rahima, but what are you thinking?
