Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Originally Posted in Arabic on October 8
Nelson Mandela was a true freedom fighter.
More than two decades of his life were spent in prison, where he was deprived of basic living conditions and liberty for his political activity. He was not able to attend the funeral of his mother or of his own son, who died while he was incarcerated. He was tortured and humiliated on a daily basis.
But don’t be mistaken. He didn’t have to do this. Mandela was an educated lawyer, who could have provided himself with an easy life. Instead, he chose to fight for what he believed in: abolishing racism and ending apartheid. Even after his release, Mandela refused to seek revenge. Violence, he believed, was not the way.
On the other hand, unfortunately, look at our nations. Arab leaders rose to power using the firepower of tanks and rifles. They gave themselves the titles of “fearless leaders,” and “great sovereigns,” without having done a single thing for their people. They stole our nations’ natural resources and capital, under a supposed effort to “redistribute wealth” among the people. What striking differences.
Mandela pushed South Africa towards prosperity and growth. He ended rivalry between blacks and whites. What have our leaders done? Nothing. They exacerbated poverty and ignorance. They gave room to organizations like the Islamic State to rise. They brought the Arab world to live in fear.
Our problem in the Arab world is that we never had a Mandela. – Turki Abdallah al-Sadiri