Dear Mr. Editor,
In a world dominated by hatred, I typically do not respond to hate comments. As I have grown older, and as the world changes and we adapt to that change, I have come to realize that privacy does not exist. While this has a lot to do with social media, it has more to do with our way of living. There is no longer the right to privacy but everyone demands the right to know.
My father, Nazar Mohamed recently entered into politics. While he was always politically active and involved in the development and improvement by playing a huge role towards the progression of our land, he has now officially selected himself as a candidate. While I am happy and will always be his biggest supporter no matter what and vice versa, I asked him if he is ready. Our family has experienced hate unimaginable. But as we all know, politics brings a different kind of deprecation. So, I asked him and like always, he remained positive and committed to his decision. He answered: “This is a very low position that I have entered, I could have chosen to enter in a much higher position within the government, but that is not my intention, I have been living in the Eccles constituency for years and like many other villages and communities, development remains stagnant. I want to help my neighbourhood.”
My father is hardworking. His nature is whatever he strives for, he will put his mind towards it, and will make sure to achieve it. He is definitely an inspiration to me. He is a patriot, he loves his country and would never do anything to jeopardize it; something we should all learn from. He entered politics, as a candidate of a constituent under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) to do what he has always done – give back to the community. With this decision comes promises and plan of actions. I am very strong and passionate in my belief of politics. Racism, islamophobia, homophobia, misogyny and sexism dominates our world and as an aspiring journalist, I will do everything in my power to fight against it. My family and I share the belief that if you are elected or selected to be in power, you must fulfill all that is required of you, a trait many politicians and world leaders lack today. But I can say with certainty, my father has and always will be transparent. He never makes empty promises. He always have and always will fight for the people.
I came across an outrageous question in Stabroek News’s letter columns. Even though I do believe that no question is stupid, I was really shocked with its relevancy. Usually, I never comment on absurdity but I was forced to publicly address this and hopefully set the record straight. I am utterly dumbfounded because what does an American visa have to do with someone running for office in Guyana? I will be crystal clear in my response. No one in my family has ever been restricted, prohibited or deported from entering or travelling to the United States of America. I have many extended relatives currently residing in the United States. My sister, a US citizen, resides in America with her husband and children. I have been travelling to the United States as a newborn baby and my mother has travelled numerous times along with my dad and brother.
My father has business ties with numerous American companies. Even after the tragic 9/11 occurrence, we travelled to and from and I must add, being Muslim, it was not easy. It is definitely outrageous to say, but islamophobia is still quite prevalent. Sticking with being transparent, unfortunately for the past 10 years, after the expiration of our visas, every application for renewal have been refused. To the best of my knowledge, we have no reasoning behind this. The simple response we were given after every interview is: “You are now under administrative processing.” We do have our suspicions of diabolical, notorious and evil-minded individuals who went on and is still continuing to peddle misinformation and blatant lies of my family to US officials.
These baseless accusations has deeply affected us. We were separated and prevented from seeing many of our family members for years. Our frequent family vacations came to an end. We missed the birth of all three of my sister’s children. We missed their birthdays and important milestones of their growth. For me, I have been majorly affected because upon deciding on university applications, I was forced to choose the United Kingdom as my place of study due to the expectation of having to wait a very long time for a decision from the United States of America. I am a very strong advocate for education, it is my passion and I was taught to chase after my dreams, my dream was to study at an Ivy League university with the best journalistic course. My choices were originally Columbia University, Stanford University or Boston University. My dream was crushed without reason. Tragic but luckily, the United Kingdom offers great journalism opportunities and I am happy in Edinburgh, Scotland.
I will answer every absurd question there is, to the best of my knowledge. You want transparency, I will give you, but I despise hypocrisy. To the anonymous person that asked the question, if you are calling for transparency then you should make your identity known. There are many hearsays and rumours going around about my family, this is nothing new or shocking, but the only thing more frustrating than these slanderers are those foolish enough to listen and believe them. Weapons are deadly but envy, greed and disinformation are destructive and my family has experienced extreme destruction. For years, as long as I can remember, my family has been deeply involved in charitable organizations and voluntary work which stems from and is not limited to: political advocacy, tackling homelessness, hunger and promoting greater health and wellbeing, disability rights, environmental work, educational encouragement and healthcare and infrastructure development. With that being said, I will not let anyone threaten, undermine or disrespect my family.
Sincerely,
Hadiyyah Mohamed
