The 2014 Boston Marathon Winner and the Great Irony

As Boston recovers from last year’s fatal bombing attack, fans of the highly anticipated Boston Marathon of 2014 chanted “USA! USA!” as Meb Kiflezghi finished first and became the first U.S. man to win the Boston Marathon in 31 years. As a symbol of his motivation Meb Kiflezghi ran with the names of the three bombing victims along with the name of a police officer who was killed allegedly by the suspects of last year’s deadly attack. The 118th Boston Marathon had symbolic significance for USA and for the city of Boston bringing a crowd of one million, double the usual number, in a powerful show of defiance to terrorist acts.

For Meb Kiflezghi this victory couldn’t have been any sweeter. After receiving a call from President Barack Obama congratulating and thanking him for his victory, Meb Kiflezghi reflected on his twitter “My life would have been a soldier and I would have been dead in the war. The life that I have is just beyond my dreams”.

As an Eritrean American, I was thrilled and inspired to see someone who shares a similar background with mine representing the US in a big way. Nothing can be more symbolic than Kiflezghi’s victory for those of us who migrated to the US, believing that America is the land of opportunity. These limitless opportunities coupled with freedoms and the rule of law, are often the very reason America is an attractive place for countless immigrants from all over the world. However, sometimes I wonder, if many of us really understand that these opportunities also come with some responsibilities. Most Americans would likely agree that a good American citizen lives by the core ideals and values of this nation. It is with this conviction that I want to compare and contrast Kiflezghi’s momentous achievement in the 2014 Boston Marathon with what has transpired a week later.

On April 28th 2014 Kiflezghi visited the Permanent Mission of Eritrea to the United Nations. During his visit Keflezighi met with the Eritrean Ambassador to the UN and conveyed his good wishes to the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afeworki. The great irony of Kiflezghi’s visit of the Embassy is not only for the fact that Eritrea is a sponsor of terrorist organizations such as Al Shabab, but also Isaias Afeworki is known as the African Hugo Chavez who invests so much time and money on second generation Americans of Eritrean origin to promote anti-democracy and anti-American sentiments. Kiflezghi may not have violated any law by visiting the Embassy. But on a Patriot’s Day, to run with the names of the 2013 victims of terrorism on his race bib and only a week later to show up at an embassy of a country that sponsors terrorism is sheer hypocrisy and immoral. As immigrants, we shouldn’t value our citizenship only by the opportunities we are given, but rather a bond we should have with the shared beliefs and values that made this nation the greatest of all.

Kiflezghi‘s photo op with the Eritrean ambassador was followed by a backlash from many people in the Eritrean diaspora community only because he appeared to be siding with injustice. Understandably, Kiflezghi should be criticized for his actions and there shouldn’t be free pass for anyone. But that doesn’t mean he should be the butt of all jokes or a target of many bitter comments or insults. Especially Eritrean justice seekers should rise above the fray and focus on winning the hearts and minds of those who have not joined the movement yet. With enough positive initiatives and momentum, those who are on side of justice can inspire celebrities like Meb Kiflezghi to join then and advocate on behalf of the Eritrean people. Creating actionable items, solution oriented plans, progressive ideas and positive attitude will attract and appeal to even more Eritreans who can contribute significantly in the fight for democracy and justice.

To bring the current Eritrean situation to the spot light and for this movement to get greater recognition and wider public involvement, the role of public figures should not be undermined. Angelina Jolie is one of the world’s most known humanitarian and inspirational figures who are using their public persona for a good use through their activism and other philanthropic activities. Angelina once said “We cannot close ourselves off to information and ignore the fact that millions of people are out there suffering. I honestly want to help. I don’t believe I feel differently from other people. I think we all want justice and equality, a chance for a life with meaning. All of us would like to believe that if we were in a bad situation someone would help us.”

Just like Angelina and celebrities who have significant contributions in publicizing humanitarian situations and political conditions for those who find themselves in dire need, Meb Kiflezghi could have chosen to do the same and use his public profile to highlight the grave humanitarian conditions of his birth country, which is mostly overlooked by the international community. For a country with a population of less than four million, over 10,000 political prisoners live in incommunicado detentions. Among those detained are government ministers, journalists, religious leaders, teachers and professionals. The widespread and systematic human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, the shoot-to-kill policy, arbitrary arrests, torture, inhumane prison conditions, conscription of minors, a never ending national service, religious persecution, indeed has  become the daily routine in Eritrea. The nation has no constitution and no civil liberties. Because of the precarious living conditions, citizens are leaving the country in droves.  And on their journeys they fall in the hands of human traffickers only to become victims of slave labor, extortion and the sources of organ harvesting.  If these conditions are not good enough for Meb Kiflezghi to be an advocate for justice in Eritrea then he should at least realize that they are good reasons for him to distance himself from a brutal and anti-American dictatorial regime.

Tomas Solomon