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The 2014 Boston Marathon Winner and the Great Irony

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

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

aseye.asena@gmail.com

Review overview
49 COMMENTS
  • Gideon May 11, 2014

    Dear Thomas Solomon,
    I have read most of your past articles with huge admiration indeed. You are truly one
    of our promising brilliant writers. May wisdom shine on you and keep on writing something
    informative that serves to the betterment of the Eritrean situation. On this occasion,
    stirring people’s emotions doesn’t serve Eritrea’s interest at all! Lets work for a common
    solution to our major problems at home. I also feel that politics shouldn’t be mixed up with
    religion or sports. Meb Kiflexghi should be supported/encouraged like any black African brother
    runner/sportsman would normally be supported. Sport is meant to unite people not to divide!

  • Semhar May 11, 2014

    Mebrahtu, how can you forget the 360 Eritreans who died in Lampadusa? Just like you remembered the 3 Americans life you should also remember the life of 360 Eritreans.
    How dare you support and you wished a good life to the tyrant dictator Isayas the cause of the misery in Erirea. You know our people are dying every day in Eritrea, the sea, in the desert, in the hands of human traffickers, in Eritrean jail, in Sudan. How do you feel Mebrahtu if one of those victims are from your family?
    You should ask the Eritrean people an apology! You should be ashamed to side with the terrorist regime of Eritrea. How dare you support a regime that supports Al-Shebab, the regime that’s under the UN sanction for human right abuse and for terrorism? Why are you unfaithful to the US that grated you and your family political asylum, and gave you the US citizenship? Your betrayal to the US and to Eritrea will bite you to the rest of your life.
    Mebrahtu you used the American victims of the Boston Marathon as a springboard to get sponsors! Remember the all victims allover the world including Eritrea.

    • selamawit2 May 12, 2014

      Semhar, you said it all – it is such an unbelievable double standard!

    • Yerhiwo May 12, 2014

      Semhar…you just copied and added some sentences to my previous post it as yours……but I don’t mind my sister!

  • solomon May 12, 2014

    Ertra tanu deka nehadhdom
    Yebaleu.
    Kedem abeyti keililu enkelewu nsemom
    Nerna.NErtra Ertrawi zeykone hade
    Wedi wetsei metsiu kegeza eyu
    Yeblu nero darga naeyu getsu zegemagem
    Zelo yemesil kunetatn.

    Solomon

  • teberaber May 12, 2014

    Thomas, well said. I can’t ask for more.
    That chicken head meb can run with his legs but cannot run with his brain. He cannot differentiate between Al Shabab terrorism and the other which killed American citizens.
    Had he visited the Eritrean UN mission before the Obama call…..bet you Obama would not call him to congratulate.

    • Roak May 12, 2014

      He is a great American. America is a nation of immigrants.We all are proud him

  • hadnet May 12, 2014

    Guys all his direct family lives in america and they don’t want feel the people’s pain cuz they are selfish. How dire you are helping the dictator? Don’t have a brain that you can identify right and wrong. Dummy or selfish?

  • Tes May 12, 2014

    Dear Tomas,

    Good way of showing him how dismayed we Eritreans with his lack of respect to the victims of the most brutal dictator. Wishing the dictator good health is beyond my imagination how clueless he is about the state of Eritrea. The only criticism to your approach with his behavior is that you are being to gentle and kind with him. He is one of those who careless with demise of Eritrea. Any publicity is good for him no matter the consequences of it. The sad thing about this is we have a lot of them that is way Eritrea is in the current mess. The best way of dealing with those kind of people is to be firm and tell what you feel about them. Otherwise to try to tell them gently i didn’t work. The case we have at hand is only required head on engagement

  • simerrr2012 May 12, 2014

    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. Thank you Tomas..Meb is one of the thousands who act like a parasite in the America who take the best of what they can take and give nothing back to a country who pick them from refugee camps of Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. If you ran for money doesn’t mean you ran for America. Didn’t Meb declare, on oath, that he will support and defend the constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies , foreign and domestics ….. so why then he stood with enemy of the US and freedom loving people ..are the not the higdefawyan who spread anti America propaganda, character assassination of American politicians, show sympathy for the terrorist who harm American interest etc. If I were MEb,I wouldn’t even pass near the embassy or Higdef representative office not to see the those ugly faces of higdef. Let we give a chance to Meb to respond to all this first.

  • Mike Tekeste May 12, 2014

    Thomas, nice article..kab kedemka englishka was good hiji mo it is awsome…

  • Tseggai Adhanom May 12, 2014

    I don’t have to take for granted that my son or daughter to have the same opinion or wish like I do even though we are family if I do think that way I am dummy selfish Even everybody to that matter so I don’t think to include the whole family and call them names which they don’t deserve because the person you are talking about is a grown man and that is his choice not the whole family choice.

    • TwoWayStreet May 14, 2014

      Well said Tseggai.

  • araya May 12, 2014

    he have to use his popularity like wedi vacaro

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