Return to scene 1 to make your choice.
* A leader who rules the country by force, and is not chosen as leader by the people.
† The African Union Mission in Somalia, a peacekeeping force made up of soldiers from other African countries, with a mission to stabilise Somalia.
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JOURNALISTS AT RISK
Have you ever stayed quiet about something that was bothering you, because you were worried you’d get into trouble if you spoke up? Or have you ever told the truth even though you knew someone else would be angry at you for doing so?
These are the kinds of problems journalists face all the time. If a journalist finds evidence of a powerful person cheating or lying, they’ll probably feel it’s important for the public to know the truth, even though that powerful person will be angry about being exposed. Or if a journalist writes an opinion piece that expresses an unpopular view, they might be criticised for saying what they think.
In Australia, we have laws to protect journalists, and to protect the people who are interviewed by journalists. Journalists have ‘freedom of speech’, which is a human right to say or publish what you wish without fear. But there are also laws to protect people from journalists who go too far – for example, journalists aren’t allowed to publish ‘hate speech’ or anything that unfairly attacks someone or damages their reputation. There is a delicate balance between these two sets of laws.
In some countries, these laws either don’t exist, or they are ignored. This makes being a journalist very risky – especially if they publish a truth that a powerful person or group wants to keep secret. Journalists might be jailed, threatened or even killed for doing this‡. When the media is controlled in this way, the public are kept in the dark; instead of the truth, they are told lies by the people who have the power and money to control what is published.
Somalia is one of the worst countries in the world for journalists’ freedom. Reporters are often in fear of their lives, especially if they report on problems within the government or al-Shabaab. A few brave journalists continue to take great risks because they are passionate about freedom of speech.
Would you put your life on the line to broadcast the truth?
Return to scene 3 to make your choice.
‡ The Reporters without Borders website shows that every year, there are 80–100 media workers killed worldwide for doing their job, and that (as of mid-2017) there are nearly 400 media workers worldwide in jail just for speaking out.
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RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM
Every religion has radical groups, or extremists.
These are the people who believe it’s all right to kill or hurt other people in the name of their religion, and who believe that every person in the world should be forced to follow their faith.
No religion is free from extremists. For example, although Buddhism and Hinduism have reputations as being peaceful religions, extremists from both groups often carry out deadly attacks in India, Sri Lanka and other Asian nations. Christian extremism is also on the rise, particularly in the United States.
However, almost all people who follow any religion are not extremists. Most people are happy to coexist with other religions and would never claim that their god wants them to carry out acts of violence. This is true of all religions, including the huge majority of Muslim people. On the news in Western countries, we currently see a lot about Islamic (or Muslim) extremism. Some people therefore mistakenly believe that all Muslims are potential terrorists. This has led to a rise in racist attacks against peaceful
Muslim people, which only creates deeper divisions in our society and entrenches misunderstandings.
It is important that we are on guard in Australia to prevent any terrorist§ attacks from being carried out here, and to make sure no Australian people become violent extremists. However, we should not feel fearful of all people from another country just because an extremist group operates there. Remember that most people are not extremists, and most refugees are running away from terrorists – they are not terrorists themselves.
There are many quotes in the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, that condemn violence and encourage us to live peacefully together. Nearly all imams (Muslim religious leaders) condemn terrorism and extremism as being the opposite to what Allah (God)and his Prophet Mohammed would have wanted. The same is true of all the other religions’ holy books and leaders.
When we make friends and build bridges of understanding between different cultures, we make it harder for extremism to take root.
Go to scene 10 to continue with the story.
§ Groups or individuals who use violence to make a political or religious point.
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CROSSING BORDERS ‘ILLEGALLY’
To cross an international border legally you need identity documents, such as a passport and visa¶. But people running for their lives often don’t have time to organise a visa – and if their government is corrupt, at war or discriminating against them, that government won’t give them a passport. Furthermore, it is only possible to apply for refugee status after you’ve crossed an international border – you can’t apply within your own country.
When people cross a border without these papers, this is sometimes described as them entering the new country ‘illegally’. But people running to safety just need to get across the border any way they can. The United Nations (UN) knows this. In 1951, at the end of the Second World War, they established the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) to manage the flow of refugees worldwide. Participating countries made an agreement about the rights of refugees, including the right to seek asylum (a safe place).
That means that if you are running for your life, it’s not illegal to cross a border without the required documents. Just
