Would you believe that I don’t know about you but I did not believe it like at all. I did not think there was any bias in Ireland for asylum seekers. I really have loved Ireland and Irish people since my arrival here and I still love em. Never even found or I must say, noticed any hint of bias in the people around me against myself. But now I think, the people around us in the asylum centre are mostly from the NGOs who have refined attitudes and I did not have much experience of personal interaction with the general Irish public at large.
But this fact dawned on me because of people’s reaction to one of my articles, specifically the last one.
Isn’t it strange that while you are discussing the prevailing bias targeted toward a class of people, you become the target of the same?
Earlier to my personal knowledge, I was of the view that the statistics offered by various NGO’s about the prevalence of a biased environment against the asylum seekers actually did not reflect the reality on the ground.
But lo and behold, I wrote about it, people reacted to that and proved me wrong.
I would still look at the brighter side of the picture, think about the people who read the article and did not react. They are far greater in numbers than the ones who reacted to it negatively.
That’s a good and positive thing. Because of some negative comments, I cannot paint everyone with the same brush.
Let’s get into the comments I received and how I received, whereas there are no visible comments on this website under my previous article other than the Roos’s one.
Actually, I always share my articles on a social platform, social platforms are crucial if you want to reach a bigger audience. So in order to reach the Irish audience which is my main focus, I post my articles, in the Irish branch of that platform, in order to convey my message to the Irish Public generally.
People have varied perspectives and portray their views in the shape of comments on my articles. It gives me a good general idea of the perspective of the public at large.
So, in the previous article, I mentioned the incident that happened with a Pakistani Irish, whose application for residency became a victim of professional negligence by INIS, as he said so.
I shared that article on this social platform, I would not mention the name the platform or show the names of people who commented on my article. My purpose is, again, not to defame but to educate and inform. So when I shared my article about that negligent treatment of that Pakistani Irish by the professional staff at INIS, I got very sharp-edged responses from Irish Public. I like when people criticize because discussion actually builds over criticism and development of thought is based on criticism. Another good point about it that people read your work and then give their opinion. So you are being read and responded to, based on your work.
So, let’s read our First Comment
This guy is telling from his own experience of working with Pakistani guys in Dubai. I am not gonna defend Pakistanis here, I am not their spokesperson but I am just saying a few things in response, going to Dubai for work is another thing and seeking asylum due to a danger faced by someone is another. I would say every case is assessed on its own merits by Justice Office. No one is sitting there to grant asylum for economic reasons. If someone has an economic case that will be judged by Justice office and as you already know very strictly.
Another one!!
These comments actually portray the general impression of the Pakistani asylum seekers among the public of Ireland. About the sham marriages, you cannot deny the fact that they are not completely frivolous or far from reality but they are not the complete reality as well. Not every Pakistani or an asylum seeker is deceptive, playing games or into sham marriages. And not every marriage is a sham marriage as well. There are women who found their true life partners and there are men who found their soul mates, even from the asylum seekers class but it does not eliminate the fact of them seeking asylum due to security reasons. They found someone, can be called a stroke of luck, no one can be stopped from falling in love with someone just because he or she would be misjudged for doing so, “it’s just for Nationality”. The one who is marrying an asylum seeker also knows this fact, of him/her being an asylum seeker, but would you blame them for choosing an asylum seeker over a national? I don't think so.
You can’t give a generalised statement about everyone, and discredit them.
There has been a time in the past for Irish, and that time has not washed off completely when they were badly misjudged by Britons and Americans.
Let’s just read a few news items about that time and current times as well.
The Irish Times in its news item published in 2015 referred a news of New York Times where they showcased and proved the instances of the sign
“No Irish Need Apply”
in the US in the 19the century, in their words,
“The New York Times has proved definitively that the phrase “No Irish need apply” (NINA) was in widespread use in the middle of the 19th century in the United States.”
Source: THE IRISH TIMES
Another source mentions the fact that,
“When the economy was strong, Irish immigrants to America were welcomed. But when boom times turned down, as they did in the mid-1850s, social unrest followed and it could be especially difficult for immigrants who were considered to be taking jobs from Americans. Being already low in the pecking order, the Irish suffered great discrimination. 'No Irish Need Apply' was a familiar comment in job advertisements.”
Source: IRISH GENEALOGY TOOLKIT
Irish were being misjudged just for the general misconception about their inexpertise or alcoholism, as you can read here,
“Irish racism in Victorian Britain and 19th century United States included the stereotyping of the Irish as violent and alcoholic.”[17]
These are a few snippets about the misjudgement of the Irish by the all-powerful class of nations. Now, has the situation completely changed? I don’t think so, the situation for Irish moving to the USA is still cannot be called ideal.
As of now in recent times like in 2012, Irish Times reported and detailed the situation of recently immigrated Irish citizens to the USA.
In the words of James, who moved to the USA from Ireland for a brighter future,
“It is not as easy as it used to be to find work here, especially if you don’t have a proper visa, but I knew an Irish lad who was working in a bar which happened to be looking for staff when I arrived in February, and they gave me a job as a barman. The Irish still seem to look out for their own”
“I don’t get paid a wage but I earn good tips, and I’m a lot better off financially now than I was at home. Before I left Cavan, a lot of my friends were unemployed or emigrating if they weren’t still in college. It was very hard to get a group of friends together to go out at weekends, because they just didn’t have the money. Over here I’m able to rent an apartment, save a little money, and have a good time as well . . . It is a lot different to Cavan.”
The ratio of Irish citizens moving to USA was increasing as per the same news item.
“We can only go by our own statistics, but I would safely say that the number of people emigrating here from Ireland increased by about five or six times if not more in the last few years,” says Orla Kelleher, executive director of the Aisling Irish Community Center in Yonkers.
Source: THE IRISH TIMES
I consider Ireland a developed, first world country and it is a first world country, there’s no denying that but there were hard times for Irish as well, during those times and even now, they were and are being misjudged, which is not correct or right. They should be given every opportunity to improve their lives.
But there is a great difference in seeking asylum and moving to USA for a better future. Irish, moving to USA, can come back any time as they are not faced with life-threatening dangers, but asylum seekers including Pakistanis are running from, dangerous situations and conservative societies, at least for Pakistan I can say that if you don’t fit well with the narrative of Army, executive or religious authorities in Pakistan, you can be killed without a second thought as if your life has no worth.
I am not defending anyone here, but speaking for everyone including, my Irish national brethren, whom I consider my own nation, that this environment of misjudgement should not come in the way of development of the Human Race into the right direction. We have to cut down the divides and build bridges where saner minds should prevail.
There is no doubt that an environment of bias exists for the asylum seekers in Ireland as independent has also reported the instances of misjudgement of asylum seekers but we can overcome this environment by working for it, in Ireland for others and in USA and Britain for Irish, why not, let's start it from today, let's start it from home, let’s start from my beautiful country, my amazing land, Ireland.
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