JE: As-Salaam Aleikum (Peace be unto you) Rasin Ganga! Prodg Promotions is happy to share your story and experience with its readers! Before we jump into anything, please share some background information about yourself and your movement MOSOPEN.
RG: Wa aleikum as-Salaam (Peace be unto you), I want to thank you and the staff of Prodg for allowing me this opportunity. MOSOPEN (Mouvman Solidarite ak Pèp Nou) is a non profit organization working for the betterment of our people spiritually, socially, politically and economically. One of the issues we are diligently working on at the moment is in asking people to join us in taking actions in the deportation of convicted criminals to Haiti, an unjust policy of deporting sometimes hard core criminals. These are people who at times don’t even speak their native tongue Haitian Creole anymore, people who have no more ties with Haiti anymore, no relatives in Haiti, people who spent almost their entire lives in the USA who are being uprooted and dumped in Haiti. Imagine being in a country with no jobs, no money, and no relatives and in some cases you can’t even speak the language. That is a recipe to partake in a life of crime in order to survive. This is a contributing factor to the chaos and madness that is going on now in Haiti. Crimes that you and I have never heard of during our life time are daily occurrences in Haiti now. Haiti is a country that is struggling with an already overcrowded prison system. A country that is ill prepared for its own petty thieves is now facing well seasoned criminals from the USA. That is one of the contributing factors why Haiti is in such a bad shape.
One of our plans of action at MOSOPEN is to create a network of Haitians in the Diaspora willing to work on this issue. We all know traditional politicians listen to two categories of people:
- Those who can contribute big sums of money into their campaigns
- Those who are willing to speak out and vote in block
Since we don’t have money, we are asking people to join us in writing their representatives to repeal this section of the law that allows this practice of criminal deportees that is destabilizing our country. We are working on a website MOSOPEN.org where people can enter their zip code and find the name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of their Senators and their own member of Congress and a form letter to write them directly.
JE: How long have you been a militant for Haitian causes? Can you remember what issue first fueled your call for activism?
RG: As long as I can remember. Growing up in Haiti I was introduced at an early age to Radio Haiti Inter. I would listen to Jean Dominique, Konpè Filo, Liliane Pierre Paul Richard Brisson, and Pitit Fèy on Radio Port-au-Prince who had a very fascinating show on Haitian history. The passion these people and countless others had for justice, truth and the uplifting of Haitians resonated within me and later shaped my sense of duty towards my people and myself.
JE: I’m on the MOSOPEN listserv and I’ve received messages ranging from Immigration matters involving Haitians to the political unrest in Haiti. Are there any specific Haitian causes that are dear to your heart?
RG: It is really difficult to handpick one issue and say this one is closer to my heart than anything else. You see, no matter what the subject is Haiti and Haitians need it urgently yesterday, for example: Agriculture, Education, Health, Transportation and so on. I will say that much, nothing is more important for our people than for us Haitians to know and love ourselves and accept our own.
JE: Do you work alongside other activist groups that share the same vision?
RG: Most definitely. I even work with people who disagree with me. I am constantly learning and educating myself. One of the solutions to our dilemma as a people is to be able to go above and beyond our own petty interests for the benefit of the majority. One must be cognizant to the fact that before me and after me Haiti and Haitians were and will always be.
JE: I greeted you with “As-Salaam Alaikum” a Muslim salutation, did you convert to Islam or where you born into that faith?
RG: Salaam (Peace) is an attribute of Allah (God). In the Arabic language it means peace, the greeting words Muslims around the world used. It is the kind of peace one finds in our daily efforts to tame our lower desires and remain in constant submission to Allah’s (God) will. It is like a supplication to Allah (God) to grant you peace in the mist of all the chaos and distractions in this world. Muslims greetings of “As-Salaam Alaikum (Peace Be Unto You)” is the exact salutation of peace, Jesus Christ the Messiah, used to greet his disciples as proven in the Holy Bible in John 20:26.
Like most Haitians who don’t actively practice any faith I used to call myself a Christian. But my daily activities were nowhere near the path and life Jesus Christ was leading nor his purpose and mission. In my spiritual journey I was introduced to Islam which gave me a better understanding of Jesus Christ and his mission and also myself as a Haitian man living in the USA.
JE: Does your faith play a major part in your activism?
RG: Of course, the gifts of life given to us by Allah (God) is not just to eat, sleep and make money, rather to cleanse it of all impurity to enjoin each other in Truth and Patience and to love one another.
JE: What is the percentage of Haitian Muslims in Haiti?
RG: It is less than one percent of the population, nowadays. Surprisingly enough some of our founding fathers like Makhandal, Boukman, Caplahou, and Allahou and so on were all Muslims snatched and sold from Muslim countries in Africa into the Caribbean. It was in an attempt to erase from the collective memory of Haitians and the world, amongst other things the role played by Islam and Muslims to the first independent black Nations in the western hemisphere, that “Les frères de L’Instruction Chrétiène” with the authorization of then president Nicolas Geffrard took over education in Haiti. Now most Haitians don’t know they are benefiting from the efforts put forth by some of our Muslim founding fathers.
JE: Why did you choose the name “Rasin Ganga”?
RG: In spirituality we all have name that we strive towards in order to fulfill our mission example of name changes in the Holy Bible: Abram into Abraham, Jacob into Israel, etc… Rasin as we know in Haitian Creole means roots or the essence of something. A Ganga is a healer in our tradition, someone with knowledge of traditional medicine and one who is able to heal you from whatever sickness you have. Though I don’t claim to have that kind of knowledge, that name was bestowed upon me in the hope that with Allah’s (God’s) help I will help heal the soul of our people into becoming one with the Creator through conversations like the one we are having now.
JE: As a militant/humanitarian what would be your message for peace for the people of Haiti?
RG: The message is a reminder to myself first and foremost then to Haitians at large of what Allah (God) said in the Holy Bible in 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land,”
JE: Do you see any hope for Haiti in the long term?
RG: Of course, the Holy Qur’an teaches us: “And do not lose hope of the Mercy of Allah (God). Only non believers despair from Allah’s (God’s) Mercy.” Holy Qur’an Surat 12 Ayat 87. Like everyone else I have my moments of frustrations in the face of senseless violence, corruptions and so on but this passage in the Qur’an re-energized me in the struggle.
JE: We Haitians living in the Diaspora have or have had plans to return to Haiti someday, I am still considering it as I believe Haiti needs its professionals and intellectuals. Is it part of your plan to return to Haiti one day Rasin?
RG: Yes I do. But I do not leave this much needed idea as a romantic dream sitting in a distant future. Every chance I have I now go to Haiti.
Once again thank you for the opportunity. As-Salaam Alaikum (Peace be unto you)
