CLUSTER MUNITIONS SURVIVOR TURNED CAMPAIGNER
An interview with Soraj Ghulam Habib
By Mava Moayyed
It’s difficult to envision the turmoil that Soraj Ghulam Habib experienced six years ago. To lose both legs is terrifying in itself, but the lasting implications of such an injury are far greater than the initial blow. Imagine absolute dependence on a hunk of metal with wheels. Imagine realising that this did not have to happen to you. At the tender age of ten years, Soraj experienced more grief than an average New Zealander would experience over their lifetime, but he has emerged strong and positive, “I never thought I face this kind of problem, but it happened and only God knows why. I am angry, but it is done and I’m always happy that I am alive,” he says.
Now a sixteen-year-old teenager, Soraj radiates joy and passion. His presence at this conference is twofold—he serves as a reminder of the devastating effects of cluster munitions but even more importantly he is an ardent lobbyist and campaigner against the weapon. Dubbed a “wheelchair warrior” by the Wellington newspaper, Soraj says, “I feel I have a big role to play here because of the countries that are asking for transition periods and interoperability—I will lobby against them.”
Soraj’s desire to have cluster munitions banned with no leeway or margin for compromise comes from his firsthand experience of the social and economic effects of the weapon on his family and community. “I have bad feelings towards cluster munitions. In those areas where cluster munitions have been used, the community is affected greatly. There are people that have lost their lives forever. People who were injured have become disabled, but they have also lost all the dreams they had before,” he explains.
As a child, Soraj anticipated he would grow up to serve his community and work towards peace in Afghanistan. After surviving a cluster submunition explosion, Soraj felt that he had lost the ability to fulfil his dreams, “When I was lying in the bed in the hospital I thought I won’t be alive in the future because I lost a lot of blood from my legs and finger. I was so close to dying.” With his family faced with the challenge of a son in a wheel chair, Soraj felt guilty and angry that he could not do anything for them.
Soraj is, however, fulfilling his dreams. He is a key figure in the campaign against cluster munitions and has no intention of slowing down, “I have a lot of big plans for the next ten years. In Wellington, I am trying to lobby with the bad guys to convince them to ban cluster bombs When I go back to Afghanistan, I will campaign to convince my government and my country to dispose of these and other weapons.”
Soraj directs his last piece of advice to the leaders and government attending the conference, “I call on all to see my reality and ban the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions. It really harms the civilians and the communities that just want a peaceful life.
Do not destroy your child’s future. Do not destroy your communities’ future. Take a moment and really find the opportunity to stop the devastation.”
This article (and the photo) originally appeared in Cluster Ban News, Vol 1 Issue 3, 20 February 2008
LEARN MORE:
Oxfam campaigns against Cluster Bombs
Aotearoa New Zealand Stop Cluster Munition Coalition site
Wikipedia entry on Cluster bombs
Human Right Watch collection of documents on Cluster bombs
