[WATCH] Omar Rababah: Standing up to hatred

Omar Rababah is one of those voices that stands out against racism and xenophobia in the clutter of social media blighted by hatred.

Rababah is Maltese but he comes from a mixed family - his mother is Maltese and his father Syrian.

A social worker by profession, Rababah is a human rights activist and insists that more work must be done to enable better integration of foreigners in Maltese society.

Interviewed on TVM News Plus’s Xtra Sajf, Rababah said the State must do more to enable integration but acknowledged this was a two-way process. “Those who form part of a society have to do their part to integrate and I believe that learning the language is an important aspect of integration.”

He also believes dialogue between communities is the solution to difficulties that may arise at local level.

“I do not believe that the old lady who lives in Marsa and who expresses concern because her street has transformed from one where 10 Maltese families lived to one that now houses people who look different, speak a different language and act differently, is racist. We must show empathy with that woman but the solution is to foster dialogue,” he said.

Rababah called for more cultural mediation at local council level, insisting that allowing foreign residents to vote in local elections could give these people a sense of belonging. “Unfortunately, immigrants do not vote in local elections so their doors are skipped during home visits and their needs are overlooked. Exclusion does not work. If a migrant is not putting out the right garbage bag on the right day, by ignoring that person the community will be poorer. Engagement is important and if people can vote they feel they are part of that community.”

The interview was recorded before the recent street fight in Hamrun involving a group of Syrians but Rababah cautioned against lumping all Syrians in the same basket.

“Not all Syrians are the same… even within a town in a small country like Malta you can find differences, let alone within a large country,” Rababah said.

Reflecting on the racially-motivated murder of Lassana Cisse in Birżebbuġa three years ago, Rababah said the killing saddened him and angered him.

“The murder may have shocked people but the ingredients that made it possible had long been present… the comments full of hate on social media against immigrants and black people were there,” Rababah said, urging politicians to publicly stand up to hate speech.

The programme also featured a short interview with Peter Busuttil, the official responsible for football social responsibility within the Malta Football Association.

Busuttil spoke on the various outreach programmes undertaken with football clubs to raise awareness on discrimination and foster inclusion and diversity.

He said the MFA has set up 13 football inclusive hubs with programmes on racism, domestic violence, children with challenging situations and different abilities. “These football sessions start with discussions and other engagement sessions and end in the ground with a football game.”