Interview with Dr. Nawaf Kabbara
By Laura Hershey (
LauraHershey@compuserve.com)
Laura Hershey: Dr. Kabbara, can you tell me about your organization, the Arab Organization of Disabled People?
Dr. Nawaf Kabbara: The Arab Organization of Disabled People is a coalition of organizations of disabled people in the Arab world. It was founded in 1998 in Egypt, and includes 14 other countries. And the objective is to provide representation of disabled people in the Arab world.
LH: And does the organization include all types of disabilities?
NK: It does. Every country should be represented by at least four different disabilities.
LH: You are from Lebanon. Is there a strong chapter of this organization there? And a strong disability rights movement?
Disability rights movement
NK: The disability rights movement in Lebanon is organized under the Lebanese Council of Disabled People, which is a member of DPI [Disabled People's International]. LCDP is very active, and it was very successful in passing a very important law on the 29th of May 2000, last year.
One of the main reasons why Lebanon is so strong is because of the war. You know, Lebanon was faced with civil war from 1975 to 1990. As a result of this, lots of people became disabled, and they built up a movement that succeeded last year to pass a very progressive law concerning disabled people.
New law adopted
LH: And what does the law do?
NK: The law is comprehensive. It includes full accessibility in education, jobs, health services, transportation, tax relief things, a lot of good things.
LH: And do you think that law is already beginning to impact the lives of disabled people in Lebanon?
NK: Let me put it this way. For the first time, the physically handicapped can have a car now. Another thing that, is that we've started to have 100 percent health coverage. So things are moving slowly, but steadily.
LH: Are people with disabilities in Lebanon likely to be employed? What kind of job opportunities are there?
Employment
NK: Before the law, we used to lobby to get jobs and, no way. Now, the Social Security is not giving clearance to any company that has more than 60 employees, that have not employed three percent disabled people. For the first time, we are [being] contacted by companies, asking us to present disabled people to them. So things are moving in the right direction.
LH: Are many more disabled people are now being hired because of this?
NK: I would say now there will be more opportunities. Not yet hires -- but more opportunities are opening now.
LH: What are some of the biggest issues that face people with disabilities in Lebanon, and in the Arab world in general?
Universal search for a place in society
NK: What we face is what the disabled world faces all over. First of all, recognition -- that we are there, that we have an identity, a place in society. Second, that this recognition should be translated into laws and programs of action. Three, acceptance in society of pluralism, of difference.
LH: Can you tell me about the leadership in your organization of disabled people? Is it mostly people who were injured during the wars? And is it mostly men? How would you describe the leadership? Is it diverse?
NK: In Lebanon, it's very diverse. No doubt the war was the factor in terms of initiating the movement; [but] we have everyone included, not only the veterans of the war. In the Arab world, you find a good diversity. For example, I was in Sudan in February, and I was astonished by the spirit of the disability movement over there. The most important organizational work is to create some sort of spirit, of momentum, for people to recognize that their marginalization is not natural, that they have a political position to take. I think we are doing this.
LH: How does your organization recruit members? How do you find the disabled people, especially those who are very marginalized and maybe isolated?
NK: Our organization is a coalition, so we work with national assemblies. Through our contact with the national assemblies, we have an idea of what's happening inside their countries. You have [some] prominent leaders with disabilities, who came from good families. They're rich, or well educated. This has given them a position to be on the front. There has to be some sort of leadership at the beginning.
When we started to advocate, we were very much aware of marginalization, and disability in poor, rural areas.
War and disability
LH: What about countries in the Arab world that are still very much involved in wars? For example, is there active involvement from Palestinians with disabilities? How do those conditions impact their lives?
NK: I think that's a very important question. Unfortunately the Arab world sees lots of violence. You have Palestine, you have Iraq, you have Sudan, you have Algeria now, not to mention other places. And there are around 2,500 new disabled persons in Palestine alone, since eight months ago -- which is a huge number. The Arab Organization of Disabled launched an international appeal to support the disability movement of Palestine, because they are living in a very, very difficult situation. It's a combination of three kinds of discrimination: from society; from the occupation; and from the world, because they are not thinking of them, or of how much they are suffering in these conditions. I think one of the most important factors in the Arab world is increasing disability because of violence.
LH: I'd like to ask you about the cultural aspects of the Arab world in terms of disabled people. In the United States, for example, in order to get people with disabilities full rights, we have to change some of our cultural assumptions about independence and competitiveness and things like that. Is the disability rights movement in the Arab world challenging cultural assumptions as well?
NK: I think there are two kinds of cultural positions that you have to deal with. One is the discourse; the second is the practice. The Arab world is mostly Muslims. Fortunately the Koran is very positive toward disabled people. In the Koran there was a blind person who went to his Prophet asking him a question. Every time this guy went to the Prophet, the Prophet never answered him. And so God talked to the Prophet and said, "Why are you doing this to this guy? You're not allowed to do this. This is bad." Of course, the Koran says much more important things. So this is creating a very important position in favor of disabled people, as far as Islam is concerned.
In practice, people discriminate easily. People have their vision of what is good for the society - it's the perfect person. Of course now we are challenging this, and slowly, slowly this is changing.
Personal experience
LH: Could you tell me a little bit about yourself? Your background, and how you became involved in the Arab Organization of Disabled People, and also in Disabled People's International?
NK: I had a bad car accident in 1980, which made me paralyzed. After this I studied in the United States and then in England. This is where I started to encounter the philosophy of integration.
In 1987, we initiated a peace movement by disabled people in Lebanon. For the first time ever, disabled people marched from north to south against the war. This march was on the BBC, it was on ABC. (At that time there was no CNN.) When we were preparing to march, they told me about DPI. So I went to Sweden, [where] there was a meeting of the World Council [of DPI]. I got their support, and became part of them.
LH: How many people marched in that peace march?
NK: The march started [with] 100 persons. When we reached the south, there were thousands and thousands of people -- not only disabled; all people. The disabled people were the vanguard of the disabled rights movement against the war.
The strong message was two-fold. One, that the people who are the living martyrs of the war are coming out to say, "No." Second, that disabled people are not passive. They are very active, and they can be politically very important in the decision-making. After this, we thought that [disabled people in] Lebanon, as part of the Arab world, should find a regional umbrella. And that's why we created the Arab Organization in 1998.
LH: What was the impact of the peace march?
NK: In Lebanon, the government and society started to deal with disability as an issue. We started to be considered a factor in civil society. In the world, we became an example for the disability movement. Many disability groups have told us they've been inspired by the march. In 1993, we organized a march by nine countries against the war in former Yugoslavia. So there was a momentum of peace.
Presently, the peace movements are not on the forefront these days. But I think disabled people should be like the ambassadors of peace and human rights in the world.
Impact of globalization
LH: Can I ask you about the impact of globalization? We hear a lot nowadays about economic globalization, and the impact on developing countries of structural adjustment policies and IMF loans. Do you see this process having a significant impact on people with disabilities in the Arab world?
NK: Globalization was very positive toward the disability movement. Through globalization we are able to promote the concept of human rights and independent living for people with disabilities. It is through the globalization that we have international movements -- DPI, World Union of the Blind, of the Deaf. Through globalization we are able to lobby and talk with each other. Through globalization we can sit and talk and use the same language.
However, globalization is not only this. You have the World Trade Organization, for example. You have the IMF, you have the World Bank. You have many other aspects that affect our life one way or another. I think the disability movement could not stay as if it has nothing to do with what is happening in the new global forum. I think we have to intervene. We have to make sure that the new global forum won't put us aside.
LH: How do those economic aspects of globalization particularly affect people with disabilities?
NK: We'll be the first people to be hit in case of unemployment or recession. So we have to lobby to make sure that in any decision, we are being considered as a group that's going to be suffering [from] such decisions.
LH: Do you think people with disabilities will be consulted?
NK: Let me put it this way. We should not expect them to consult us. We should push ourselves in there.
LH: Is your organization pushing for that?
NK: In the Arab world, yes. I would advise DPI and other organizations to do the same.
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