Argumentative Essay - Iqbal Masih by Yousuf Abubakr

09:41 PM October, 03 2016

Sudanese Online
Yousuf Abubakr-Phoenix Arizona USA
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Imagine this: you are a young Pakistani boy with no worries, but then you’re sold into slavery by your own father. Iqbal Masih, a four year old, had to go through thris, all because of a deal his blind father made. Just like many other heroes such as Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi, Iqbal did just as much they did; Iqbal had to suffer to get his rewards and he helped and inspired other kids to change their fate; to escape slavery.
Comparable to many other archetypes in recent history such as Nelson Mandela, a South African activist who constantly fought for justice, Iqbal Masih has shown that he has suffered, physically and mentally, just as much as he did. To understand this topic, one must fathom how much Iqbal, the seven year old boy endured. First of all, when Iqbal was four years old he had to work to pay off a debt his father his father made, but before he could compensate he had to gain the experience of a carpet weaver. In that period of time Iqbal did not receive any money to pay off the debt. Not only this, but often the owner of Iqbal increased the loan amount because Iqbal ate food, used tools, or made mistakes. History expert Jennifer Rosenberg writes that, “Iqbal was required to work an entire work without wages in order to learn the skills of a carpet weaver. During and after his apprenticeship, the cost of the food he ate and the tools he used were all added to the original loan. When and if he made mistakes he was often fined, which also added to the loan” (1). In Jennifer Rosenberg’s article she states that, “Iqbal was required to work an entire year without wages…” In Iqbal’s perspective, this would be very frustrating because to him it’s a year wasted; a year he could have possibly paid off the debt and because his owner continued to add to the loan, Iqbal had to work for five additional years until he eventually escaped. In the same fashion, the World's’ Children's Honorary Award winner, Iqbal, had to undergo many trials of physical abuse by his owner. In 1987, an era in which Pakistan did not have an organized government; Iqbal's owner used the system of peshgi ( a practice in which the employer/ loaner has all of the power in loan deals) to his advantage and gave Iqbal a very small wage. The owner put Iqbal and many other young slaves in the very extreme environments to work in; furthermore, if any of the children acted out in any way that the employer did not like, they were punished relentlessly. All of these variables created a burdensome atmosphere at the factory that Iqbal worked in. As Rosenberg pens, “The conditions in which Iqbal worked were horrendous. Iqbal and the other bonded children were required to squat upon a wooden bench and bend forward to tie millions of knots into carpets. The children were required to follow a specific pattern, choosing each thread and tying each knot carefully. The children were not allowed to speak to each other. If the children started to daydream, a guard might hit them or they might cut their own hands with the sharp tools they used to cut the thread....If the children talked back, ran away, were homesick, or were physically sick, they were punished. Punishment

included severe beatings, being chained to their loom, extended periods of isolation in a dark closet, and being hung upside down. Iqbal often did these things and received numerous punishments” (1). According to Jennifer Rosenberg, “Iqbal was paid 60 rupees (about 20 cents) a day after his apprenticeship had ended” (1). This amount of money seems miniscule compared to the thirteen thousand rupees ($260) Iqbal had to pay. Couple that with working for six days a week and fourteen hours a day, it constructs a feeling of trapped or condensed; cornered. Iqbal obviously felt this way, so he decided to escape one day and found the Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF) where he thrived to help and inspire other children like himself. Iqbal has demonstrated the qualities of what many people call “heroes” today, but yet he has still not found his way into the history books.
Just like the old, fictitious, and Greek heroes Hercules and Odysseus, Iqbal shares many traits with them: he has suffered a lot and he is courageous and a leader of men. Iqbal has been through physical and mental pain as a kid and by this nature this would have made him a local hero but he went one step further and he proved he was not your everyday kid anymore; he joined the BLLF as a kid but came out as a grown up, courageous, leader. Once Iqbal joined the BLLF he went to their school, that’s where he got his natural leadership skills. On one occasion, Iqbal went back to a carpet factory to pretend he was an employee there, but he was actually questioning the children that really worked there about their working circumstances; the information he received was vital. According to Jennifer Rosenberg’s biography, “Once free, Iqbal was sent to a BLLF school in Lahore. Iqbal studied very hard, finishing four years of work in just two. At the school, Iqbal’s natural leadership skills became increasingly apparent and he became involved in demonstrations and meetings that fought against bonded child labor. He once pretended to be one of a factory's workers so that he could question the children about their work conditions. This was a very dangerous expedition, but the information he gathered helped close down the factory and free hundreds of children” (1). In other words, Iqbal risked his life for many other kids; this sounds like many of the people we consider heroes today. For instance, look at the American soldiers who fight everyday to protect the American citizens from any harm; Iqbal did a similar task but instead he would be saving the future; children. On the positive side, the then twelve year old preteen was slowly becoming a prominent leader in the anti-slavery movement in Pakistan for the BLLF. The organization used Iqbal’s confidence and leadership skills for speeches all across the globe and even with the aggressive death threats he got, his great public techniques inspired a generation of children; he told them that peshgi and outstanding loans were outlawed by the Pakistani government. Author J. Kile asserts that, “ The BLLF sent him to speak at businesses and demonstrations all over Pakistan where bonded slavery was known to exist. With his powerful personality he educated the slave laborers and encouraged them to escape. Despite death threats from the organized business mafias that
dominated the communities, Iqbal continued to speak against their practices with confidence and eloquence. It is estimated that over 3,000 Pakistani Children escaped their owners after visiting rallies, hearing speeches and attending meetings put on by the BLLF that year” (1). In justifying this claim, Kile says even though Iqbal received death threats from multiple gangs, he still continued to convey his thoughts on child labor. Like a true leader, Iqbal was brave, selfless, and inspired many children to escape their owners; this sounds a lot like George Washington, a person in which many acknowledge to be the father of the United States of America and General in the Revolutionary War. He led his men to victory in Boston on one fateful day; Iqbal used his cunning leadership expertise to take charge and free over five percent of the child laborers in Pakistan. The twelve year old boy, Iqbal Masih, has shown the heroism that a full scale adult would never show in a lifetime; he certainly has the qualities to fit a real hero, but the modern age undoubtedly forgot his noble characteristics.
In the final analysis with all things considered, Iqbal Masih has displayed the attributes of many figures in recent history such as Abraham Lincoln or Mother Teresa. Those traits include: leadership, courageousness, selflessness, being influential, and suffering greatly; additionally, when Iqbal was thirteen years old, he was murdered by a gang member that had been planning on killing him ever since he joined the BLLF. Seeing that Iqbal went through to not be a member of the “Heroes Club” is a controversial topic. He is on the fringes of the internet and in the “Unimportant” section of the library. The definition of a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles in order to get to a final goal. Iqbal Masih was an ordinary child before before he was sold into slavery, but then he had to withstand overwhelming obstacles to get to his goal; he fits the definition perfectly.


اخبار و بيانات


• وزير الخارجية بروفيسور ابراهيم غندور يلتقي مجموعة عمل السودان بالولايات المتحدة الامريكية
• محاكمة الناشط السياسي عبدالحكم الخير بالسجن لمدة عام كامل
• بيان منظمات المجتمع المدني بإقليم جبال النوبة/ جنوب كردفان حول إعلان مايسمى بالشبكة الدولية لمنظمات
• بيان من التجمع الوطني للسودانيين بفلادلفيا إستخدام سلطة الإنقاذ للسلاح الكيماوي ضد المواطنين الع
• كرار التهامي : نتطلع إلى ترفيع الآلية الوطنية وتحقيق أهدافها كاملة في حماية المغتربين
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• رابطة أبناء دارفور بنيوريورك بيان تنديد باستخدام الحكومة السودانية للأسلحة الكيماوية في دارفور
• التحقيق في إقامة مباراة كرة قدم بين رجال ونساء في بحري
• الحركه الشعبيه لتحرير السودان شمال يرفض مبادرة حكومية لايصال المساعدات الانسانية
• وزارة الكهرباء السودانية تنفي استيراد محولات إسرائيلية
• طبيبة سودانية تنجح في إعفاء المعدات الطبية الأمريكية من العقوبات
• جنوب السودان توافق رسمياً على نشر قوة إقليمية في جوبا
• انتخاب المكتب التنفيذي الجديد للحركة المستقلة بالخارج
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