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OPINIONS
Nicholas Freidin: U.S. must support Tibetans' fight for freedom
The issue is Tibet (Xizang) and the 2008 Summer Olympics. The European Olympic committees, and their U. S. counterpart, have expressed their resolve to go ahead with the grand show. Even a few days ago, President Bush stated he will be in Beijing to witness the inauguration of the games. And yet, Tibet, occupied by today's China since 1950 (a de facto imperial province since 1720), is struggling once again to achieve independence, culturally at least, if not politically. Its attempt has been met with a heavy-handed display of the Chinese military, with blood shed, with many lives lost.
How can we, as Americans, who have lost so many of our own young citizens and spent so much of our own wealth to "liberate" Afghanistan and Iraq, now turn a blind eye from the tragedy in Tibet? Tibet has no natural resources we want, no threatening political movement, nothing but a people who want to live and work within their own ancient cultural traditions.
The "saffron" uprising in Tibet, similar to the current revolt in Burma/Myanmar, is being led by courageous monks, followers of a religion which preaches peace and tolerance. (Local readers want to be reminded of the on-going persecution of Chinese Christian clerics and their congregation.) To worship freely is a universal right by all international standards.
I have a feeling that it is all a question of money. The Olympics is big money for U.S. corporations, an opportunity to advertise to a billion-person market. It's big business, even if it means legitimizing an oppressive dictatorship.
If we really value freedom for all human beings everywhere, let us call on our political representatives to pressure our national government to boycott this year's Olympic Summer Games. Boycotting is not unprecedented. Moscow in 1980, and Los Angeles in 1984 -- both effective ploys used by the two camps in the old Cold War. (Forget the 1936 Berlin Olympics, a tragically lost opportunity to expose oppression).
According to legend, back sometime in the 9th century BCE, the games were recreated to ensure at least temporary peace between the warring city-states of Greece. The modern Olympics, re-established by Pierre de Coubertin in 1896, had the same motive -- peace among the nations. Contrary to many, the Olympic Games and world politics were intertwined from the very beginning. Should we remain complacent? Worse, should we become collaborators to the extermination of a people and their culture? You decide.
Nicholas Freidin is a Huntington resident.
