If Mustafa isn’t Norwegian, what the hell am I?

Once before Christmas, 24-year-old Emma Sukalic read that Norway will forcibly send 18-year-old Mustafa Hasen to Jordan, a country he has not been to since the family left him when he was six years old. More than 12 years ago.

– I was left with a feeling of cruelty and injustice. Imagine if this was me, or you? I wondered, “If Mustafa isn’t Norwegian, who the hell am I?” says Sukalic, freelance photographer, artist, and initiator.

Your question was the start of the campaign, which is now spreading at full speed. More than half a million Norwegians have seen the video, just two days after its publication.

Everyone wanted to join

The campaign began with Sukalic wondering how Norway could deport a person who has lived most of his life in the country and who feels Norwegian.

– It is very unfair that Mustafa has to bear the brunt of something that he has not done himself, so we started working, he says.

He sat down and wrote his thoughts in a poem:

On Thursday, December 17, she, film photographer Maren Klagegg, photographer Guro Sommer, and artist Fela Orellana sent the poem and messages to people they knew. The response was huge. Everyone wanted to come together and support Mustafa’s fight to be in the country where he feels at home, Norway.

– Friday and Saturday we produce and film. The campaign began with a series of photos that were later developed into the video, Sukalic says.

It was an attitude campaign that was published in the middle of Christmas.

– I received comments in unison from people thanking me for putting people’s feelings into words. I especially liked what Iman Meskini wrote, says Sukalic.

– Where is the unit?

Iman Meskini thought that “he is completely sick that a campaign like this has to take place in the year 2020,” the Skam star wrote on his Instagram account, continuing:

“Has the pandemic taught us nothing? Where is the hard work, unity and stretching a little more for the sake of others? Where is humanity that is about thinking of the best for others instead of for oneself? ”

Lurte Meskini, who believes that “Norway should come together and let Mustafa stay.”

Stronger together

On the second day of Christmas, Sukalic and his helpers posted the video, in which Iman Meskini, Karpes Chirag, NRK’s ​​profile Leo Ajkic, and many more read Emma Sukalic’s poems.

– The amount of comments people send is overwhelming and enjoyable. There are many of us who feel the injustice and want to say something about the case, he says and continues:

– We have a common responsibility as a society. We, as citizens, must use our voice for what it is worth. People need to stand up, because what if this was me, or you?

– Does not tolerate injustice

It refers to the well-known quote from Arnulf Øverland, that “you must not tolerate injustice so deeply that it does not affect you.”

– It’s absolutely fantastic that so many people stand up and do whatever it takes when it comes to an issue as important as this, says the 24-year-old, and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed in such a short time.

– We are also happy for everyone who has shared and supported this, he says.

NRK Leo Ajkic’s profile is part of the campaign and he himself interviewed Mustafa during a session at the National Library.

– I joined because I know the people behind the campaign, but also because this is an important issue. When something is wrong with the system, we must stand up. This could have happened to many: Mustafa’s brother is allowed to stay in Norway, while Mustafa is not allowed. Everything seems random, so we have to work to make a change. Things are not going well here, he says, who also allowed himself to be interviewed in Budstikka about the case.

Sukalic asks people to think more about how others feel.

– These are very big questions, but who will tell you where you belong and define who you are? Is home a home when someone can take your key away at any time? She asks and ends:

– If Mustafa is not Norwegian, what the hell am I? And who are you? I hope the video can help and provide commitment and consideration.

Threatening to move out of Norway

Lawsuit against UNE

Recently, it became clear that the Fend Law Firm has filed a lawsuit against the Board of Immigration Appeals (UNE) on behalf of Mustafa Hasan. They demand that the expulsion decision against him be annulled.

Differential treatment between Mustafa and his one-year-old brother, Abdel, is the background to the subpoena, the brothers’ lawyer, Nicolai Skjerdal, tells NTB.

Hasan himself says he hopes his case will be tried in court.

– I think it’s time to show what is correct. I hope that everyone in court will judge based on what is right and what is wrong, and that people will see that this is an issue in immigration policy, Hasan tells NRK.

And add:

– Of course, I hope more than anything that I manage to stay and that justice prevails, says the 18-year-old.

Ødegaard supports Musafa