Home : Who are minorities? : Meet minority rights activists : Ra'ed Al Mickawi

Ra'ed Al Mickawi

It is easy to feel compassionate when Ra'ed Al Mickawi compellingly tells the story of his own personal experience growing up in the Negev area of Israel. He spent the first 17 years of his life living as a traditional Bedouin with his family, growing their own food and grazing herds. Although they were forced to move and stopped practicing their customs, Ra'ed has never forgotten what it means to be a true Bedouin.

Before 1948, 120,000 Bedouins lived in Negev. Today, they are 160,000, but are confined to live in one of seven designated townships, which make up 2% of the area. Many, however, choose to remain on the same land their ancestors lived on in so called "unrecognised villages", despite the continuing threat of their homes being demolished by the Israeli government.

"From being producers to consumers"

The picture Ra'ed puts forward is one of a government enforcing apartheid policies. "There are 27 towns in Negev which are Jewish only" he says. Since the creation of the Israeli state, tens of thousands of Bedouin have resettled in 7 towns recognised by the government. With this development, "We went from being producers to consumers", he adds.

'Democracy means that the minority and majority have equal rights. The majority has no right to limit the minorities'

The people that stayed in the "unrecognised villages" are denied access to their former sources of sustenance such as water, electricity, roads, education, and health care. Ra'ed tells the story of one of these 45 villages, where house demolitions took place 17 times within two years. He goes on to criticise Israel for declaring itself to be a democratic state.

"As far as I know, democracy means that the minority and majority have equal rights. The majority has no right to limit the minorities. Israel wants to keep us as a minority to control us. By choosing this policy Israel is announcing that it is not a democracy".

The future

Ra'ed's passion and commitment to the Bedouin cause developed from an early age. He was born and raised in Tel Sheva, one of the government-planned Bedouin townships. Before joining BUSTAN in 2007 he worked in filmmaking and public relations, creating the only internet based TV station for his community. After covering a project by the organisation to build a learning site, he was so inspired that he made a complete career change. He is now the director of BUSTAN and dreams of a state where Jews and Bedouins can happily co-exist.

BUSTAN is an NGO that works towards development in both Bedouin and Jewish communities in Negev. The aim of the organisation is to empower the people "to live in self-sufficiency and not be dependent on consuming", Ra'ed says. Despite the difficult situation his community faces, one cannot help but notice Ra'ed's optimism and resilience for a better future. He says, "all we want is the right to decide what lifestyle my community needs and the freedom to remain on our land".