Thirty-six-year old Ali A. Adam was born and raised in the South Darfur State of Sudan. “I am fluent in Arabic, English, Hebrew, and Tamok, which is a Tama tribal language and my mother tongue. I am passionate about discussing philosophy, law, and sociology and my most vivid childhood memories are being loved and respected by inhabitants of many nearby villages who discussed traditional oral law (not government law) on solving problems.”
Ali’s mentor Eisa Omer taught him many subjects in both primary and high schools, helped shape his personality to become wise, calm, and a skillful mediator and encouraged Ali to pursue education. “After graduating from high school, in 2007, I began academic studies in Sharia Law at Omdurman University in Khartoum; I graduated with an LLB degree, in 2011.”
A genocide survivor, Ali who was a democracy activist during university studies fled to Israel at age 26 mostly on foot and partly with Bedouin traffickers then crossed the Israeli-Egyptian border, in 2012. Ali’s mother, sister, and cousin have been living in a refugee camp (his father died of natural causes before terrorism and wars nearly destroyed their homeland). “Being in Israel has been a special experience because you can visit Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem and learn the history of Israel pre- and post-State with its complicated history for Jews and Judaism. For Muslims, Christians, Muslim and Christian states, and many Jews, too, the history is controversial for many reasons beyond the scope of this profile. And, though I embrace many cultures, traditions, and lifestyles of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and secular Israelis, my respect for and appreciation of Sudan have increased. The Israeli government’s harsh policies, speech, and laws against asylum seekers and refugees that express disrespect, disregard, and abuse taught me that despite my country’s problems it’s my homeland and I love it.”
After experiencing many years’ hardships living in Israel, Ali managed with African Student Organization in Israel (ASO) help to secure a partial scholarship and subsistence expenses to earn an LLM degree in Human Rights and International Law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in 2019. An ASO member, Ali studied for “the intrinsic value of education that Eisa Omer had taught me many years earlier and the importance of justice in human life.” He plans to volunteer “in my local community as a lawyer raising awareness about the potential for building a democratic state in Sudan and advocating for human rights. In workshops, I will train my community to bring these values and lessons home to Sudan while I continue developing more strategies for future trainings.”
“Your past mistakes are meant to guide you up, not tear you down.”
— Ali A. Adam
