James Mawdsley, the young human rights campaigner,
who has been in prison in Burma three times for his beliefs, shares
his story and how his time in prison became a blessing for him and how
his faith grew through it
"I first went to Burma when I was 23, to teach English in a rebel
camp in the jungle. I went there because of the inspiring 
example
of Aung San Suukyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and democracy leader
there. Her commitment to truth and her people is so obvious. I felt
that it was something worth supporting with everything I have.
Burma is a very rich country in terms of natural resources
and it is very fertile but after 40 years of military rule the
situation has just gone down hill economically and politically
and the people are really suffering. The regime allows no freedom
of expression or assembly, and responds with disproportionate,
brutal, indiscriminate, violence to any form of challenge or
dissent.
In the border areas there are over a hundred ethnic groups
- some of them very small and others up to 6 million like the
Karen. The Burmese army is waging a campaign of almost genocide
against them. Entire villages can be slaughtered and burnt down.
It's desperate people losing land, losing their villages, their
families, their livestock and having to live in the jungle being
hunted down by the Burmese army where they can be shot on sight.
After only two months the camp where I was, was attacked and
destroyed by the Burmese army. Although it had been a hard life
- living there physically -we felt free, in control of the admin
of the camp and the lifestyle and so …It was almost like
paradise in a sense. Then suddenly it was all destroyed."
James decided he could not just stand idly by and do nothing
and he decided to protest. He handed out anti-government leaflets
which was against the law and ended up in prisons three times
for his activities. He remembers, "The first time I was
detained a day, the next year 99 days….The next year for
416 days. The first time wasn't long enough and I didn't achieve
anything as I was in and out too quick. The second time I was
really paralysed with fear and too frightened to be of much use
to the democracy movement. The third time thanks to God and thanks
to the bible I had overcome that fear and I was able to challenge
the regime in a number of ways."
"God gave me an appreciation for every aspect of creation.
I learnt that all food is good, no matter how rotten or small
the portion or if it's got weevils"
Being a foreigner, James' imprisonment attracted a lot of
international media attention, which was what he was hoping for.
His parents and the Jubilee Campaign organised prayer vigils
and used these to draw attention to the plight of the Burmese
people. Despite the hardship and awful conditions his time in
prison, says James was a blessing. He comments, "God gave
me an appreciation for every aspect of creation. I learnt that
all food is good, no matter how rotten or small the portion or
if it's got weevils. It's a blessing. It's wonderful. You eat
it and it keeps you alive. I also felt free. If I had been stuck
at home and scared to go there. If I had been afraid because
I had a huge mortgage to pay off or if I needed all the creature
comforts of the west, then I wouldn't be free. But I was doing
exactly what I wanted to do - which was to confront this oppressive
regime."
There were also very dark times, however, due to the harshness
of the prison regime and James was beaten several time by the
guards for his small acts of non-violent resistance. He remembers,"Throughout
the time in prison I had to learn the lesson again and again
that I couldn't survive this in my own strength. When I thought
I could I would fall flat on my face and in that dark moment
I would learn again to rely on God's strength. He would always
pick me up again and I would be fine."
It was prayer and this reliance on God that got him through
his ordeal as well as thinking about the people he was doing
it for, "I would think of the children I used to teach at
the school and the people I used to live with and know in the
camp and how I now I had a chance to fight against this oppressive
regime and by my actions there would hopefully be a difference
in their lives, however tiny."
"They tried to put me in solitary confinement but that
is actually impossible as God is everywhere"
The authorities tried to break his spirit. James laughs, "They
tried to put me in solitary confinement but that is actually
impossible as God is everywhere. It's a wonderful feeling to
think it's the same God whether you are in a Burmese prison cell
or back home in the UK or wherever. He is everywhere and He is
in anything - You are never alone."
He grew in his relationship and understanding of God. He comments,
"I started out with very misguided ideas about prayer. The
day before my first trial I was praying, "God get me out
of here I can't handle it please get me out." Then I realised
what a crazy prayer this was. I had to change it to say "God
please grant me the strength and courage to endure what I have
to face. Give me the faith to accept that your will be done and
to trust that that is the best for me and for everyone.".
But as well as praying for the grace to endure his suffering
James also experienced God's amazing divine providence. "
I thought you cannot pray for God to intervene and make something
happen in the physical world but it says quite clearly in the
bible that whatever you ask for in faith will be granted to you.
If you have the faith anything will happen and that last time
in prison it did. The details are just too ridiculous but I found
you can pray for anything and if you believed it, it would happen
- the most detailed physical things. So I learnt that prayer
is as important as action. One will not work without the other.
Prayer must inform action. Action will be sustained by prayer."
"I found you could pray for anything and if you believed
it, it would happen - the most detailed physical things"
Stripped of every comfort and distraction James found the
Bible came alive for him in a new way and verses he had never
understood before began to make sense. It was this and reflecting
on the Imitation of Christ that kept him going. His time in prison
really changed him and his general attitude to the world and
has made him more peaceful and content. He comments, "I
dropped out of university but I learnt more in prison than I
did in university so I'm glad I have been there. When I first
went to Burma it was with the question how is it that these generals
can persecute their people so cruelly? By the time I came out
I was no longer asking that question but how am I contributing
to the situation that supports that structure? I cannot fight
against people or I will lose but I can fight against hatred,
pride and greed - especially that in myself. If we do this. If
we are good and kind and fair to the people around us we are
building up the kind of world we all want to live in. If not
then we are part of the problem.
"We might not understand how these things are affecting
the outside world, but the world is so interconnected. If you
are having a negative impact anywhere that will colour the whole
world. If you are having a positive impact - just being reasonable
and pleasant to the people around you - that will colour the
whole world too.
A better footprint on the planet!
"It isn't necessary to go half way round the world, get
banged up and do these dramatic things to make a difference.
The most important thing is to get our lifestyle here right and
that will have a good effect. Just by a slight change of emphasis
in our lives or a change in direction, we can, I think, leave
a better footprint on the planet. It might just be a matter of
thinking "how am I spending each pound? Is it employing
someone in an ice-cream factory or a clerk in a human rights
charity?"
James has written a book about his experiences in Burma called
"The Heart Must Break". He comments, "Although
I hope the situation of Burma comes out from the book - the terrible
things that are happening, I hope it is ultimately a book that
leaves the reader feeling optimistic and that we can all make
a difference if only we try. We are only expected to make a tiny
difference, to be a drop in the ocean - but it's very important
that we are in that ocean rather than doing nothing.
NB : JUBILEE CAMPAIGN a Christian human rights pressure group,
worked tirelessly for James' release. They have an on going campaign
to end the genocide of the ethnic minorities by the military
junta in Burma. Its sister organisation, Jubilee Action, a charity,
regularly sends aid to help the families fleeing from the regime
and hiding in the jungle. For more information on how to give
charitable aid or be involved in human rights work please contact:
Jubilee, St John's, Cranleigh Road, Wonersh, Guildford, Surrey
GU5 0QX Tel 01483 894787
