MODENA. “I am Khaoula Kanjaoui, lawyer of the Court of Modena specialized in immigration law. I am running because I represent two cultures and I want to make my knowledge available to the community to make a tangible contribution to the well-being of the community.”
It was enough to introduce himself like this, to the 30-year-old lawyer Khaoula Kanjaoui, to unleash the emotions haters that populate social media and have taken the company’s Facebook and Instagram profiles by storm list for which Khaoula is running as city councilor in Maranello, Italy of the Future.
In dozens of comments, a concentration of everything that goes well beyond gratuitous hatred, permeated with racism and prejudices, including sexist ones. People, behind a keyboard, who stopped there, at that name and surname of foreign origin and to specialization in immigration law. Nothing else. Good intentions for the well-being of the community? The serial haters, perhaps, didn’t even get to read them. They were already in place. Or perhaps they found additional strength to fuel theirs badnessfounded onignorance.
None of them, however, know who Khaoula Kanjaoui is and what he is comments have provoked in her.
In Modena for 28 years
Khaoula, born in, tells the story Morocco and arrived in Italy with his parents when he was just two years old. Today she is thirty, having turned a few days ago: «I lived in Serramazzoni in the kindergarten years, then a Sassuolo, where I grew up and attended school until high school – she explains –. After I graduated in LawI moved to Modenawhere I now live and where I practice law in a city law firm.”
At the same time, Khaoula chose to engage in politics for the first time by running as city councilor in Maranello with the Italia del futuro civic list, which supports the re-election as mayor of Luigi Zironi in the next local elections. All was well, until Italia del futuro presented her, together with the other candidates, on social media: «On Friday, when they informed me of the comments received, I felt terrible – says Khaoula -. It was an unpleasant and unexpected situation, the first time I had to deal with a real one shitstorm, inundated with gratuitous hatred from people who don’t know me. A hatred not linked to an episode or a difference of opinion policies compared to the list, but against my person. “Random”, offensive and sexist comments: for those who wrote them I am a foreigner and that’s it. Not only that, some also wonder how I can be a lawyer, as if I had stolen or had to prove something more than others. All this just when I am facing my first experience in politics as a candidate for the city council, a circumstance which in itself should make these haters understand how I am Italian citizen and enjoy all civil and political rights. But maybe they don’t know it. Some, moreover, are not even from Modena and comment thinking that I am a candidate for the European elections.”
Having overcome the moment of sorrow and anger, Khaoula Kanjaoui carries on with his head held high: «The xenophobic comments are the result of a political context that has cleared hatred and intolerance, which is precisely why I believe that my candidacy is necessary, given that it is a positive example of integration. The whole experience that I experienced pushed me to react immediately and fight even harder: we need to change this mentality, counteract the negative examples that are offered to us every day to fuel it: the majority of people who arrive in Italy are looking for a job and a dignified lifelike my parents did and I did.”
The solidarity received
She took the side of Khaoula, who also received a lot of support in the same posts in which she was offended Italy of the Futurethe political movement born in Maranello which makes inclusion one of its cornerstones: «We express deep dismay at the dozens of racist comments that Khaoula Kanjaoui has received in recent days – comments the president Davide Nostrini –. The comments only refer to the origins of Khaoula, an Italian citizen who arrived in our country at the age of 2, while they do not stop to consider and evaluate her as a person. Khaoula is an esteemed lawyer, specialized precisely in helping the most vulnerable citizens to know and exercise their rights. Such comments imply that Khaoula was evaluated and attacked only for the context of her ethnic and cultural background. Our list fully represents the plurality of the company: different ages, professional profiles, life experiences and origins come together to put themselves at the service of the city of Maranello.”
