The Hidden Globe

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism, death, sexual content, and animal cruelty.

Abrahamian grounds her discussion of the offshore detention of migrants by Australia with the story of Sudanese migrant Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Aziz was held in a migrant detention center run by the Australian government on the island of Manus, part of Papua New Guinea, for about six years. The conditions were awful. Abrahamian describes it as a “man-made hell” (234).

Aziz was born into a wealthy, politically active family in Sudan. Aziz became active in organizing a unity movement that then-President Omar al-Bashir saw as a threat. In 2013, fearing for his safety due to his political organizing, Aziz fled to Indonesia. He still felt unsafe there, so he decided to attempt to get to New Zealand. When the ship he was on began to sink, Aziz was rescued by the Australian Navy who sent him to Christmas Island and then on to Manus. While there, he became active in organizing and drawing attention to the poor conditions at the detention center.

The Australian laws governing Aziz’s detention were largely shaped by a 2001 controversy. In August of that year, a fishing boat carrying 433 Afghan refugees capsized near Christmas Island (an Australian territory).