Elian Gonzalez: 'If I Had Religion, Fidel Castro Would Be My God'
Elian Gonzalez was only 6 years old when he made international headlines after surviving a raft trip from Cuba to the United States. His father, still in Cuba, wanted custody, while others fought to keep the boy in the United States, arguing that he would have a better life here. However, Gonzalez, now 20, has spoken out and said he is most grateful for being returned to Cuba.
Gonzalez's mother died during the trip from Cuba to the United States, essentially leaving him here without a guardian. Several attorneys argued that the boy should remain in the US with other family members and given the opportunity for a better life, which his mother allegedly wanted. Yet a judge ruled that Gonzalez was to be returned to his father's care in Cuba, and that was essentially the last the public heard from him. But in Cuba, Gonzalez became a celebrity and a symbol for the country.
"Wherever I go, there's always a child, an old woman that comes to me and wants to meet me," Gonzalez told state-run media in a new interview, "not because I am famous but because they suffered with my family. Fidel Castro for me is like a father. I don't profess to have any religion but if I did, my God would be Fidel Castro. He is like a ship that knew to take his crew on the right path."
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He is currently studying to become a military officer and defend his country's rights and honor. Gonzalez noted that his time in the United States was "very sad for me, which marked me for life. It never gave me the chance to think of my mother, who died at sea as a result of the Cuban Adjustment Act. Our struggle is not against the American people; it is against their government."
The Cuban people threw a huge celebration when Gonzalez was returned to the country and another on the 10th anniversary of his return.
