Afghan refugees experience new freedoms in Lethbridge

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on October 22, 2022.

Herald photo by Al Beeber Afghan refugee Nazifa Haidari holds back tears Friday as she speaks through an interpreter to media at Lethbridge Family Services about her experience reaching Canada and freedom from the oppression of the Taliban who are conducting a genocide against her Hazara ethnic minority group.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Just days after they arrived in Lethbridge on Oct. 5, two Afghan refugees were protesting on a city street drawing attention to the genocide of the Hazara ethnic minority in their home country.

For the two, being able to express themselves freely in public told them they were finally safe from the Taliban.

The two Afghans are among 44 who have arrived in Lethbridge recently through the efforts of Lethbridge Family Services.

The refugees either supported Canadian operations in Afghanistan or were human rights defenders. One man spent three months in hiding in Kabul before reaching Pakistan where he lived for nine months before receiving a visa to fly to Canada.

Ahmad Fahim Ahmadi worked for Canadian and NATO forces from 2010 until 2015. When the Taliban took over the government last year, he feared they would catch and kill him.

Ahmadi left a sister and his mother behind and is hoping one day he will be able to bring them to Canada to share his new life.

Ahmadi said when he and his friends stood on that city street a couple of weeks ago, several Lethbridge residents approached them and gave them their support.

In two weeks, he told media on Friday at LFS, he’s already made 10 Canadian friends.

“I really appreciate Lethbridge Family Services” support of refugees, he said, along with the efforts to introduce them to Canadian culture.

During that protest, he and his friends were asking for the genocide of the Hazara to be stopped.

“I experienced my freedom the second day and I just see and met some Canadians, they just welcomed me and supported me that day.

“This is my second day and I’m exercising that experience of freedom,” Ahmadi said.

He said he’s very sorry for his mom and little sister, he couldn’t bring them along.

“They’re still stuck in Afghanistan and right now mostly I think about my family,” he added. “I hope I can bring them in the future by some ways.”

Myrna Dleikan, settlement practitioner, said it could take a couple of weeks to a couple of months to get the refugees settled.

Life starts for them when they get a home, Dleikan added.

The second refugee who spoke to media Friday is a member of the Hazara minority and through interpreter Karima Gardizi asked Lethbridge residents and the Canadian government to let the immigrants’ voices be heard to end the killing and the attacks on her people which have left them in danger.

Nazifa Haidari, a former journalist, used to work for human rights and women’s rights organizations and through her interpreter said she felt safe here, adding she’s never lived in peace.

The woman said her family remains in hiding in Afghanistan and she fears for their safety.

“I realized how Canadians are so lucky” when she came to the city, she said through the interpreter.

She added she will continue her fight against the oppression fellow Afghans are facing from the Taliban.

“I feel very proud and privileged to be standing here,” said Haidari. “It’s been a long four months,” leaving friends behind, she said at times struggling not to break into tears.

“Before I came here I never had peace and I never lived in peace,” she said.

Haidari said being a member of the Hazara community she knows her family isn’t safe because of the conditions they’re living in.

“I don’t feel safe for them and when we came here we did a protest and I realized how Canadians are so welcoming and they were there to support us.

“I feel safe,” she added.

John Lafferty, director of LFS’ Immigrant Services department, said LFS is working with numerous community partners to assist the recent arrivals as they settle into new homes in a foreign land. Canada has committed to taking in 40,000 Afghans and so far 22,500 have reached the country.

The settlement process is a lengthy one and among the priorities right now are to find refugees permanent housing and get children into school.

They are being housed temporarily at a city hotel.

Lafferty said community support has been “absolutely fantastic,” and helps ease the demands on settlement professionals.

People can provide assistance through cash donations or gift cards to LFS which is also seeking landlords and property managers to contact the organization with available properties refugees can rent.

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