Atiq left Afghanistan just before the Taliban took over the capital city, Kabul. He went to Turkey, where he now lives in a basement without any papers and works in a bakery. Every day, he risks being deported.
“I feel like I’m in jail because I’m afraid to leave my one-room apartment after work. I’m only keeping track of the days until I can go to Canada. I’m getting depressed, “With the help of a translator, he said.
To keep Atiq safe, CBC agreed to only use his first name. He said that he would be caught and sent back to Afghanistan if he tried to get refugee status in Turkey.
“A few months ago, the Turkish police took some of my friends and sent them to Iran. From there, they were sent to Pakistan, where the Taliban got them. They never made it back to their families.”
Nowruz, the Persian new year, is on Monday. The popular festival is celebrated all over Iran and Central Asia. It is usually a public holiday, and families get together to make special dishes and welcome spring.
The Taliban, on the other hand, cancelled the public holiday because they said it had nothing to do with Islam.
CBC talked to people who just moved to Canada and Afghans who want to come to Canada before the next Nowruz.
As Canada approaches itsGoal of giving homes to 40,000 Afghan refugeesMany people want to keep the program going past the end of the year.
Atiq and his family were known for fighting for the rights of people and women. Atiq’s uncle, Amanullah Arian, said that the Taliban have been asking Atiq’s father about where he and his sister are.
Arian said, “The Taliban have put Atiq’s father in jail a few times to beat him up.”
Atiq’s sister got married and is now hiding in an Afghan village because the Taliban were going to kill her.
“The last time I talked to Atiq’s sister, she was very worried about her safety. She speaks English, which the Taliban think is a bad language. Now, none of her dreams are coming true, “Mariam Arian, Atiq’s aunt, said.
Hope for a Nowruz when family was back togethe
Since 2021, Atiq’s uncle, aunt, and three other sponsors have been trying to get the 29-year-old to Brampton, Ontario, where he can be safe. On June 23, 2022, they sent a form to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
“We hope that this Nowruz will be the last one we spend without Atiq. On Nowruz, no one should be alone “Mariam said.
“We were foolish to think that he would join us in less than a year.”
The family says that IRCC finally replied in February, but it was only to say that the application would be turned down.
“Because Aman and Mariam share the same email address as sponsors. The married couple shares an email address just like they share a home address “Andrew Koltun, the couple’s immigration lawyer, said that it was a made-up rule that didn’t make sense.
Amanullah made another email address, but Koltun said that getting Atiq to Canada could take up to five years.
Atiq said he wants to study law again in Canada and start over with his life.
Koltun said that applications are not handled by “first come, first served,” which can make the wait seem like it will never end. He said that when the invasion of Ukraine began, a lot of resources were taken away from Afghans and given to people who were coming from Ukraine.
IRCC says that there are 28,825 Afghan refugees who havearrived since August 2021. In the past year, however, Canada has approved 603,681 of the 922,386 applications from Ukrainian citizens that it received underIts special program for letting people in. At least 184,908 people from Ukraine have already arrived, and more are on the way.
Koltun said, “It’s very frustrating to see that sponsorships are the only way for Afghans to come to Canada, while the government moves heaven and earth to make special immigration programs for Ukrainians.”
No one knows if Canada could take in more than 40,000 Afghan refugees.
In an email statement, IRCC said, “Unfortunately, a crisis of this size means that there will always be more people who want to move to Canada than we can take in.”
‘Taliban shattered my dreams
Najibulla Sorosh, an Afghan refugee who moved to Saskatchewan in 2021, said that the government should raise the goals at least to save women and girls who are in danger. He said that the situation in Afghanistan is just as bad as it is in Ukraine.
Sorosh helped start two well-known high schools in Afghanistan, where half of the 5,000 students were girls. Even though some of his female students left, close to 2,500 of them are still in Afghanistan.
“In Afghanistan, things are very bad, especially for women and girls. They can’t work, get an education, or go to school “he said. “They don’t ever leave their house.”
Sorosh said that his students often send him messages or call him, begging him to get them out of there, but he can’t do anything. He said that in Afghanistan, school terms used to start on the third day of Nowruz.
“This year, girls will again stay home while boys go to school. The girls used to celebrate and be happy every New Year’s, but now it’s a sad time for them “Sorosh told us.
“I feel bad that I’m in a safe place with a job and a future, but my students and teachers are stuck there.”
CBC talked to Roya Wahidy, Saliha Wakili, and Shakila Jafari, three of his students. They are in Kabul, but they want to go to Saskatchewan to keep going to school.
Shakila Jafari, who wanted to finish Grade 12, said, “Before the Taliban came and made all the terrible changes, I had a lot of hopes, goals, and dreams.” No one in the 21st century would have expected the Taliban to make such terrible changes.
Jafari said that she was very smart and working hard to improve her skills, especially her English, so that she could get scholarships to go to college abroad.
“We can’t even leave the country, let alone our homes. I have nothing to do “she told me. “The fact that the Taliban no longer give us passports is the biggest problem. I’ll keep studying at home for the time being.”
She wants universities in Canada to offer free online classes.
Roy Wahidy has a passport, but she still can’t travel without a male family member with her.
Wahidy wanted to be a psychologist, so she asked the people in charge of her school if she could study as a boy.
“I feel like I’ve lost it all. This is a problem for a lot of girls here, not just me. My hopes were crushed by the Taliban, “Wahidy, who was helping other girls learn English and how to use computers, said.
She is still getting ready for the TOEFL test so she can apply to universities in Canada.
The Taliban shut down the last week.women’s library in Kabul—The only place left in the city where you can find educational resources.
Saliha Wakili, who just finished high school, was looking forward to her first year of college because she wanted to become a doctor.
“Now I can’t go to any school, so I have to give up on my dreams and goals. No one wants to stay in this country, so I’m still trying to learn.”
Ellah Elham, who is Sorosh’s niece, knows the three girls well and wants to make sure they are safe in Canada.
Elham, who is 15 years old, is in the 10th grade in Prince Albert. She is learning English and trying to put her life back together. She said it hurts her to know that her friends are suffering because they don’t have basic human rights. She told her that one of her best friends, who is only 19 years old, is getting married to a man in Australia so she can get away.
“I feel bad that I can’t help my friends there while I’m free and safe here,” she said.
Elham said that Jafari, a girl she used to go to school with, was “one of the smartest girls” she had ever met. She wants the government of Canada to let the girls come.
“There are so many girls like Shakila who deserve a new year but don’t get one. They aren’t going to Navroz.”