Fleeing Persecution

The other day I found myself at a meeting of a student group that helps refugees practice their English. My friend and I sat down across from a young Kurdish man from Syria and, in between broken conversation about university, football and the weather, his story emerged. It went something like this:

He was half way through his engineering degree at university when he joined an illegal Kurdish party. The party argued that Kurds should have the right to speak their own language, learn it in school, and also some basic political representation. The current Syrian regime consequently banned the party and imprisoned many of its leaders. The young man and his friends continued to meet in secret and circulate Kurdish literature. One day he got news that one of his friends was arrested. The next day he was in class when another friend called him to warn him the police were at his house and had found the illegal party pamphlets and Kurdish books. He never went home again. Instead he fled to the UK, where he has submitted an asylum plea and is waiting to hear the results.

I sat across from him and tried to imagine what he had been through. He was younger than me but had made the decision to fight for his cultural and political rights at great risk. He had fled his home and may never be able to see his family again. In the UK, if he is granted asylum, he will have to start over again from scratch.

Bradford is overflowing with such stories. A number of organizations are trying to meet the needs of such refugees and asylum seekers. I’m currently working at one - Abigail Housing. Check out is blog for more info.

Check it out!

I've been a lazy blogger lately, but I have an excuse. I was 'refurbishing' the Emmanuel Center website. So, while I wait to find something thrilling to write about, please check out the new site and let me know what you think (especially if you notice any typos, since I'm sure there are more than one or two). Here's the link http://www.emmanuelcenter.com/