Name: Besmillah and his wife Shakira
Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.
Advantages: Educated, experienced teacher and driver, UN registered refugee.
Risk: At risk of being abducted or killed by the Taliban due to ethnicity, occupation, and accusations of transporting prohibited Christian materials.
Canadian Contact: Stephen Watt

Besmillah fled Afghanistan after being targeted by the Taliban for unknowingly transporting Bibles and alcohol for a customer. As a Hazara driver travelling through Taliban controlled areas, he faced extreme danger and had no choice but to escape with his wife, Shakira.

His Story

Besmillah was born in Suba village in Jaghori district, Ghazni province, Afghanistan, into a Shia Muslim family. He began school in 1988 and completed Grade 12 at Hedayat High School in Sangshanda in 2000. From 2001 to 2009, he worked in a bakery in Kandahar city, and from 2010 to 2015 he taught at Vahdat Se Qol in his home village of Suba.

In January 2016, he proposed to Shakira Qasemi in Jaghori district, and they married on 1 March 2016. Shakira completed Grade 12 in 2013 at Mazar Bibi High School and worked in housework and sewing from 2014 to 2018.

Life in Suba was dangerous. The region was surrounded by Taliban controlled areas, and Hazara families lived under constant threat. As a driver, Besmillah faced a high risk of being stopped, abducted, or killed at Taliban checkpoints.

“The highways of Afghanistan are famously dangerous for Hazaras. At any time, we may be stopped at a Taliban checkpoint.”

From 2016 to 2018, he worked as a driver on the Jaghori–Ghazni route, transporting passengers and delivering goods. By February 2018, he had a regular customer, a Christian convert, who often asked him to transport items. On one occasion, that customer gave him two Bibles, several bottles of alcohol, and other books and stationery. Besmillah did not know the Taliban had been informed.

The crisis

On Sunday, February 18, 2018, his car was stopped at a Taliban checkpoint. As a Hazara transporting prohibited items, he was in immediate danger. While the Taliban inspected his vehicle, a friend whose car had already been cleared signalled him to escape. Besmillah left his car—with all his documents inside—and fled in his friend’s vehicle. Gunshots followed, but they reached Jaghori safely.

The owner of the goods urged him to flee immediately. At 3:30 AM on February 19, 2018, Besmillah and Shakira escaped to Kabul through Nahur district and lived in hiding. Friends warned him that he had been accused of transporting Bibles and was wanted by both the Taliban and government intelligence.

With a friend’s help, he contacted a smuggler, who arranged passports and documents for 9,000 USD.

The Way to Indonesia

On March 1, 2018, Besmillah and Shakira flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India, where they stayed twelve days in Lajpat Nagar in a house controlled by smugglers. After a transit in Kuala Lumpur, they landed in Surabaya, Indonesia on March 14, 2018. That night, they flew with the smuggler from Surabaya to Jakarta.

From Jakarta, they were taken to Bogor and kept inside for about thirteen days. The smuggler then took more money and moved them to Manado, claiming resettlement would be faster. Immigration authorities refused to accept them, and they were returned to Jakarta the same day.

Frightened and without guidance, they asked police at the Jakarta airport for help reaching UNHCR. Instead, they were placed in immigration detention for seven months. They were interviewed and registered by UNHCR in October 2018.

A Life in Limbo

In October 2018, they were transferred to a refugee camp in Tanjung Pinang, where they faced shortages of water, food, and medical care, along with constant anxiety. Refugees living outside the camp sometimes helped them with food and money.

In February 2019, they were moved back to Jakarta with UNHCR support and given temporary accommodation by JRS, a Christian organisation providing financial and medical assistance. Two years later, they were transferred to CRS, another Christian organisation. This support ended in July 2024, though they continue to receive small assistance from the Jakarta church known as New Hope.

In September, 2024, they relocated to Tangerang, where they still live.

Their Hopes and Dreams

Besmillah and Shakira hope to live in safety, resume meaningful work, and rebuild their life with dignity. They dream of a future where they can live without fear, contribute to society, and have access to education, stability and peace.

The Last Word

As a UNHCR registered refugee, Besmillah and Shakira are eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program. They need a group of Canadian friends willing to help them begin a new life in safety.

To help support Besmillah and Shakria as a sponsor, please contact Stephen Watt.

Reach out and discover how wonderful it is to privately sponsor a good couple to start a new life – with your help – in Canada!

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