Name: Ezatullah Masiha

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, two bachelor’s degrees, excellent English skills, educated, volunteer teaching experience, translator

Risk: At risk of being caught and killed by the Taliban if returned home.

Ezatullah Masiha was on his way to Ghazni, a province in Afghanistan, when he was abducted by members of the Taliban. With the help of an unknown Pashtun woman, he succeeded in escaping and getting to Kabul, then fleeing to Indonesia by boat.

In Indonesia, he was detained for three years in a detention centre. Although he faced many difficulties in the detention centre, he continued volunteering as a teacher and interpreter for refugees. He hopes to find five Canadian friends who can help him start his life again.

Childhood

Ezatullah Masiha was born on December 15, 1988, in Tamaki, a village in the Qarabagh district of the Ghazni province in Afghanistan. His father, Jumah Khan, had a lumber business and would transport lumber in his truck from his village to Kandahar, another province in Afghanistan.

When Ezatullah was only 10 years old, in 1998, members of the Taliban apprehended his father in Kandahar; however, his father managed to escape and went to Iran.

“My father always encouraged me and told me to study and help others. I always missed him, but I was happy that he was alive.”

Educational journey

From 2008 to 2012, Ezatullah acquired two bachelor's degrees: one in social science, and one in political science and international relations, from Kabul University and Khatam Al Nabiyeen University respectively. In 2012 and 2013, he studied English with an organization called the International Assistance Mission.

Abduction

In 2014, Ezatullah worked for the presidential election campaign in his hometown, Tamaki. He was also running an oil and gas business. One day, on August 23, 2014, he was on his way to Ghazni, transporting oil and gas, when he and three other Hazara people were intercepted on the way by some members of the Taliban. With their eyes covered and their hands tied behind their backs, the Taliban members drove them to an unknown location. They accused Ezatullah of many things, like changing his last name into Masiha (meaning “follower of Christ”), converting to Christianity, working for the government and having contact with his foreigner English teachers.

“I tried to say something in my defence, but they kept beating me with guns and badly injured me.”

After two days being held in the house without food, a Pashtun woman came to the house at midnight and freed Ezatullah and told him to run. He kept running and walking until morning, when he arrived in a small village where a relative of his lived. With the help of his relative, he reached Kabul on August 25.

Journey to Indonesia

Ezatullah immediately contacted his father from Kabul and told him what had happened. His father hired a people smuggler, to get Ezatullah to Indonesia.

On August 28, 2014, Ezatullah flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India, where he stayed for two days. Then he flew to Malaysia on August 31 and stayed there for three days. Finally, on September 5, 2014, he arrived in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, by boat.

Life in Indonesia

While Ezatullah was trying to get to Jakarta from Pekanbaru, the airport police caught him without documents. After questioning him for an hour, they transported him back to Pekanbaru.

Because he was not familiar with the Indonesian language, he had a hard time finding the immigration office, and when he did, he spent two weeks sleeping on the ground in front of the office, waiting for someone to help him. Finally, he was transferred to a boarding house, where he stayed for three months, helping other refugees by interpreting for them and teaching them English. Then, he was transferred to a detention centre on January 16, 2015.

Life in a detention centre

Life in the detention centre was difficult, with lack of food, water and proper health care, and the refugees were compelled to go on a number of hunger-strikes to try to advocate for better conditions. Despite such difficulties, Ezatullah kept sharing his knowledge with other refugees and teaching them English. He was an inspiration for all other refugees living there.

His hopes

After three years, on December 10, 2017, Ezatullah was transferred to a community house, where he has been living since then. He spends his time attending online classes and improving his English and computer skills.

“My father passed away in 2019. He always wanted me to live in a peaceful country and have the right to continue my studies. I hope someday I fulfill his dream.”

It can happen

Making Ezatullah’s dream a reality is possible. Since Ezatullah is officially certified as a refugee by the UNHCR – unlike the vast majority of the world’s refugees – he qualifies for Canada’s private sponsorship program.

If you would like to sponsor Ezatullah – or if you’re just interested in helping to bring him here to Canada – please contact his friend Stephen Watt.

You can also reach out to Ezatullah directly on Facebook or by email.

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