Name: Qayum Sultani

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, experienced farmer, volunteer interpreter and teacher.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Qayum fled Afghanistan after being kidnapped by the Taliban, and by an act of grace, he managed to flee to Indonesia by boat in 2014.

He was only 18 years old when he arrived in Indonesia where he has been deprived of his basic human rights, and now, he is almost 26. He hopes now to find a group of five Canadian friends who can help him start his life again.

Early Life

Qayum Sultani was born on May 5, 1996 in Jaghori district in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. He was living a happy life with his family in his village. They had a small farm with small number of livestock. His father had a car on which he used to drive passengers to other cities and villages to earn money for his family.

While going to school, Qayum used to help his mother and sibling in farming. They planted wheat, potatoes, onions and many other vegetables. Qayum wanted to become a doctor so that he could save the lives of his people in the village and the surrounding areas.

“Nearly every child wanted to become a doctor because our village was too far from the city, so too many men, women and children were dying of treatable illnesses.”

Running from Persecution

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. The systemic discrimination has been a feature in Afghanistan throughout history, and the ongoing genocide remains a cruel and shocking fact of life in Afghanistan.

Qayum’s elder brother had joined Afghan National Army who had been fighting the Taliban and other terrorist groups for a long time. Since his Qayum’s elder brother knew the importance of learning English, he asked Qayum to come to Ghazni and learn the English language.

“I always wanted to learn English since my childhood.”

In October 2014, Qayum took his documents and went to the marketplace of Ghojur and then he hopped in a car to go to Ghazni with five other passengers (2 teenagers and 3 adults). When they arrived in Qarabagh district, which was being controlled and ruled by the Taliban and other religious radicals, the Taliban appeared on the road and stopped their car.

“It was the first time I’d seen the Taliban in person. I had heard about their shocking cruelty from my father, brother and others in my village.”

The Taliban’s members had long hair, long beard and wore turbans. Each one carried a gun over their shoulder. They were positioned on the road beside a small car and three motorcycles. After searching everyone, they found out the documents of Qayum including his brother’s Identity Card which his brother had asked him to bring. Qayum had his brother’s photo in his wallet where his brother had worn his military uniform.

“Are you in the military? Where is your brother?” Members of the Taliban asked Qayum aggressively.

“I was so afraid of what would happen next and it was so hard to speak.”

The Taliban took Qayum and the other passengers to a vacant house far away from the highway. Qayum was very worried and terrified that the Taliban had found and kept their identity cards. The three adult passengers were very kind and they decided to help Qayum and the two other teenagers escape from there. IT was Maghrib praying time and members of the Taliban went to offer their prayers. Qayum and the two teenagers were helped by those adults to get out of the house through a very small window.

It was dark. They kept walking through jungles and farms following a light in the distance. When they reached the light, it was a telephone antenna base. When they knocked on the door of the dwelling, an old man came out who sheltered them until morning and then took them to a car and asked the driver to drive them to Ghazni City.

“The old man was Pashtun and he was very kind.”

Forced Journey

After arriving in Ghazni, Qayum remembered his brother’s phone number, so he contacted his brother through a stranger’s phone and told him what had happened. Within two hours, his brother came and took him to Kabul.

“My brother said to me “Your life is in grave danger now, Qayum. The Taliban have our most important documents. You must leave Afghanistan. You are not safe here, so I will arrange your departure.”

Qayum stayed hidden in a house for a week. His brother dyed his yellowish hair black and then took him to a photo studio to take a photo for his passport. On October 16, 2014, he flew to New Delhi, India where he stayed for 2 days. On October 18, he went to Malaysia by plane and stayed there for 9 days.

On the tenth day, the smugglers told them to get ready for the coming night, because they would be heading to Indonesia by boat.

“Someone said to me, “You’re such a little boy! It’s too dangerous for you to be at sea! You must be very careful. You might drown when we walk through the water to reach the boat.””

Qayum felt extremely anxious and terrified about the boat journey ahead. He was trembling with fear the whole time when he was traveling on the dangerous boat.

They arrived in Pekanbaru, Indonesia on October 27, 2014.

Detention Centre

He was then dropped near Pekanbaru Immigration Centre. He had nowhere to go or stay. So, he walked towards the immigration centre trying to get inside, but a police officer on patrol shouted angrily, “Tidah boleh!” That means “not allowed”.

“I didn’t know any Bahasa language then. But I did understand by his angry tone of voice and his aggressive hand gestures that I wasn’t allowed to enter the immigration grounds.”

Qayum spent the whole night in the side street all alone. The next day, the immigration officials let him in and he spent nine despairing days and nights sleeping on the ground inside the immigration centre.

On the tenth day, he was transferred to a detention centre where he and 70 other refugees were put in the prison.

“It was so cruel. The prison had capacity of 20 to 30 people only.”

Finding Strength

The detention centre was overcrowded and badly ventilated, and refugees faced many challenges, like lack of food, water, and proper medical care. After a month, Qayum was transferred to a shelter where he remained for some months and then he was transferred back to the detention centre in April 2016.

“This was the place where I was horribly humiliated as a refugee and my dreams were being killed. I had fled for my life but I was being treated like criminals in the detention centre.”

While living in such a difficult situation, Qayum decided to strengthen himself by learning English skills. He then started teaching other refugees with the help of some English vocabulary and grammar books, and a dictionary. Also, he kept exercising regularly in order to combat his emotional distress. As he says:

“I do believe our destiny depends on how we react to whatever comes into our life.”

Refugees there were so exhausted and depressed. They went on a hunger strike for their freedom. Many refugees, including Qayum were hospitalized, and finally, they received their freedom and was transferred to a community house on December 14, 2017.

Life Outside

With the meagre allowance given by the IOM, Qayum tried to save some money by not eating fruit or going out anywhere. Then he bought a better phone for himself to improve his English skills and connect with his family in Afghanistan.

In 2018, he was invited to a public event where people from different nations were present to learn about different cultures. A couple of days later, Qayum was investigated and treated like he was criminal. The immigration officials warned him not to attend any public places or events just because he was a refugee.

“They shouted at me and made me sign a letter that said I wouldn’t attend public places or travel outside the city.”

Not only this, Qayum and other refugees face curfew every day. They cannot be outside at night and their visitors are also restricted to enter the community house. On the other hand, as a refugee, Qayum cannot work, get proper education, drive and even open a bank account. He spends most of his time learning English and attending classes held by the IOM. He has successfully received many certificates. After learning the Indonesia language from his local friends, he is helping his refugee fellows as a translator at the hospital. He also teaches English to the refugee children and adults in the community house.

His Dreams

Qayum’s goal for the future is to be a writer and a public speaker. He wants to write about his life in Indonesia as a refugee. His dream is to resettle in a peaceful country where he can reunite with his family one day.

“Once I resettle, I will choose a lovely place to live in the countryside, so I can plant trees. I want to plant 100 trees every year with my own hands for as long as I am alive. Because I truly love nature.”

Qayum used to go to gym, and play futsal but he developed back pain due to strenuous exercise in 2019. Since then, he has been walking in the evenings. The specialist suggested surgery many times. After experiencing terrible back pain, he finally agreed to the surgery but he now has to wait for his turn which might come in two years.

Family in Danger

Qayum’s elder brother who helped him flee Afghanistan was badly killed by the Taliban this year.

On the other hand, last year, When the Taliban attacked Ghazni City, they over took Qayum’s house and used it for their base. Luckily, his family escaped when they saw Taliban approaching. While vacating the house, the Taliban took the precious photographs and documents of Qayum’s family and broke everything in the house.

Qayum has been very worried for his family. He emailed the UNHCR many times and told them about his family’s situation, but the UNHCR never replied.

“My family members live in terror in Afghanistan. I am heartbroken and despairing every day that I cannot help them.”

As UNHCR a refugee, Qayum Sultani is eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program. He needs a group of five Canadian friends to support him.

To help support him as a sponsor, please contact Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can also reach out to Qayum directly on Facebook.

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

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