Name: Shukrullah Haidari

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, skilled welder

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

After the Taliban demanded Shukrullah to join them for Jihad, he fled to Indonesia by boat to save his life in 2014.

While living in the state of limbo, he is deprived of his basic human rights. His dream is to resettle in a country where he can work and live with freedom. Recognized as a UNHCR-certified refugee, he hopes to find a group of five Canadian friends who can help him start a new life in Canada.

His Story

Shukrullah was born in January 1993, in Maidan Wardak province in Afghanistan.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. The area Shukrullah was living in was under the control of the Taliban. Shukrullah was 21 years old when the Taliban demanded him to join them for Jihad (a struggle or fight against the enemies of Islam). On October 30, 2014, some armed members of the Taliban came to his home to take him for the Jihad. Shukrullah urged them to give him 2 days, and they accepted his request.

“I did not want to join them, and I knew I would be killed by the Taliban if I said “no” to them. So, I had no way but to escape to save my life.”

Escape to Safety

That night, Shukrullah escaped to his uncle’s home which was in another village. Two days later, his mother told him on the phone that his father had been taken by the Taliban. She told him to find a way to leave the country immediately. Shukrullah’s uncle took him to Kabul where he helped Shukrullah arrange for a people smuggler.

After Shukrullah’s travel documents were arranged by the people smuggler, he flew to New Delhi, India in November 2014. From there, he went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Indonesia by boat in December 2014.

Challenges As a Refugee

After arriving in Jakarta, Shukrullah and a number of his refugee fellows rented a home in Bogor and moved there. The next day in the morning, a number of immigration officers came to their home and arrested Shukrullah and his refugee fellows for not having legal documents to stay in the country. They were detained inside Bogor Immigration Centre for 5 days. Then, Shukrullah was transferred to another immigration centre in Jakarta where he was detained for 35 days. Later on, he and his refugee fellows were registered with the UNHCR.

“The place I was detained was for criminals. There were criminals from all over the world, and I used to cry due to being scared.”

In January 2015, Shukrullah was transferred to a detention centre in Tanjung Pinang. While being detained there, he kept himself busy learning the English language and exercising. After three years, in February 2018, he received his freedom and was transferred to a community house in Tanjung Pinang. Since then, he has been living there.

There is a Way!

As a refugee, Shukrullah cannot work, get a proper education, drive and even travel to another city. His dream is to become a welder in a country where he can live with freedom and contribute to society.

It is Possible! Since he 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 him – or if you’re just interested in helping to bring him here – please contact his friend Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can reach out to Shukrullah Haidari directly on Facebook – or through WhatsApp: +62 831-7699-6066.

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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