Unwelcome

My name is Sadiq Bahrooz. I am 25 years old. I am not welcome here.

sadiq-exodus — Photo of Sadiq from the BBC *Exodus* documentary

When I was 20 years old I began working with foreigners in my home country of Afghanistan, first as an electrician for a German foreign aid project, and then in the American Embassy as a translator and an electrician.

When I was 23 years old I received my first death threat from the Taliban, who targeted me for my involvement with foreigners. Over the course of the next month and a half, I received two more direct threats on my life.

At the age of 24 I fled Afghanistan and the Taliban threat. For 45 days I journeyed through 11 countries, enduring the terrible horrors of sea and land crossings which many refugees faced and which have become all-too-familiar to all of you.

At the age of 24 I arrived in Finland. That was last year, in the fall of 2015. Since then I have been hoping to gain asylum here.

Eager to start my life in Finland I began to learn the language; volunteered with various organizations; and learned coding skills so that I can have job prospects in the high-tech future. I even started laying the foundation for a business I hoped to start here, which would help integrate fellow refugees and asylum seekers into the local economy.

This week, my second and final application for asylum was denied by the Finnish government. That decision means that the respite and security which I enjoyed for the past sixteen months is in jeopardy.

My legal counsel, ironically provided by the same government which now seeks to eject me, has filed an appeal with the Finnish Supreme Court. Of the appeals for asylum which reach this court, only 1 in 1,000 are granted.

Will they grant mine?

My name is Sadiq Bahrooz. I am 25 years old. I am not welcome here.

This is my friend Sadiq’s story, written in my words. If you would like to learn more about Sadiq’s journey, watch the BBC Documentary Exodus, clips of which are available online and which has also been shown in a dozen countries worldwide.