Arifa Qayoum, Herve Mashindora and Sargon Hamad’s lives are all connected by a similar thread — their individual stories about coming to America.
Qayoum arrived in the states in 1982. Mashindora and Hamad both arrived in 2003. Somehow, their travels all led to the Palouse.
Community members gathered to meet with the panel of local refugees and listen to their stories about seeking refuge in the U.S. Thursday night.
The Moscow Human Rights Commission and the Latah County Human Rights Task Force hosted the event in the 1912 Center.
Nearly 70 people packed into the Fiske Room and listened to the three panelists’ stories unfold in a series of questions from Elizabeth Siler, the discussion moderator, and audience members.
Qayoum’s journey began in India, then led her to Pakistan and Virginia before she finally called Pullman home.
“Every place I went to was a struggle,” Qayoum said. “That was our life. Nobody wants to be a refugee, but that was the situation and you can’t control it.”
Qayoum’s thoughts resonated with Mashindora. The University of Idaho senior from the Democratic Republic of Congo said war seemed to follow his family.
Mashindora was eight years old when he was separated from his parents.
“I feel like I was born a refugee,” he said. “You don’t just wake up one day and become a refugee.”
Each of their stories recounted the various countries they traveled through until the process was complete.
Mashindora said the U.S. is one of the most difficult places to travel as a refugee, even without the current political climate.
Hamad, a UI political science and international studies major, said he feels like one of the lucky ones. He knows families who spent 15 or more years attempting to move to the U.S.
He said the process seemed to become increasingly difficult after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Siler asked the panelists if through all their difficulties had anything positive come from their distinct experiences.
Hamad said if there was a bright spot, it didn’t become evident until he realized how much his parents kept him and his siblings away from the harmful environment in Iraq.
“My parents hid a lot from us, and for damn good reasons,” Hamad said.
But, he said it helps that he can talk to people from many cultures, especially when they have gone through similar experiences.
Mashindora said when he and his family moved to the Boise area, he felt a sense of community ready to help with the transition.
“When you go to an unfamiliar place where you don’t know anybody, you don’t know the language, it’s like driving a car blind,” Mashindora said.
Qayoum said it can feel lonely when refugees begin their lives in a new place.
“In the community, you could be the only one,” Qayoum said.
She said she found a welcoming community and a touch of home when the Pullman Islamic Center Mosque opened in 1982.
“I was like I’m in heaven right now,” she said.
With a new community comes a new culture, and Hamad said it proved difficult to engage in the new language and culture of young Americans.
“The first time my friend told us what ‘dude’ meant — I did not believe him,” he said.
Mashindora said his culture may have changed over time, but his origins are not lost.
Siles asked the panelists what they would communicate to the current president if he was involved in the discussion.
Qayoum said the political climate has separated people in America.
“I would tell (the president) to grow up and have love and care for other humans,” she said. “We are all humans.”
Mashindora said he doesn’t understand President Trump’s stance on immigration, considering America was founded on immigration. The American dream, Mashindora said, is built on everybody, no matter their status, being welcome in the states.
Complex and multifaceted issues like the immigration process for refugees, Hamad said, are dangerous to boil down and simplify for political talking points.
“If you talk to people who study refugee migration or anything about the process, they will tell you how difficult it is,” Hamad said. “If he just learned or listened to experts on it, he would hopefully learn his approaches are wrong to so many people that need it.”
Hailey Stewart can be reached at [email protected]