A window of hope
How a refugee family came to Canada during the pandemic
Two years ago, Shafiqul Islam bin Abdul Hussin applied for refugee sponsorship for his wife Arafa binti Mugul Ahammad and their three-year-old son Mohammad Nihal bin Shafiqul Islam. Little did they know that a global pandemic and the expectancy of their second child would influence the journey.
Abdul Hussin’s family fled to Malaysia from Myanmar (Burma) in 2014. They sought freedom and dignity after being treated poorly for their ethnicity and beliefs as Rohingya.
“There are no human rights for Rohingya people,” said Abdul Hussin.
“There are no human rights for Rohingya people,” said Abdul Hussin. “My family could not own land in Myanmar and couldn’t do any businesses or [get a] job. We couldn’t marry without permission.” Rohingya people aren’t recognized by the government as citizens, he added.
After six years in Malaysia, they obtained refugee status; however, their freedom was still limited. With a baby on the way, Abdul Hussin was very worried about how they would be treated in the hospital since they had little money and were stateless citizens.
Family ties
Five years ago, Jubilee Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, sponsored Abdul Hussin’s sister, Habibah Mohammad, her husband, Rafiq Mohammad and their daughter, Asma. The church sponsored their journey to Canada, with the help of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) through the government-supported Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program. The program refers refugee families with no prior connections in Canada to private sponsorship groups.
When the church helped the Mohammad family settle into their home, they learned about Mohammad's parents and her siblings, awaiting sponsorships back in Malaysia. They exchanged messaged through WhatsApp and the church settlement team, with MCC's help, decided to sponsor Mohammad’s parents, and her two brothers, Rofiqul Islam bin Abdul Hussin and Shafiqul Islam bin Abdul Hussin and his family.
Mohammad’s parents and Rofiqul Islam bin Abdul Hussin were able to immigrate to Winnipeg late in November 2019. Shafiqul Islam bin Abdul Hussin’s family was scheduled to arrive in early February around the same time that the coronavirus was beginning to spread across the globe.
Travelling in a pandemic
As Abdul Hussin’s family prepared to leave Malaysia and come to Canada, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic that triggered international travel restrictions. Borders closed and the family’s travel plans came to a halt.
Arafa, his wife, was already in the first trimester of her pregnancy and each passing day brought more questions about their travel and around the safe birth of their second child.
“We were very worried about [my wife’s pregnancy]. My parents were crying for us and they were very worried.”
“In Malaysia, we were hopeless in these types of situations, these complicated situations, we [could not] go to Canada because COVID-19 is going on,” said Abdul Hussin, reflecting on what it was like waiting for the green light to travel. “We were very worried about [my wife’s pregnancy]. My parents were crying for us and they were very worried.”
Four months passed and in late June restrictions began to lift. Refugees who had been issued a visa and were travelling from certain countries, including Malaysia, were able to travel once again.
Watching as restrictions around travel changed, Margaret Froese, head of Jubilee Mennonite Church’s settlement team saw "a window of hope.”
She contacted Brian Dyck, the national migration and resettlement program coordinator for MCC Canada, to express her concern about Arafa flying during the last stages of pregnancy.
Quick to action, Dyck informed the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who handles all the medical and travel arrangements for approved refugees, and Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) about the family’s situation.
“A doctor examined Arafa and determined she would still be allowed to fly but not for much longer,” said Dyck. Shortly after, the family received an email with their flight details and a strict quarantine plan was set in place for their arrival.
It took two years of waiting and an additional six months due to the pandemic, but Abdul Hussin’s family finally arrived in Canada last July—mere weeks before Arafa was due.
Unlike other sponsorship arrivals, there was no celebratory airport greeting to welcome them. Froese and her husband, Jack, showed the family to a taxi and followed them to Shafiqul’s sister’s apartment in Winnipeg where they would follow quarantine regulations for the next two weeks.
To their surprise, the next morning, the family was awakened by text messages and phone calls from Abdul Hussin’s parents who were standing on the sidewalk and waving through the window.
“We were very happy,” said Shamshidah Begum binti Mohd Shafik, his mother. “If we could hug you…but sadly that’s not possible,” she said.
Together at last
Finally, after 14 days of isolation, the families and sponsors were able to meet at last at a socially distanced backyard welcome party and baby shower, to celebrate the upcoming birth of their daughter. Affana binti Shafiqul Islam was born in early August.
“My dream was to educate my children and to enjoy the freedom like other people in the world,” said Abdul Hussin, who is very grateful his family and extended family can have these opportunities.
In their free time, the Abdul Hussin family practices English, focuses on daily prayers and enjoys each other’s company. The family is also in contact with Abdul Hussin’s younger brother, Mohd Tokim bin Abdul Hussin, who is currently living in Myanmar with his family. The settlement team hopes to sponsor him this spring.
“We would hear a story from MCC that would tug at our heart and we would say, we’ve got to help, we’ve got to do this,” said Froese.
Jubilee Mennonite Church has helped many refugee families come to Canada. “We would hear a story from MCC that would tug at our heart and we would say, we’ve got to help, we’ve got to do this,” said Froese.
After finding friendship with three generations of Abdul Hussin’s family, Froese had words of encouragement for churches who are interested in sponsoring refugees. “It takes careful, respectful and gentle communication. But it is extremely rewarding,” she said.
Hear more about the family's experience by tuning in to the January 2021 episode of Threads, MCC Manitoba's monthly radio show with Kyle Rudge.
Learn more about refugee sponsorship here: https://mcccanada.ca/learn/what/refugees/sponsorship.
*The header photo was taken last summer. The group practiced safe social distancing throughout the party. Abdul Hussin brought red T-shirts for everyone to wear at the party to commemorate the genocide of Rohingya people in Myanmar on June 3, 2012.