Bradford's Dr Javed Bashir reflects on Refugee Week

Dr Javed Bashir, a safeguarding consultant at Strengthening Faith Institutions, was speaking after the national Refugee Week, which the T&A marked by featuring six profiles on people who came to Bradford after escaping war and persecution.

Those six people were Justin Ndagiro, Asumani Susho (both from Congo), Ismail Mohammed, Mohammed Amin (both Rohingya), Kafa Al-Mghrabi (from Syria) and Awesar Abid (from Kurdistan).

Dr Bashir, from Keighley, has played an active role in encouraging community cohesion in the district for over two decades.

This included him inviting 40 Bradfordians of different backgrounds for a free meal at a restaurant he ran on Manor Row - on the condition they sat down and spoke with one another - following the riots in 2001.

Dr Javed Bashir won a Muslim 100 Trailblazers award in 2018 in recognition of his work in the community (Image: n/a)

Looking back on Refugee Week, Dr Bashir is pleased with the effect it had.

“It celebrated the contributions of refugees and challenged negative stereotypes,” he said.

“It created a space where refugees can be seen and heard beyond their experience of displacement.

“As we have seen from last week’s T&A stories, refugees are not a burden, but are benefiting our society.

Justin Ndagiro, from Congo, was the first person featured in the T&A's coverage of Refugee Week

“Accepting and empowering refugees is a win-win for refugees and for our country.

“Even though Refugee Week is over, we must continue.”

Asumani Susho, of grassroots organisation Bradford African Community, also shared his story during Refugee Week

Dr Bashir added that the week was an opportunity to dispel some of the myths which surround the experiences of refugees.

“In the age of social media, where many receive information in snippets from unverified sources, we have seen fake news about refugees,” he said.

“Divisive propaganda and misinformation are thriving, and facts are denied.

“Refugees and other minority communities are often scapegoated and vilified to create mistrust and promote hatred, which threatens community cohesion.”

Ismail couldn't speak English when he arrived in Bradford - now he's studying to be a barrister

Mohammed Amin, who is Rohingya, is the founder of Bradford charity AROUK

Dr Bashir said it was positive to see how refugees are contributing to the local economy and the community.

The six stories the T&A covered included refugees who have since gone on to be university lecturers, aspiring barristers, charity directors and volunteers.

Awesar Abid, from Kurdistan, came to Bradford alone as a teenager, Now, he is a lecturer at the University of Bradford

“Don’t be worried about refugees taking jobs - most economists agree that having more foreigners in the labour force doesn’t hurt natives, as natives and foreigners typically have different sets of skills and compete for different types of jobs,” Dr Bashir said.

Kafa Al-Mghrabi, from Syria, has volunteered since arriving in Bradford

“In Bradford, a City of Sanctuary, let’s continue to treat refugees of all faiths and races respectfully.

“The T&A’s coverage of Refugee Week showed how refugees enrich our city.”