Refugees fleeing Afghanistan were welcomed to a meet-and-greet at the Utah Islamic Center mosque Monday night.
More than 100 people went out to show support to the refugees.
For security reasons, even those who are helping the refugees acclimate to their new life don’t know who the refugees are right away, which is why they invite them to gatherings like the one on Monday.
Yama Mustafawia, founder of the United Afghan-American Coalition, said he “just found out one girl, 24 years old, was working at the airport, and the Taliban take over. She was at work, so she hid in the military airplane and, finally, she made it by herself.”
The first step for new refugees is to pair up with a mentor family.
Mustafawia said he knows how that works, as he was once a refugee.
“I flee Afghanistan in 1997 because of the Taliban, and so some of our Afghans that already live here, they know what these people are going through,” Mustafawia said.
Starting a new life in a new country and learning a new language and entire culture is daunting, so much so that none of the recent refugees felt comfortable talking with 2News on Monday.
“It’s going to be shock and cultures, it’s going to be different understanding of the needs that they have,” Mustafawia said.
Donations filled the lower level of the mosque with items for the refugees.
Meanwhile, several top political leaders recognized the refugees have been through impossible circumstances fighting and escaping terrorism.
“As a community, as Utahns, we have to make them have a great memory, just like we have,” Mustafawia said.