A New York mosque has become a refuge for Afghan teens who fled to the U.S. without their families
he mood at the first Afghan mosque in New York was bittersweet on a recent Friday afternoon. Eyes glistening, a group of children listened intently as Imam Mohammed Sherzad talked about hope for their new lives in the United States.
When the planes landed in Qatar, all evacuees were taken into U.S. government custody. Upon arrival in the States, they were referred to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, then transported to one of eight military installations across the country. That’s where many adults and families remain temporarily housed.
In the U.S., “unaccompanied minors” are usually from Central America, and enter at the border with Mexico, often in numbers that challenge the immigration apparatus. In the federal fiscal year 2021, a122,000 unaccompanied children arrived in the U.S., almost all of them from the Latin American countries that have been at the center of the immigration debate for decades.
A tree-lined courtyard leads to red-and-cream brick buildings, and the way to the prayer hall is framed by rows of shoes on wooden shelves. “Being here and being away from their families, when they came into a mosque where they speak the same language, they were extremely happy,” says Yusuf Nasim, their volunteer escort. “Then when the prayer was finished, Imam Sherzad came in, sat down with the kids and showed them such love and understanding. They felt relaxed and calm.
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