They fled Afghanistan for their lives. Now, two refugee brothers, 13 children, have a home, new hope in Tulsa
Asked about the likely fate that would’ve awaited him had he stayed, Wakil Qazizada put it this way:
He held his index finger to his throat and made a cutting motion.
With his limited English, the gesture spoke louder than any words he might’ve summoned. And the point couldn’t have been more clear.
For Qazizada — as well as for his brother Wali Khan — there was no choice. It was leave Afghanistan or die.
Today, eight months since making that choice, the future for both brothers is looking much brighter.
They recently started new lives in Tulsa with their families. Their days of fear and uncertainty seem to be behind them.
Qazizada, Khan and their families are among more than 850 Afghan refugees who’ve arrived in Tulsa since last September and now call eastern Oklahoma home. Tulsa’s allotment of refugees, all officially now here, are among the more than 1,800 allotted to the state — among the tens of thousands who were evacuated from Afghanistan with the U.S. withdrawal.
The brothers’ families are being resettled through Congregation B’nai Emunah, which has been approved as a resettlement agency, working in conjunction with Catholic Charities.
The brothers, who spoke with the Tulsa World recently through an interpreter, were among the last to be evacuated from Kabul airport in August.
“We were nervous,” Qazizada said of all the unknowns that accompanied their arrival in the U.S.
But after weeks on an American military base, their reception in Tulsa has helped ease most of their fears.
“We are so thankful,” said Qazizada, who has found his new community to be warm and inviting, from the airport welcome to the temporary meals and hotel stay to the support in finding a more permanent home.
The best thing about Tulsa so far, though, has been what the brothers have not encountered here: war.
The pair, natives of a village in eastern Afghanistan, have been directly affected by warfare for years. In fact, two of their brothers who were in the Afghan army were both killed in the fighting.
Qazizada and Khan both worked in various roles for the U.S. military.
It’s because of those ties that they feared for their lives after the Americans pulled out.
‘You really feel for them’
The Qazizada and Khan families arrived in Tulsa two months apart.
Since the Khans touched down four weeks ago, it’s been a time of joyful reunion.
While awaiting permanent housing of their own, Khan and his family moved in with the Qazizadas, who arrived in December and are now in a three-bedroom rental home.
It’s made for quite the full house.
Qazizada and his wife, Jannara, have six children, while Khan and his wife, Naveda, boast seven.
The children range in age from 1 to 16, and those who are school age are attending Tulsa Public Schools.
Meanwhile, the brothers are putting themselves in position to support their families.
Qazizada recently started work with AAON, which employs several Afghan refugees at its Tulsa manufacturing facility.
Khan is still awaiting some final documentation before he can seek a job.
Amber Knecht, director of refugee resettlement for the synagogue, which is resettling a total of 59 refugees, said both families are making good progress with the transition, and that’s no small thing.
She was more worried for the Qazizadas and Khans, she said, than for most of the others.
“Our other families who came were speaking Dari or came from Kabul (the capital),” Knecht said. “The brothers come from a really remote area and speak an uncommon language (Pashayi). So I thought they were going to struggle with the transition.”
But, she added, “it’s been the complete opposite.”
“They have this amazing drive,” Knecht said. “They want to figure things out and do well. I think living in difficult situations has helped them become resourceful.”
As their adjustment to America continues, the families are thankful for the Tulsans who are helping them.
That includes Mike and Jennifer Kneafsey, who own the Qazizadas’ house.
“They have nothing to offer, and yet their generosity is just amazing,” said Mike Kneafsey. He and his wife have formed a bond with the families despite the language barrier.
“And instead of expecting things, they want to pitch in; they want to help,” he said.
Kneafsey said he became the Qazizadas’ landlord after Rabbi Daniel Kaiman from B’nai Emunah, a former neighbor, reached out about possible vacancies in his rental properties.
One had just come open, so Kneafsey agreed to take on the family, whose refugee aid includes rental assistance.
“They have been just amazing,” Kneafsey said. “You really feel for them and their situation.”
About their own housing situation, the Khan family received good news last week.
A permanent place had been identified, meaning they would be able to move out of the Qazizadas’ house.
Khan, who like his brother is affable and upbeat, reacted to the news cheerfully.
“I was happy here at my brother’s,” he said. “And for sure, I’ll be happy there.”
‘Double the pressure’
Any happiness the brothers experience in Tulsa, however, is tempered by sobering thoughts.
They have family members still in Afghanistan, and they worry about them, especially their parents.
Economic hardships following the Taliban takeover are causing widespread suffering. The brothers hope to be in a position soon to send money to their parents.
Knecht, who has worked in refugee resettlement for 15 years, said the Afghan situation is unique in her experience.
“Refugees come with all kinds of trauma stories. With the Afghans, it seems to be double the pressure,” she said.
Not only are the Afghans challenged with adjusting to their new world, but they are “hearing from their families who need food and are starving,” Knecht said.
“I’ve never had an entire group (of refugees) needing to send money back home,” she said.
While loved ones in Afghanistan are never far from their minds, the brothers still are glad for their families in Tulsa.
The possibilities for their children are especially exciting.
Qazizada said one of his daughters has already decided she wants to be a police officer.
“We’re happy that they pursue education,” he said. “It will give them the choice whatever they want to do. It’s their choice.”
When he hears statements like that one, Kaiman, who led the effort for the synagogue to become a refugee agency, can’t help but smile.
He said stories like that of the brothers remind him of his own family, which included a grandfather who was a Holocaust survivor, and his mother, a Cuban refugee.
It’s because of their bravery and sacrifice, he said, that he’s able to be who he is today.
And that makes him excited about what lies ahead for the Qazizada and Khan children.
“I think a lot about what I hope their kids and grandkids will be doing with their opportunities,” Kaiman said.