Four UK Afghan Sikh men and one Belgian Afghan Sikh couple
Pritpal Singh writes from Brussels regarding an
Afghan Hindu, Muslim, Sikh demonstration in Brussel, Belgium
On 8th March, 2013 the Afghan community in Belgium staged a protest outside
Gaucheretstraat 92 -- 94 in Schaarbeek (near Brussel Noord station), the
offices of the 'Raad voor Vreemdelingenbetwistingen' (Council for
contested decisions regarding 'Foreigners') on International Women's Rights Day.
The
Belgian authorities, for reasons that are difficult to understand, keep
refusing refugee status to Afghans who have not exactly followed the
straight path to Belgium.
If
you only look at the legal aspect you can understand why some Afghans
do not get permanent residence in Belgium, but as soon as you look at
the situation in Afghanistan it should be clear that all members of
ethnic and/or religious minorities like Hazara Shias, Hindus en Sikhs
should be given refugee status.
The
security situation in Afghanistan is now so bad and getting worse, even
in Kabul, that nobody should be sent back to that country.
And we have
not even discussed the position of women of all backgrounds.
There
was a good turnout of both Afghans and their supporters in Schaarbeek,
the press was there, some UK Afghan Sikhs had come over.
Schaarbeek, 8 March 2013. The Afghan community in Belgium staged a protest outside Gaucheretstraat 92 – 94 in Schaarbeek (near Brussel Noord station), the offices of the ‘Raad voor Vreemdelingenbetwistingen’ (council for contested decisions regarding ‘foreigners’).
The Belgian authorities, for reasons that are difficult to understand, keep refusing refugee status to Afghans who have not exactly followed the straight path to Belgium.
If you only look at the legal aspect you can understand why some Afghans do not get permanent residence in Belgium, but as soon as you look at the situation in Afghanistan it should be clear that all members of ethnic and/or religious minorities like Hazara Shias, Hindus en Sikhs should be given refugee status.
The security situation in Afghanistan is now so bad and getting worse, even in Kabul, that nobody should be sent back to that country. And we have not even discussed the position of women of all backgrounds.
There was a good turnout of both Afghans and their supporters in Schaarbeek, the press was there, some UK Afghan Sikhs had come over and the ‘man in blue’ was there too.
Harjinder Singh
Afghan Hindus, Musulman and Sikhs refugees demanded asylum in Belgium
Brussels Protest by Afghans
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