Woman who escaped the Taliban now helps other refugees

By Drew Gardner

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Khadija Shojae came to the United States for school nine years ago and ended up staying for political asylum. Now, she’s helping translate for other refugees settling in Louisville.

She was only supposed to be in the United States for one year of schooling, but that all changed after she and her family were threatened by the Taliban.

“They threatened my family and me, that I was against Islamic rule and I was supposed to not travel anywhere by myself,” Shojae said.

Shojae was forced to choose between going back and facing the Taliban or staying in the United States and not seeing her family.

“If I go, I will be killed,” Shojae said.

So she stayed. She got a work permit, worked several part-time jobs and eventually landed a permanent position at the University of Louisville.

“I tried every day to make better from whatever I get,” Shojae said.

Shojae is taking the citizenship test this year and hoped to return home for a visit once she received her passport. Those plans are now on hold indefinitely.

For the last week, Shojae has watched helplessly as the Taliban swiftly took control of the country. The images of people clinging to a U.S. Air Force plane desperate to escape were all too familiar.

“I felt their frustration. I felt how devastated they were. I felt how hopeless they were,” Shojae said.

Shojae’s family is still in Afghanistan. It’s now been a week since they last spoke.

“Last time I talked to them they said I’m glad you’re not here and we talked about how to survive if Taliban come and take over and not be on the battlefield,” Shojae said.

She’s hoping they are okay, but her concern also lies with the Afghan people who assisted the U.S. and allied forces over the last 20 years.

“Most of them they were guides to American soldiers. They went to every battlefield. They know how brutal Taliban would be and they know what Taliban will do with them,” Shojae said.

John Koehlinger is executive director at the Kentucky Refugee Ministries where Shojae now volunteers as an interpreter. He echoed her concern.

“These Afghan nationals who worked for the US are targeted and it’s a very serious lethal threat,” Koehlinger said.

The organization has placed around 140 Afghan refugees in Kentucky over the last five years and is expecting more as those fleeing reach America.

“It could be tens of thousands who are resettled nationally and perhaps some hundreds to Louisville or elsewhere in Kentucky,” Koehlinger said.

Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services also stand ready to welcome families from Afghanistan. Colin Triplett is the director of the organization where he has worked for the last 16 years.

“There are people that are coming that are in a massive amount of need. When you see those images on TV you can kind of feel that humanity,” Triplett said.

The organization relies heavily on volunteers and donations. He says an easy way to help out is by donating old furniture.

“Something you would maybe get as a hand me down when you move into your first apartment when you leave home. That’s kind of what our clients need, like a dining room table,” Triplett said.

As for Shojae, her focus remains on her family. She is hopeful they are okay, but hope is fading for the better future they had all dreamed for their country.

“It is again a matter of life and death,” Shojae said.

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