Mohammed’s mother and father died when he was a small boy in Myanmar, also known as Burma. He and his younger brother were left to be raised by their aunt, who already had four children of her own to care for.
The village Mohammed grew up in was primarily a fishing village, so he learned from the time he could walk how to be in the water, handle a net and catch fish. The Rohingya in his area had no access to education unless they could afford the tuition fees in the next town over – Mohammed’s family could not, so he contributed to the family by working as a fisherman.
The Rohingya are regularly persecuted by the other inhabitants of Myanmar; the majority of the country is Buddhist, and the Rohingya are Muslim. They are often driven out of their homes, and it is not uncommon for them to be killed en masse when a conflict happens. Raids happened sometimes in Mohammed’s village, and he wanted badly to be able to provide a better life for his family. The family decided after a particularly bad raid to send him on a boat to Thailand in hopes of finding more opportunity.
Mohammed, as a 9-year-old boy, went on a boat with hundreds of other Rohingya people and spent 27 days at sea. They ran out of food quickly, and those who complained were beaten. Many people on board perished at sea, but Mohammed survived the journey. Once in Thailand, he was held in a detention center with other men, rarely allowed to go outside and with no access to medical care or education.
There, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees registered Mohammed as a refugee, and after two years of going through the vetting process, Mohammed finally was allowed to resettle to Salt Lake City.
Since arriving here three years ago, Mohammed has gone from not being able to read and write in any language to being on grade level as a ninth-grader; he went from speaking no English upon arrival to being fluent; and he’s learned to once again be a part of a family through his placement in a foster home. Mohammed loves math and plans to be an engineer. He sends any money he is able to make through odd jobs (because he is only 15) to his family back home and dreams of being able to reunite with his younger brother. He worries every day for the safety and well-being of his family and misses the waters that he grew up in. He is a loving son and brother in his foster home and a joy to everyone he meets. He still practices his faith and goes to the mosque whenever his school schedule allows – he has learned to hold on to his culture while embracing American culture, as well. Mohammed is a beautiful example of the resilience and goodness that exists in the midst of persecution and pain.
This is the first in a series of profiles of refugees and migrants who are helped through Catholic Community Services of Utah as part of Pope Francis’ Migration Campaign. Courtesy of CCS.
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