Fatime Emin
I am Fatime Emin, a mother of four, living in Istanbul since 2016. My husband was a businessman in East Turkestan, and that year, we decided to seek refuge in Turkey. My husband prepared our passports and said, ‘You go ahead with the children; I’ll take care of things and join you soon.’ But just a month after I arrived in Istanbul with my children, my husband was arrested by the Chinese police. Since then, I haven’t heard anything from him, and our family has been torn apart.
As I tried to rebuild our lives with my children in Istanbul, I faced financial challenges. Unsure of what to do, I decided to join the tailoring course at the Hira Education Center. After six months of training, I started working in a workshop. Now, I can cover my children’s educational expenses and pay our rent. I am grateful to the Hira Technology and Development Foundation and the teachers there for providing us with this educational opportunity.
Abdullah Abdurahman
My name is Abdulla Abdurahman. I am 42 years old, and I have been living in Istanbul for the past nine years. It has been nine long years since I left my homeland, carrying with me an unending sense of longing and nostalgia. Forced to abandon my birthplace, East Turkistan, due to the severe oppression and hardships we faced, I had no choice but to seek refuge in Turkey. My journey here was a challenging one; it took me ten months to arrive, traveling through difficult and secret routes. By the end, I had exhausted all my funds, and though I was relieved to finally set foot in Turkey, I arrived with nothing in my pocket.
At first, I had no idea what kind of work I could do. Without knowing the language, finding any job was impossible. Fortunately, a friend recommended that I enroll in Hira Education Center. Thanks to the kindness and dedication of the teachers there, I was able to learn Turkish in just four months—reading, writing, and speaking confidently. After gaining language skills, I found a job in a restaurant. Here, I also built a new life for myself; I got married and am now a father of two. Turkey has truly become my second homeland.
I am deeply grateful to this beautiful country for welcoming me, especially to the Hira Technology and Development Foundation. This foundation not only taught me the language but also helped me reconnect with my cultural and religious roots, allowing me to communicate with my brothers and sisters from my homeland. Now, I hope for my children to study here as well, to learn and connect with our mother tongue and heritage.
Mustafa Salman
Assalamu Alaikum, Friends,
I am Mustafa and I am 12 years old. Today, I want to share a little about myself. I am a child of East Turkistan, the land of Muslims in the east of the world and the homeland of Turks. However, I now live far from that sacred land, in Istanbul, with my mother.
My mother plays the role of both a mother and a father, working hard to raise me and my sibling. Istanbul has become my second home. I have many classmates here, and our neighbors are kind and supportive. Yet, there are times when my friends ask me questions that leave a deep sadness in my heart:
- “Where is your father?”
- “When will your father visit you?”
I don’t have answers to these questions. When I return home, I ask my mother the same questions. But to this day, I have received no answers. My mother remains silent, tears streaming down her face. I keep asking her, “Why can’t we return to our homeland?” But this question also goes unanswered.
Every morning, my mother and I sit by the window to watch the sunrise. She says that our homeland lies in the direction where the sun rises and that each new dawn feels like a message from our loved ones back home. This daily ritual fills our hearts with a sense of hope amidst our longing.
Together with my sibling, we drew a picture of our father and placed it on our window. Every morning, as the sunlight streams through, it illuminates his picture, reminding us of him and keeping our hope alive that he will one day return.
I am currently learning English in hira. because I dream of becoming a pilot in the future. I want to fly to that beautiful land where the sun rises, to see my homeland and find my father. My dream is to bring him here so that we can be together again. Then, I want to take my mother, my sibling, and my father on my plane and return to that sacred land, East Turkistan.
This dream is my greatest motivation and source of hope.
Please pray for us, so that one day, this dream will come true. 🌅
thank you
