By Mimi Pollack
LA MESA, California — Can one be an observant Muslim and a feminist at the same time? In the case of Afghan journalist Sayed Sadat, the answer is yes. During an interview at the Coronado home of his sponsor, Sayed explained how he and his family believe in women’s rights, and more importantly, women receiving an education. “Yes, my family and I are religious and we pray five times in a day. We also believe that being Muslim never brings any
limitation to the rights of women.” In addition, he goes on to state that his mother always told him that if she had not been limited by social circumstances, she could have been mayor of their city!
Sayed Ahmad Sadat was born in 1989 in Mazar-e-Sharif, a city in northern Afghanistan. This is Afghanistan’s fourth-largest city, and it is known for its anti-Taliban views. He has one brother and two sisters, and he has a close relationship with his younger sister. He finished high school in 2009 and went on to study journalism and mass communication and received a bachelor’s degree. He also took a 12 month course and studied English. Later, he worked as a freelance translator, working with an American woman.
He worked as a freelance journalist in his hometown of Mazar-e-Sharif. He wrote many articles about news relating to the democratic social advancement of his city, province and country. He worked with various news agencies. Then in January 2021, he put in motion an idea he had had for awhile to help women in his country. He wrote a proposal and he got a small grant to open a cell phone repairing service where women learned how to fix cell phones and in turn, provided a service for women only. Sayed ran this successful project until a month before the Taliban took over. His activism and his work to advance the rights of women made him a target for the Taliban. By August, he knew he had to get ready to escape from his beloved home country, especially after the Taliban killed two women from one of the activist teams he worked with. He had become well-known in his region for his writing about and promoting human rights, justice, and women’s rights. He championed changes in the law for the advancement of ordinary Afghan people in their day to day lives. He was known for his participation in public political demonstrations as well as feature articles, and contributions to group conferences. After seeing many warnings from the Taliban, he knew his life was in danger.
With the help of an American woman whom he had worked with in 2019 translating her documentary, he planned his escape. During this time, he once again helped two Afghan women who were running for their lives as the Taliban had killed some of their family members.
Together, after many harrowing events, including furtive phone calls and bus rides, Sayed and the two women made their way to the Kabul airport. The irony of all this is that a Taliban soldier actually helped one of the buses they were on by letting them through. At one point in our conversation, Sayed joked that he felt like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible as he helped these two women and himself as they were escaping.
At the airport, there were Taliban soldiers with dogs at the check points. Sayed said that when they finally got to the terminal, people were pushing and it was complete chaos. Sayed and the two women were lucky to board the last plane out. They finally reached Fort Pickett, an Army National Guard Base, in Virginia on September 3. Sayed stayed in Virginia until December 20th when he arrived at the Coronado home of his American sponsor, Mary Danaher [Sikes], in time to celebrate his first Christmas in the U.S.
This is another instance of good luck in his extraordinary life. Most Afghans who arrive in San Diego are sponsored by Jewish family Service, IRC, African Alliance, and Catholic Charities. They live in different extended stay hotels until an apartment can be found for them. In Sayed’s case, although he was sponsored by Catholic Charities, he was welcomed to the home — staying in a casita in the back — of a kind American grandmother and very accomplished woman in her own right.
Sayed met Mary in 2016 when he was looking for a grant for a short film. While he was searching online, the name, Coronado Film Festival, popped up and he clicked on it. Then, he saw Mary’s name as the CEO of the festival. He wrote her and asked for advice for an Afghan filmmaker on how to get a grant. She wrote him back and they have stayed in touch ever since. She considers him her Afghan grandson.
With Mary’s guidance and with the help of other kind Americans and some grass root groups, Sayed has been thriving. The group, Welcome Home, provided him with a bicycle, so he has been exploring Coronado.
His goals for now are to improve his English, find a job, and get a master’s degree. He is trying to contact the State Department to find out the number of journalists and civil activists he knew before who might currently be at risk. In addition, he wants to sponsor the rest of his family who are currently in a safe house in Afghanistan. His long term goal is to one day become an American citizen and serve as a California congressman.
Finally, a happy reunion is coming up. The two women he helped to escape are leaving Fort Pickett. With the help of the IRC, they will be coming to San Diego on January 23 to live. Sayed and Mary plan to be at the airport to greet them and drive them to their hotel. These two women will be in good hands.
I hope to follow Sayed’s journey and write follow up stories on his new life in America. As Sayed said to me, “Every time I go out for a bike ride, I see peace in the citizens of this country as they walk around. I see that I am not a stranger and I do not feel like a stranger. The citizens of this country look at me, but there is no hatred in their eyes according to my religion.” May his optimism and good fortune continue on this new journey.
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Mimi Pollack is a retired ESL teacher. Born in the United States, she moved as a child with her family to Mexico City, where she learned Spanish. She is particularly interested in immigrant and refugee issues, animals, and reporting on different cultures and ethnicities. Pollack may be contacted via mimi.pollack@sdjewishworld.com
This article originally appeared in Times of San Diego, with which San Diego Jewish World trades stories under auspices of the San Diego Online News Association.