Ahmadi Family facing imminent deportation

At 06.00am this morning Thursday 25th July 2002. West Midlands police and Immigration officials stormed the Gnausia Jamia mosque in Lye, smashed in the doors with a battering ram and arrested Farid and Feriba Ahmadi, who had taken sanctuary in the mosque.

Hajikhadim Hussein, an elder at the mosque, said morning prayers had just finished when the raid occurred. "I think very badly of this morning. The way they caught them and broke the door of the mosque. If they were coming and talking with the mosque committee maybe we could have found some way. This family are very, very upset. They have no home in Afghanistan and no family. They think they are not safe there."

Their children were not in the mosque when the police arrived.

Soraya a supporter of the campaign to keep the Ahmadi Family in the UK said: "I am glad the children were not in there this morning having to face a whole squad of police officers and Home Office officials. Nobody ever actually thought they (the Immigration Service) were going to do this. I am rather shocked by the heavy-handedness of how immigration deal with this type of situation."

Farid and Feriba, and the children are now in Harmondsworth removal/detention centre, due to be put on a flight for Munich tomorrow morning Friday 26th July at o7.55hrs.

Ahamadi Family, background

http://www.ncadc.org.uk/letters/news27/ahmadi.html

What You can do to keep the family in the UK

British Airways (BA) have the family booked on one of their flights tomorrow morning. BA have in the past been persuaded not to carry deportees, please send a fax to (model letter below, copy, amend write your own):

Lord Colin Marshall British Airways Chairperson

Fax Number 0208 738 9801 from outside the UK +44 208 738 9801

Rob Eddington Cheif Executive British Airways

Fax Number 0208 738 9990 from outside the UK +44 208 738 9990

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Att:

Lord Colin Marshall

Rob Eddington

Dear Sirs,

The Ahmadi family Farid and Feriba, and their children Hadia, now 6, and Seear, 4, are due to be deported on the 26th July 0755 hours to Munich on a British Airways flight BA948 from Heathrow Terminal 1.

They do not want to be deported, (1) to Germany where they suffered racism and horrendous living conditions, and (2) ultimately to Afghanistan a country which Amnesty internationals latest country update, states that it is still an unsafe country to return anyone to.

I understand from, British Airways Social and Environmental Annual Report 2002 " you will not carry passengers who are distressed".

The Ahmadi family fit this criteria.

I am asking you to not carry them on your flight on grounds of compassion and carrying out BA policy, as they have suffered persecution in Afghanistan and racism in Germany, where Mrs Ahmadi suffered 2 nervous breakdowns.

I look forward to your support on this matter.

Name

Address

Country

Email address:

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If you have time please fax a copy of anything sent to:

Immigration and Asylum Support Project

020 554 4553 from outside the UK +44 121 554 4553

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The immediate priority is to keep the Ahmadi Family in the UK. Once that has been resolved their are questions to be asked!

Was it necessary for the police and Home Office to desecrate a place of worship

Who ordered the raid on the mosque

Why such heavy handed tactics

Further information:

Salmon Mirza

mirzasalman@hotmail.com

0796 753 977