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Meskhetian Turks open their hearts and their homes
Gulnara Sulymanova with her children Muzeffar, Nazelya, and Nailya.
Photo: Carol Fouke-Mpoyo
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By Carol Fouke-Mpoyo
Don't get the impression that the hospitality is only one-way. Meskhetian Turks readily open their hearts and homes to others.
Aaron Tate, Director of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, a Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program local resettlement affiliate, said, "They are so excited and comfortable anytime we visit them that it's a little celebration. They bring out tea and food. You can't make it a short visit."
That certainly held true in Hagerstown, where Akok Deng, Yelena Zanko and I happily munched our way through an afternoon's visits.
Deng coordinates refugee resettlement in Maryland on behalf of the Virginia Council of Churches (VCC), another CWS/IRP affiliate, and he and Zanko, a Russian-speaking caseworker, were taking me around to meet several recently arrived Meskhetian families. Respecting the Meskhetians' culture, we slipped off our shoes at the door as Gulnara Sulymanova ushered us into her living room. Her husband, Rashid Sulymanov, was at work.
Sulymanova introduced us to their three children, and brought juice, tea, and cookies to the table.
"We like this place and these people," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "We are glad we came." She described the Meskhetians’ struggle to survive in Krasnodar, where hostile authorities denied them residence status and punished employers who gave them work.
"Most of us didn’t have jobs," said Sulymanova, trained as a nurse. "People would refuse to sell us bread. We had gardens and also would pick berries and barter them for other food. The police were always asking to see our papers. In newspapers and on TV, people said, 'Leave our country.'"
"I used to be awake at night worried that someone would do something bad to my family. Now I know my children are safe." She shared her aspiration to find a job with health insurance and for her children to get a good education.
We slipped our shoes back on and drove to the nearby apartment of Dr. Makhmud Akhmedov, an obstetrician/gynecologist, and his wife, Dilfuza Akhmedova. His brother, Ayvas Akhmedov, joined us to talk over tea and watermelon.
Dr. Akhmedov has a warm smile and ready wit. Speaking in a mix of Russian and English, he said he was able to work in Krasnodar, thanks to the protection of colleagues who "didn't tell others I was Turkish. But three fellow doctors got fired because they were Turkish. Here in America, if you work hard, you make money and can buy a house. We want to learn English, get good jobs, and get our children a good education and future."
Right now, Hagerstown's Interfaith Refugee Resettlement Committee "is doing so many things for us," Dr. Akhmedov said, but he promised to reciprocate in the future. "Turkish people are very good people," he said. "You do something small for them, they will do a big thing for you. We’ve had such a hard time. We try to help each other."
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