SIO148: Zerin Firoze - Ex-Muslim, Abuse Survivor, Asylum Seeker

Transcript

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors — the audio is the record.

0:00:28 Thomas: Hello and welcome to Serious Inquiries Only. This is episode 148. I'm your host, Thomas Smith, and well, today's episode. So last week, I know that was quite a, at times, heartbreaking and compelling story and tear-jerking, and sometimes people will comment and say, "Hey, why didn't you give me a heads up?" Or something like that, and I don't know, it's I feels weird to do that. I guess it might feel weird to not do that, but in that spirit, I just want to say, A, that was an amazing episode. I love Callie. I hope you listened to it. If you happen to not, go back and listen to that episode because it was really great. Callie is incredible. And B, I've got another very, very compelling and at times heartbreaking story for you today.

0:01:18 Thomas: Some weeks back, a listener by the name of Matthew Cravat, if I'm pronouncing that correctly, which I probably am not, introduced me to someone named Zerin Firoze. Matthew had said that he heard her story and was just incredibly blown away by it at some sort of talk she gave, and I got some details and was also blown away by it and wanted to signal boost it and get it out there because her story deals with so many things that Trump and Republicans have done to harm both our country and the world. I don't want to say too much because the purpose of the interview is for her to tell her story, but her story touches on about a billion different components of why Trump's agenda, in my opinion, is so bad, and. So here we go, this is my interview with Zerin Firoze.

0:02:23 Thomas: Zerin, welcome to the show. How are you doing today?

0:02:26 Zerin: Great.

0:02:27 Thomas: Glad to have you here. Thanks so much for coming on, and thanks as well to the listener who introduced us, because he had heard your story at a talk you gave, I believe, and he relayed some of it to me, and it sounded incredibly compelling, and I would just love to share it with my listeners as well. So, what do you think?

0:02:29 Zerin: Same Same here.

0:02:44 Zerin: Uh huh. Great. I like, I'm so, I mean, honored to be here. Thank you so much.

0:02:54 Thomas: Excellent, You. You. So where does it all begin for you?

0:02:58 Zerin: Well, like I'm an, like Bengali, I am an atheist. Yeah. And I have said the same story I mean so many times but like I have to keep sharing my story because no one is speaking about the I mean asylums I seekers like who are I mean atheist, we do speak about I mean asylum seekers I mean who are from I, I mean, Iraq, Syria, right, but we have not spoken much about, like, I mean asylum seekers who are, I'm an atheist, yeah. So, I'm new in this country and like I still pinch myself like to say that hey, like I'm here in the, I, U.S. So it's a huge thing for me, I because like I, like I am a small town girl.

I had no light, no, I theater or shopping, shopping mall back in my small town. So I'm like really humbled to be here, like in this country. And so, uh, I was like always skeptical, like about faith, and my high school, like it's, it's supposed to be a secular school. It's opposed to be as secular, I'm in English school, but it's like, anything but secular. So, and I have always loved science. I I mean, even though, like, I, like I'm from a third world, I mean,

0:04:49 Zerin: Bangladesh, yeah, but still, I mean, mean, I have always loved science.

0:04:56 Thomas: You tell me about, uh, how your parents, uh, raised you.

0:04:57 Zerin: Oh, yeah, sure. My mom and dad, I mean, they are fairly secular. Yeah, but my mom she can be a bit I mean, crazy.

0:05:17 Zerin: Classes, like from four to six. So, I mean, it was very backward. Like I was not, I mean, allowed to wear, jeans or skirt or makeup or nail polish. So it was, was very backward. Yeah, so from four to six, like I used to, like, my, I mean, Islamic classes, like after school, like, and at school as well. I mean, we all were forced to say Surah I fateha Yeah, everyone, I, Hindus, Christians, yeah, everyone was forced to say the, I mean, Islamic prayer, and then we all had to sing the national, I mean, anthem.

So my, I mean, Imam, he was very, I mean, strict. So, like, I was around seven year old, like, at that time I asked my, my, mean, Imam that, like, in the scripture, it sounds, sounds backward, and it's not true. And he stared at me, and he was horrified, he was shocked that, like, I could speak like that. So he started hitting me with a stick, and, you are allowed to hit students, but here, like in this country, you'd be jailed, like, I mean, if you hit kids, like, I was only seven year old, yeah, and he started hitting me

0:07:05 Thomas: Jeez.

0:07:06 Zerin: A lot, yeah, and he also to my mom, yeah, and my mom, she started pulling my hair, yeah, and she was like, oh, you talk too much, you should not talk all that much, you just need to have faith in, Allah, you are not supposed to ask questions, okay? So you can see that my, I mean, Islamic schools, they are very, I mean, Orthodox, and you are not allowed to question, I mean, anything, and you will be hit, I mean, if you question anything at all. So, and I was also forced to write Kalima Shahadah, like, is no God but, I Allah and, I Muhammad, like, is his only messenger, yeah. So it's La ilaha, I mean, illallah Muhammadan, yeah. So it was really bad, so my, so I mean, experience, it's really not that great, it's not that good, yeah. But my mom and dad, they were, I mean, otherwise wise, fairly secular. My dad, he's highly, I mean, educated, but he was also, I mean, I'm in abusive. So my mom and dad, I mean, they to fight a lot.

0:08:43 Zerin: They still do. My dad, he always had an, I mean, issue with my, I mean, education. So he was like, oh, you have studied a lot, and like I was in high school at that time, in class eight, eight. So my dad, he has forced me, I mean, out of school. And I protested a lot.

0:09:12 Thomas: So wait, why was your Why did your dad want to force you out of school at eighth grade? Oh.

0:09:13 Zerin: Because he was like, you won't have to study. I mean, anymore. And like, it was too, I mean expensive to pay for high school back In my home country. I mean, you have to pay for high school, it's not free, it's, okay, so my dad was like, like, I'm old, I cannot pay for your schooling, you won't have to, I study, okay? So in 2010, I, I fought, fought with my dad to go to, I mean, coaching center. Dad, I he has thrown me, I mean, across the, like, and I, I mean, ended up with a bad head injury. Yeah. Because of that, I, I still get stuck while speaking. I still struggle to speak. And it's 20, I mean 18 now.

0:09:25 Thomas: Okay, I see.

0:10:18 Thomas: So as a result of your father's abuse, that's what caused your speech impediment? Oh. My gosh, that's So horrible, I'm sorry, can

0:10:19 Zerin: Yes, so yeah. And I still trouble to speak, yeah, because of that head injury. My dad, I think, he has, I mean, I hit me because, like, I wanted to go to school, it was because of that. And like while growing up, like I was always skeptical, I mean, about faith, like I used to think that, okay, the scripture, it's man-made, but God is true, yeah, I mean, God, I mean, exists. And I was only seven year old at that time, like, I was just a child, yeah. Then in, in 2013, something special happened, like, like I was, I mean, out of high school, like, at that time, and I was trying to study at home, to my high school exam, the

0:10:41 Thomas: So Just To clarify, your dad, so did he not allow you to go back to high school, but you were doing some sort of home study, is that what you're saying? Okay.

0:11:37 Zerin: Yes. Homeschooling. Yeah, so like, at the time, like I was trying to study at home, yeah, like it was banned in my home country, and it's not just in my home country, like in several other, like, Islamic countries, yeah. So something special happened, what can you guess?

0:11:38 Thomas: Okay.

0:12:04 Thomas: Did it become unbanned somehow, did you find a way around it?

0:12:07 Zerin: Like at that time I got into, I, Facebook, and like I saw all my friends, cousins, they all, like, said to me that we will not use YouTube because they made fun of, I mean, Islam, yeah. So my friends, they all have, I mean, asked me to report the, I mean, like, anti-Islam on Facebook. So that was shocking for me because, because at the time, like it was the first time I came across something that was, I mean, anti-Islam. Because you are always, like, taught to be nice, be like, don't criticize anyone's faith.

0:13:00 Zerin: Yeah, because you are always taught that. Yeah. So at the time I have, I, with like, I'm an atheist, I've been online. I, I with them. I questioned them that how dare you make fun of Islam, because of, I, I mean, all of you, I, YouTube, like it's banned in my home country, and I cannot study for my, I mean, exam. I can't use the, I mean, Internet to study for me. I'm in my SAT, I mean, exams, yeah. So at and I was thoroughly bashed by, I mean, I mean, online, I mean, bashed by, I'm an atheist online, and they have showed me all the bad stuff off, like, in the scriptures, and I was like, oh my goodness, it's so cringe, Facebook.

0:13:58 Thomas: I'm sorry, I think I'm not following, so in 2013, are you saying you somehow got access to, to YouTube, atheists, or maybe I misunderstood, Facebook?

0:14:08 Zerin: Facebook, yeah.

0:14:09 Thomas: Oh, okay, so Oh. You gained access to Facebook, and that's where you saw atheist groups, and you were, they were talking about the parts of scripture that seemed ridiculous.

0:14:10 Zerin: Yeah. Yes.

0:14:22 Zerin: Exactly. And I spoke and like all the, I mean, atheists online. And And they were actually right. I went back to read the, I mean, scripture again. And I was like, oh my God, oh my goodness, I mean it's just not true, I mean these things are just not real. These, I was also a science student, so I knew that, I mean, has, I means, evolved on earth. And it's just not true. The whole, I mean, Adam and Eve story is just not true. So that has changed my life. And I have, like, started, I, I mean, speaking with, I mean, Atheist Online, and I, them that, hey, like I'm not allowed to, I mean, go to school.

0:14:22 Thomas: Okay. Wow.

0:15:18 Zerin: My high school friend, she was forced to out of high school and she was was forced to get, married. And can see the whole, like, I'm in album on Facebook, her. So I was struggling a lot. And I was this high school student and from 2014 to 2016, like, I have, like spoken, I mean, against Islam, like and I have spoken for gay rights, basic, rights, free speech back in my home country with my, I mean actual name and pictures.

0:16:04 Thomas: Well, how did, weren't you really afraid to do that? I mean, there's been lots of atheist bloggers who have faced violence and stuff like that. I mean, how did you make that decision and how can you talk through, you know, were you afraid or, or what made you overcome that fear to decide to try to be outspoken and not even anonymous?

0:16:05 Zerin: I come on, like I'm not brave or special because I like I was this high school student. Yeah, who did not know that I would be killed just for like to school? Or I for speaking about science, secularism or about free speech or about basic human rights, gay rights. I mean, basic things I did not know. I mean. Back then, like I had no clue that I could be killed by my friends, family for being an aminatist. But after some time in 2015, I understood that, okay, I could be dead because I saw that, like, I am not the only, I mean, atheist.

0:17:14 Zerin: There are, I means, other atheists in my and they are being killed. At the time, that caught my, I meaning, attention. But it was already too late. I started, I speaking 2014. And you can check my Facebook, I'm in post, my timeline, I am in history, like I was so naive, like I was a child, like to do that. I mean, like, any young high school student, they can ask, like, all sorts of questions, right. So like it was like that. And yes, the thing is my, I mean, education, it was at stake.

I like I'm a high school dropout, so, and I don't want to stay in this world like if I can't study, so, why, I mean, I chose to be, I mean, outspoken, that hey, my mom and dad, they are, are not, I mean, allowing me to study. Yeah, I spoke with my, I mean, atheist friends online, that how you all, I mean, help me. And friend Sarah, she has up a GoFundMe account, and back then, like, I had no clue is a GoFundMe account, and you can't set up a go fund me account from a third world, I mean, like, the has to be in the

0:17:20 Thomas: Oh.

0:19:00 Thomas: I see, it has to be in the West in order for GoFundMe to allow you to do it, okay, I didn't know that, yeah.

0:19:02 Zerin: Yes. Yeah, so Sarah, she has set up a GoFundMe account from me, and I was supposed to go to, I mean, I mean, it was my first choice, but they have said, said no to me. UK, I mean, embassy, they have said no to me because I lacked ties to my home country.

Swedish, like, I'm in embassy, they have also said no to me, and I was fleeing for my life because my dad, he has thrown me out of the house, and I have spent days, I sitting and crying, like in the staircase of my, I mean, apartment, and everyone saw that, and nobody came to me, my neighbors, my security guard of my, I mean, appointment, nobody came, came to help me, and, and finally, like, I fought with my mom and dad, and I came here, like, in this country with, like, with small I, and then I got, I several scholarship. And in 2016, I came here in August. And back at that time, like, the, I mean, I, he kept on saying that ban all, and I was like, hello, like, I'm an atheist, I mean, let me in. Yeah, so it was very, I mean,

0:20:33 Thomas: But You Got In Here just before the shit hit the fan, just before Trump was elected. Oh.

0:20:39 Zerin: It Was Yeah. So yes.

0:20:46 Thomas: Wow. What And what were You, what kind of, I guess, visa is it? I I don't know that much about immigration, but okay.

0:20:47 Zerin: Yeah. And A Student Visa, I It's

0:20:56 Thomas: You, do you think you would be able to get the same thing now? Or would that just be shut down by Trump?

0:21:03 Zerin: Much more difficult now. And yes, and it was, I never, I mean, easy to come to the I mean, like, it took me almost, like, a year, years, like, at least to come the US. Yeah. Yeah, so it's a long, expensive process, and it's not, I mean, easy to stay here, like, as an, I mean, international student, but, like, I am humbled to be here, like, in this country, and I have tried, I mean, for the first time, because you are not allowed to sell pork, yeah, pigs, back in my home country, you're not allowed to sell that, so I tried pork, I

0:21:09 Thomas: Yeah, yeah. Oh, how'd you like that? Was it any good?

0:21:51 Zerin: It's yummy, yay, and I wore my first short skirt after coming here, yeah, so it was great, and I traveled all by myself at night, and I have, I have also used train for the first time, bus, train. My, I mean, American, are like, what? You have never used a train? You have ever used a bus? And I'm like, have you seen the buses in my home country? I mean, the public, trains, they are like so bad, and girls are always, like, I mean, harassed in trains, buses.

0:22:19 Thomas: Wow.

0:22:34 Thomas: I was wondering, so were you, was it one of those things where you have to be chaperoned or was it just a safety thing?

0:22:35 Zerin: Chaperone. You have to have a male guardian, yeah. So I could never just go out alone, yeah, so it was a huge thing for me, and I'm now, like, like, I'm a sophomore student, like, I am studying, and I got scholarship to study, and yeah, so I'm very happy, and Humbled To be here in this country,

0:22:43 Thomas: Wow. Yeah. Yeah. That's incredible. So you were able to, I mean, it sounds like it was a huge fight, but you were unable to convince your parents that it was the right thing to do, or did you essentially run away? What's the state of that? Do you still speak to your parents?

0:23:20 Zerin: Mom and dad, they knew that I'm leaving, the, like, I fought with my mom and dad because I have never lied to my mom and dad, like, I'm very straightforward.

0:23:40 Zerin: Because I know that, like, I'm not doing, I mean, I mean, anything wrong. And my mom and dad, they all were like too scared to keep an outspoken, I mean, atheist at home, because everyone back in my home country, they know that, that, like, I'm an atheist. And I had classmates who are, of the, I means, extremist, I mean, group, Jamaat, Shabir, then, Ansar al-Islam, North-South students, it's a college back in my home country, country, North South, so my friends are there, my I, like, they have also studied in the same college, yeah, and they are, I mean, extremists, and they all come from good families, I mean, like, like, I mean, they know how to speak in, I'm in English.

They are from well, I mean, educated families, and they are, I am an extremist jihadist. So my classmates, they have also, like, to give me a shoe, I mean, baiting, uh, threats, death threats. Yeah. So I just could not stay back in my country, my parents could not keep me back in, back at home, but they now, I mean, agree, they now, like, I mean, understand that I really wanted to study, but I still fear for my parents, I mean, safety, so I just cannot speak much about them.

0:25:25 Thomas: Okay. So sounds because of your honesty, they understood the situation and the fact that you are who you are. And it seems like they recognized possibly how dangerous it would be for you to stay. And so that's why they ultimately allowed you to go. Okay. Is

0:25:46 Zerin: And They have also, I mean, I me, like, at the end of, I mean, 2016, like, my dad, he has changed his mind that okay, just get lost, I mean, don't stay here, yeah, go get your US, I mean, yeah, but it was a long, hard, hard fight. And now, like, I'm like really exhausted because, because it took me so long to complete my high school because of my insane, I mean, family life. Yeah. And right now, like, I'm struggling to pay for my college, and here, in like, it's so expensive. I mean, you have to pay, I mean, out of state fees.

0:26:34 Zerin: Yeah, so it's like really expensive. So I'm like, it will never end. But I really want to study. I love science. And I really want to studying nursing and science.

0:26:47 Thomas: That what you're studying, science? What's your major? Oh, wow. That's an interesting combination. Nation What, um, wow, I mean, there's... there's so much to talk about, um, I'm really glad you're here and out of an a, clearly, and not only, not only a dangerous country, but an abusive household, um, It's just, it's juste horrifying to even imagine

0:26:55 Zerin: I know. Yes. Yeah. And now, like, I do have a speech, I mean, and I'm trying to, I mean, improve my speech and to forget all the trauma that I had, that I have to suffer, I still get hurt, I mean, if I have to brush my hair, I mean, and is there, I behind my head, yeah, so, but, like, I'm still, still trying to, I mean, improve myself. I try to stay calm. I try to say my story calmly, without crying, or without being too excited. Yeah.

0:27:15 Thomas: Yeah.

0:27:55 Thomas: Yeah, did, did you get adequate medical treatment back when this injury happened? I mean, are you, have you seen doctors here, specialists here, how is it that you still can't brush your hair? That sounds really bad. Yeah.

0:27:57 Zerin: Yeah, I know that. But hair is the thing that healthcare like it's like really expensive even here In the U.S., so, no. Yeah.

0:28:13 Thomas: Especially Here In the U.S., yeah, yeah.

0:28:17 Zerin: And my health insurance, it won't, my speech therapist, yeah, so it's tough, it's not, I mean, easy, but back in my home country, the hospital, it was like awful, it was shitty, and my parents, they just lied to the doctor how I got hurt because they did not a case of, I mean, abuse. That's

0:28:44 Thomas: I don't even know what to say, that's, that's horrible, but

0:28:44 Zerin: Yeah. So I had to go through a lot. I

0:28:49 Thomas: Yeah. Yeah, how is your status now, are you, I mean, is your student visa safe, safe, uh, are you in any danger of not being able to finish school here? And, and then what's your plan if you get that far, are you going to try to stay here or what, what will you do?

0:29:06 Zerin: I'm very skeptical now because I don't think I can pay for my school. I mean, I can keep paying for my school because it's just so expensive and I have to pay like thousands of of dollars to get my, I mean, like H1B, I mean, and there is no pathway, I mean, to be a U.S. citizen. Yeah, so, uh, like, I'm like really skeptical and I don't think that I can complete my my schooling and I'm like I don't know what will, I mean, happen. And here is the thing, I mean, even if I become a U.S.

0:29:56 Zerin: Citizen after several years, what is the point? Because I cannot have, I mean, access to health care, and the schooling is like so expensive, what is the point, what is, so, I mean, what will I do with my green card. So I'm thinking, I mean, if my asylum case is not, I mean, not, except accepted by

0:30:22 Thomas: Yeah, we didn't actually talk about that, so you, you tried to to make a case for asylum, when did you, so can you talk about that, when did you do that, so

0:30:30 Zerin: Yes, and I have filed for my, I mean, asylum in 2017, because you have to file for, I mean, asylum in year, within one year, like as soon as you come in this country. So it was a a very painful, I mean, because I had to pay like hundreds of dollars, I mean, to go to the, I mean, like asylum center, yeah, and they are, I mean, extremely like rude, and my like lawyers here, they don't actually, I mean, understand who are, I'm an atheist, yeah, so they don't, I mean, understand that why, I mean, atheists are, because they like, I mean, expect that, I mean, asylum seekers are only, I mean, from Syria or from, I mean, like, I mean, I mean, Iraq, yeah, but, like, I means, we are the the most, I mean, minority, like in the whole whole, yeah, just don't, I mean, understand that, so it was so, no

0:31:40 Thomas: It costs money to even just go into the or to to apply for asylum, and then you're saying that the people there just didn't, they don't understand your case?

0:31:50 Zerin: No, it was for the taxi cab, like I had to pay hundreds of dollars to go Yeah to Go, yeah to go to the, I mean, asylum centers hundred times, thousand times, like I have been there thousand times, yeah, so It Was

0:31:54 Thomas: Oh, oh, just to get there. Okay. Oh, I see. So, just back and forth, and you don't have an income, really? Are you, are you, is it, are You just a student? Are You able to work?

0:32:10 Zerin: Uh Like I had for, I mean, asylum, in and after, after, I six months, yeah, you get the I permit, like, to work, to find a job, but here is the thing, they only hand you a card, I mean, asylum seekers, refugees, they only get a card, yeah, but, but you are, like, still undocumented. I mean, you can't show that card to the, I mean. Airport. But fortunately, I have, I like all the law. And I came legally in this country. So I do have my student status.

0:33:04 Zerin: And a passport is there. Yeah. Yeah, so I use that, I mean, to travel. But here is the thing. I mean I just cannot keep my, I keep up with my, I mean expensive, I mean, student status. Because by law, I have to be a full-time student. Yeah, to keep my.

0:33:27 Thomas: In order to stay in the country?

0:33:30 Zerin: No, to keep the student status, to keep my yeah, keep my student status, but Like mean, I can stay in this country, like, as long as my asylum case is, and it takes like three years to get your first, I mean, interview. That's like crazy, that's just like insane, because people like me, we are fearing and fleeing bullying, persecution. Yeah.

0:33:34 Thomas: Right. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

0:34:00 Zerin: And you cannot keep us hanging for three, four years. It's just like insane to get our first, I mean, interview.

0:34:07 Thomas: Okay, but you're allowed to stay because you've applied for asylum, you're allowed to stay for three years even if your student visa runs out or something like that, so okay but

0:34:18 Zerin: I mean I can stay here, but yeah, but it's not a safe thing.

0:34:20 Thomas: You only have like two more years, right? Yeah.

0:34:22 Zerin: My lawyer, she has said that like it takes three years to hair back, I mean, to your, I mean, interview date for your, I mean, asylum case. Yeah, so I mean, that's like insane, I cannot wait for three years to uh hear my first, I mean, I'm in interview, and then they will take several more years to understand my case, to to on my case. So what the hell will I do for all these years? Because it's so expensive to stay here without being a U.S. citizen, because I have to pay out-of-state fees, and I have paid my taxes, and I follow the law, and I came legally in this country, like, as a student. And then I have filed for, I mean, asylum.

0:35:21 Zerin: So I have followed the law and they should not take so long just to give me like an, I'm in interview. That's just crazy. Just, hire more people to take, I am in interviews. Yeah.

0:35:32 Thomas: Yeah Yeah, I I guess I was looking at it the other way, because under Trump, I don't know what the chances of getting asylum are, so I was almost looking atit as a positive, that at least it buys you some time, uh, before you will be forced back, but maybe that's the wrong way of looking at, I mean, obviously, I I wish it, but if I had my way, of course, I would wish they would just grant you asylum very quickly. But under Trump, I don't know what the best outcome is.

0:36:02 Zerin: I mean, I mean, like, I'm in attorneys, they have seen my case, they have seen Miami, Miami injuries. They have seen how much weight I have lost. And, uh, and they have also seen the death threats, the rape threats I got from my classmates, classmates, my neighbors, and from the, I mean, extremist, like, I mean, Jamaat Shibir, from, I mean, like, I'm in Answer All Islam, and they have also killed, I mean, other, I mean, atheists back in my home country. And here is the thing, you don't have to be a blogger to get killed, I means, you You can die or be in jail just for saying something on your Facebook page, just for a Facebook status or for liking the wrong page or a blasphemous page. And there are several incidents where people got lynched, where people got killed for, false, of I blasphemy. Yeah. Or just for Islam or for saying that we are a secular country. Yes, Bangladesh, it is a secular country. I mean, it started as a secular country, but now it's anything but secular. I

0:37:33 Thomas: So what would you want people listening in this country to learn from your story? And what wouldyou want people to maybe do or to think about?

0:37:45 Zerin: Mean asylum seekers, they are not, I mean We are just normal people like you all. Yeah, and we deserve to a good life, and especially people like me who came legally in this country, who have followed the law, who pay taxes, yeah, or who are secular, who are liberal, and I'm on the far left, left, so and America, you need to be more, I mean, open-minded, and it scares me, it shocks me when I see, I mean, Americans that they are so scared to talk about faith, politics. I mean, you're just not allowed to, like, in U.S. schools, like, I do have, have white classmates who are, I, that the earth, the earth is only few thousand year old, so I'm like, really, you're born and raised in this country, in the U.S., and you think, like, this, you think we, the earth is only few thousand years old, Nohar Arc story, it's true. So I had crazy classmates who are very fundamentalist.

0:37:53 Thomas: Yeah.

0:39:01 Thomas: Yeah. And I'm, I remember I just had seen this chart and I just pulled it up again, uh, of how How many refugees, how many people we grant asylum to. And under Obama, in the Obama years, it was something like 75,000 a year, maybe a little less on average. And then in 2016, it was a little higher. I don't know if maybe they tried to get people in last minute. And then 2017, it went down to 50,000. And this 2018, we're on pace for only 21,000, so they really are trying to cut down on that, because Trump is awful, and the anti-immigrant sentiment is horrible, and it's just so, it's so sad to hear in your voice and in your story, you know, the people it actually is affecting when we don't, when we don't let people who, like you said, and like you,

0:39:01 Zerin: Uh-huh. Uh-uh.

0:39:52 Thomas: Are people who are in danger, people who want to come, learn, want to come get a job, pay taxes, get health care, want to become, just be a part of a society of this society, we, we won't let them, and it's just really depressing and sad, and I, I, it's another reason why, in my, in my view, Democrats need to take back control, and need, and need, this is one of the million reasons of real lives that are affected when we let these people on the right control things, it's, it's horrifying. Yeah.

0:40:01 Zerin: Uh-huh. Yes And it's a very bad time to be here, like, as an asylum seeker. It's not a great time. Yep.

0:40:33 Thomas: Let's see, it's summertime now. Now, are you enrolled for another school year next year, or what's in your immediate future?

0:40:40 Zerin: I am going to school for the fall semester, I

0:40:44 Thomas: Are you, what's after that? I mean, is your scholarship going to run out or something, or is it just not quite enough?

0:40:50 Zerin: Mean, apply for more scholarships, shifts, and I'm graduating like in this fall, so it's good for me

0:40:57 Thomas: Oh, you're already graduating? I thought you said you were a sophomore. Is it a short program?

0:40:58 Zerin: Oh, it's a two-year college, I mean, my I mean, I, associate degree, I'll get that, but here is the thing, like, I'm scared to go in a four-year college because I'm not a U.S. citizen, and I cannot keep my student status because it's very expensive to keep your, I mean, international student status, and I have to pay like 30,000, 40,000, or even 50,000 per year to go in a four-year college, so I don't know what, what will happen. And I'm trying to start my own channel, blog, and a website. So and I'm trying to, I mean, improve my, I mean, accent and my speech.

0:41:04 Thomas: Oh, shoot. Okay.

0:41:51 Zerin: I'm hoping to be an excellent speaker, a smooth, confident speaker. Yeah, so let's see.

0:41:57 Thomas: Yeah, I guess in the back of my mind, I had just assumed it was a four-year program, but it's a two-year problem. It's a four-year program that's running out. And then, so there's no option to find, like, a more inexpensive school or something that will just allow you to stay and kind of figure things out for another few years

0:42:13 Zerin: No, sadly, no, I just have to wait as a pending I mean, asylum seekers. And I don't think, I mean I can go to the, I mean, airport. TSA, I can no longer fly from state to state.

0:42:30 Thomas: Once it runs out, you're saying, oh, okay.

0:42:35 Zerin: I I can no longer travel from state to state yeah follow

0:42:39 Thomas: I see, so what can, what can anyone do to help you, what, what can listeners maybe do, yeah

0:42:47 Zerin: Me on Facebook and my Patreon I mean account is there it's my name's Z-E-R-I-N Zerin Firoze and I mean F-IROZE Firoze that's how I even if it's like $1, it would mean a lot to me. $1. It's like 90 or I mean 80 tacos back home. It is a lot. $ 1 it's a lot back in my home country. It 80 tacos.

0:43:21 Thomas: Yeah so Is there anything you're doing in terms of asylum, are you just stuck, I mean, I did some searching, and it, it's, I, I don't understand because it says that the interview is supposed to take place within 45 days, I don't understand why it would be years, but I, if I don't, maybe that's a recent Trump development, oh

0:43:23 Zerin: Oh Yes, in January, Trump has switched the, I mean, entire thing. Now, people who has filed for, I mean, asylum before me, they can go ahead and take the, I'm in interview, that's like insane, that's like unfair, because I have filed for asylum before you, so I should go first, right? But Trump has switch the, I mean, entire thing, I mean, the whole system is like screwed up, and no, you have to, I mean, all you can do is file for your, I mean, asylum, and just wait, you, you have to wait for several years, and if you don't get a call for, I mean, I mean, interview, by 45 days since you have filed for your, or, I mean, asylum, then you are, I mean, allowed to work.

0:44:39 Zerin: After 150 days, you are allowed to work. It's not 45 days, I'm sorry. It is 150 days. You have to wait for 150 days, and if no, I, is there, or no decision has been made on your, your case, then just wait, you just have to wait, you really cannot speed up the process there is

0:45:07 Thomas: I see what you're saying, so there's, I just saw it now, in online here, so if it goes for more than 150 days, you're eligible to apply for employment authorization, is that what you're talking about, okay, so did you already get to that point, has it been that many days, or, okay so I guess you're yeah sorry

0:45:08 Zerin: Yeah yes yes I just got my card and social security in March 2018.

0:45:29 Zerin: March, but here is a yeah, but like I don't have a skill and it's very hard to find a job by showing that you are an asylum seeker, by showing the card of an asylum seeker. Because people are scared to hear that, oh, you are an asylum seeker in this country. You are a refugee in this country. Oh, my God. Because I had very ridiculous, I mean, stories to share and job interviews. So it's ridiculous.

0:45:33 Thomas: Hmm yeah yeah yeah oh really yeah

0:46:04 Zerin: Yeah, because they just don't want to hire people who are not U.S. citizens. And most jobs, they require you to be a U.S. citizen, or you might have to have some certification or some kind of skill

0:46:16 Thomas: Or or A business doesn't want to hire somebody if, you know, if tomorrow you could be kicked out of the country, I guess. I

0:46:21 Zerin: Yeah And right now, like, I don't have a job, right Now.

0:46:32 Thomas: See. Yeah.

0:46:32 Zerin: I have been trying to find a job, but I just don't don't have a job right now.

0:46:32 Thomas: Yeah. Well, let's direct people towards your Patreon. So they just search for Zerin on Patreon.

0:46:45 Zerin: Zerin Firoze, Zerin Firoze, that's it.

0:46:47 Thomas: Okay. Well I encourage everybody to do that. And Zerin, let us talk offline. Maybe I can help you a little more. We will see how it goes. But thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story. Is there anything else you want to make sure to say before

0:47:03 Zerin: Yes, like thank you so much for, I mean, having me, I'm a sense, I am in honor, and I do think like you, we

0:47:13 Thomas: You're Yeah, it's you're far lefty like me.

0:47:16 Zerin: Both are far lefty. Yes, definitely. Yeah, so it's an honor. And thank you so much for having me. Yes, yes,

0:47:16 Thomas: Yeah, right. Thank you and I, I really wish you the best, and I hope that we can, I, you know, I hope you can figure something out, and uh, let's, like I said, let's keep in touch, let's, let's see if there's anything me or or my audience can do to help you. Okay, Zerin, thank you so much, uh, really, uh, thank you for sharing and uh, like I sad, we'll, we'll be be in touch.

0:47:38 Zerin: Yep, yes. Bye, take care.

0:48:13 Thomas: Okay, well, what to say, first, I just, again, after going back and editing and listening again, sometimes I'm so stunned by something I don't even know how to react, and hearing that Zerin's condition and head injury is a result of her father's abuse because she wanted to attend school and or maybe she was rejecting Islam, that is about as depressing as it gets, especially, you know, as someone with with a daughter right now, I just, I can't imagine the the level of indoctrination it would take for me to do anything like that to her. It's just not even in the realm of possibility. It's disgusting and horrible and makes me really upset, but I guess that's what the influence of religion can can do. I don't know what else to, how else to account for it.

0:49:07 Thomas: I mean, mixed in, of course, with good old-fashioned patriarchy and stuff like that, and it's kind of a chicken and an egg scenario there, there, but after hearing Zerin's story, I just feel so compelled to try to help, and without going into our personal conversation that we've had too much, uh, she's hesitant for any sort of charity fundraisy kind of thing, uh, for, for good reason. I can, I can understand, she, you know, she doesn't, she doesn't want handouts and that kind of thing, but there was something that I thought of that I could do that. I'm very happy about, which is that listeners, longtime listeners, might remember, I've had assistants of different kinds. And eventually I just started doing all of it myself again for various reasons.

0:49:54 Thomas: Part of it was the cutback, you know, I cut back to fewer shows, so, you know, revenue is lower of course, and also I just was managing it myself, but, you know what, I could always still probably use help in booking guests, and I offered Zerin that job on a trial basis, I mean, it's not a whole lot, it's very part-time work, but I just want to announce that I'm hiring Zerin to do some guest outreach.

She has actually a ton of connections, probably more than I do, because of what happened when she entered the country and when she got in involved in different groups, and she's done more speaking than I've done, so she's got the resources, she's got the uh, the qualifications, and and I can understand how it would be really hard for someone in her position in this country to find any sort of work, and I feel like I'm in a good position as an as an employer, and what little I can do to help her out with that, I could use her, and I think she will be great, and I'm going to give it a try. So I'm very excited and pleased to announce that, uh, Zerin's going to be helping me out, going to be doing some guest outreach, uh, and we'll see how it goes.

I know she's also working on her own projects, and I encourage you to check that link for her Patreon. I'll put the Patreon link for her, because I really just think she could use all the support that we could give her. So that's what I'm doing. I'm really excited about it. I think Zerin's a really cool person, and I think she's a great, perfect fit for this position. I wish it were more, you know, I wish I could give someone some real full-time work.

I definitely can't, you know, it's not that kind of budget, but it's something, and it's flexible, and it's part-time, and it's compatible with a student kind of lifestyle anyway.

0:51:32 Thomas: So I think it'll be great. We're going to try it out. I'm really excited. And that's what I wanted to announce. We've been talking back and forth since this recording, and we've agreed on that. But I mean, how many different ways did Zerin's story intersect with Trump's and Republicans' bullshit agenda? I mean, it's just so many different way.

Healthcare, immigration, college, um, being from a Muslim country, that kind of thing, wanting to stop Muslims from entering the US when in fact Zerin is an atheist and is somebody who wants what I would say any American, even a conservative American, would probably recognize that someone like Zerin who wants to get an education and pay taxes, and even conservatives would recognize that as a good thing, but but this clumsy, disturbing, isolationist, nativist policy regarding immigration that Trump and the Republicans have brought upon us is disturbing. And also, I want to emphasize how much that it's my belief that we should let far more people in on asylum basis, we let in this country, but that's a topic for another time. Thanks again to Zerin, that was really moving, and again, I'm so glad to announce that she's going to be coming on board the Sirius Pod LLC, just me. So there you have it, hopefully that'll be a bit of positivity for her, but I, who knows with her immigration status how long that positivity

0:53:10 Thomas: Will last, I guess we'll have to see where it goes from here, but at any rate, thank you as always for listening, and as always, if you'd like to support the show, go to patreon.com/seriouspod or seriespod.com. Support my website, doesn't have a middleman. Patreon does, but that's the choice. Either one is the same for supporting the show, and you guys are so valuable and the reason the show happens. So thank you so much, and I'll see you very soon.