Nooralhaq Nasimi (born 1967) is a former

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

who fled Afghanistan with his family, and who now campaigns for refugee rights in Europe and his former home country. In 2001 he founded the

Afghanistan and Central Asian Association Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) is a charitable incorporated organisation that supports London's refugee community and the Afghan diaspora in the United Kingdom. The organisation also campaigns for human rights, democracy and the ...

, a charity dedicated to helping refugees in London to integrate. He currently serves as the organisation's director and in 2011 he founded the European Campaign for Human Rights in Afghanistan, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the plight of Afghans worldwide. Nasimi was born in

Parwan Province Parwan (Dari: ), also spelled Parvan, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 751,000. The province is multi-ethnic and mostly rural society. The province is divided into ten districts. The town of Imam Abu Hanif ...

before growing up

Pul-e Khomri Puli Khumrī (Dari: ), also spelled Pul-i-Khumri or Pol-e Khomri, is a city in northern Afghanistan. Puli Khumri is the capital and largest city of Baghlan Province, whose name comes from the other major town in the province, Baghlan. The city h ...

, Afghanistan. He was awarded an MA in law and PhD in Political Science from Mechnikov National University but this education and his time in the former USSR made him and his family a target for

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

persecution. In 1999 Nasimi fled Afghanistan with his young family. After a three month journey he and his family crossed the English channel in the back of a refrigerated container to claim asylum in the United Kingdom. Inspired by the difficulties he faced integrating into British society and learning the English language, Nasimi established the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association in Lewisham in 2001. The charity is dedicated to helping refugees integrate and has since expanded to operate across London, offering services including language support, legal aid, a women's educational project and supplementary education programmes for child refugees. In 2018 Nasimi accepted the

Queens Award for Voluntary Service The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, also known as The Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for Voluntary Service by Groups in the Community and The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award is an annual award given to groups in the voluntary sector ...

on behalf of the ACAA for their work supporting refugees in London and was awarded the

British Citizen Award The British Citizen Award (BCA) is a recognition programme (The People's Honours) which is held bi-annually in the United Kingdom for individuals doing extraordinary work in their local community. The People's Honours was founded in September 2012. ...

for Volunteering and Charitable Giving in 2020. Nasimi has been an active campaigner promoting the rights of Afghans in Afghanistan and campaigning for refugee rights around the world. In 2013 Nasimi travelled to Afghanistan and launched the country's first two Citizens Advice Bureaus, which have since helped over 7,500 people with issues ranging from domestic violence to poverty and employment. He has also supported refugees in migrant camps in Europe, lobbied politicians in the UK and at the EU and in 2011 launched the European Campaign for Human Rights in Afghanistan (ECHRA). The ECHRA has since held conferences in London, Germany and Greece bringing together experts in the fields of migration and human rights to collaborate on solutions to the migrant crisis and ways to protect human rights in the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan Nasimi was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2023 New Year Honours The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

for services to refugees.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasimi, Nooralhaq 1967 births Living people Afghan refugees Afghan emigrants to England People from Parwan Province Members of the Order of the British Empire Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom