A refugee from Afghanistan, who fled persecution by the Taliban and arrived in the UK with his young family in the back of a refrigerated lorry in 1999, will receive an honorary doctorate from Royal Holloway, University of London on the 17th of July. The prestigious qualification is being awarded to Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi MBE to commemorate his exceptional dedication to serving the refugee communities in the UK for the past 25 years.

Fearing for his and his wife’s life, Dr Nasimi uprooted his family in Afghanistan in the hope of starting a new life in Britain. The journey was fraught with challenges, the final one was how to get across the English Channel. The parents and three small children only made it to Dover after people smugglers put them in the back of the refrigerated lorry being loaded onto a ferry. Dr Nasimi arrived in London unable to speak a word of English, which limited his ability to access mainstream services to support new refugee arrivals. While studying English at Lewisham College, the challenges he faced as a refugee trying to integrate into British society motivated him to action.

In 2000, Dr Nasimi founded the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA). The charity focuses on the needs that he felt were unfulfilled when he first arrived as a refugee. The ACAA is now an award-winning charity promoting the social and economic integration of thousands of Afghanistani, Central Asian, Ukrainian, and other refugees and migrants coming with similar hopes and aspirations to the UK.

Vice Chancellor and Principal of Royal Holloway, Professor Julie Sanders, said:

“Dr Nasimi is an inspiration to the thousands of people helped by the ACAA, but also to all of us who recognise the U.K.’s role in fighting intolerance and discrimination. The work he has undertaken in the past twenty-five years has helped thousands of new arrivals settle and build a new life here. People who have been forced to flee their homes and can now contribute to wider society.

“The values of integration and education sit at the core of any stable society, especially to Royal Holloway as a University of Social Purpose. Dr Nasimi epitomises these same values. We are delighted to be giving him an honorary doctorate to celebrate all he has done, and continues to do, both for newly arrived refugees to the UK, and for British society as a whole.”

Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi MBE, Founder and Director of the ACAA, said:

“It is a humbling honour to receive this Doctorate from Royal Holloway. Now based in West London, the ACAA has worked closely with the University on a number of occasions and I want to thank them for all the support they have given us to deliver programmes to support people newly arrived in the UK looking to build a new life.

“Without education we are nothing; twenty-five years ago I learnt very quickly how hard life is when unable to speak the mother tongue. It is so important new arrivals to the UK learn English, but it is also important refugees understand how to access the generous support Britain makes available to us. I founded the ACAA to deliver these two objectives and I am enormously proud of all those who have passed through our doors and are now leading independent, integrated lives in Britain. For me Britain is the greatest country in the world. I will be eternally grateful for the opportunities my children have been able to take advantage of.”

Speaking on the current situation in Afghanistan, Dr Nasimi MBE, issued a call for action:

“The human rights situation in Afghanistan has been worsening after the Taliban takeover two years ago in August 2021. The Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on life, but in particular, on women and girls, including limitations on education, employment, public interactions, and other fundamental rights such as access to justice. Girls in Afghanistan are being turned to religious education in madrassas after being denied modern education. I call for urgent action to address the human rights crisis facing Afghanistan’s women and girls, who are being erased from society.

“Without the necessary measure to bring change to the situation in Afghanistan, countries like the UK will forever be a beacon of hope and security to people suffering. As the UK election has shown, malign political forces will build divisionary narratives around the plight of refugees. Action should be taken to restore human rights in Afghanistan and to ensure these rights are enshrined across the world.”