Afghani refugee in Norway disillusioned

LONGYEARBYEN, Norway-As tens and thousands of migrants run away from poverty and war, Nazif Afghan (20), a refugee from Afghanistan now living in Norway, is struggling to adapt to the new life.

After he finished middle school he struggled to find a full-time job and did day-labouring to make ends meet. The USA promised to create new employment but just kept bombing the country under the name of freedom.

"One day a former friend from middle school said there is a country called Norway, the promised land, flooded with milk and honey," Mr. Afghan said. "So I didn't think twice, grabbed my iPhone started my nightmarish journey."

6000 km from Kabul-that is how far Norway is from the capital of Afghanistan. To prepare for the journey, Mr. Afghan bought a Syrian passport on the black market and learned some Arabic phrases to get through borders as a Syrian.

He was smuggled into Turkey. He narrowly survived the sinking of a smuggler's fishing boat off the Italian Island of Lampedusa. Italy was beautiful but its social welfare system was as bad as Afghanistan so Mr. Afghan continued his journey. He crossed Austria but did not like the strange German slang they spoke and did not understand the Wiener Schmäh, a type of black humor just understood by Austrians in Austria and decided to continue with the journey until he has reached his ultimate destination Norway.

After 6 month of hardship he finally reached the Norwegian border. The authorities told him that the detention centers in Oslo were already overcrowded and offered him a place in Longyearbyen.

"I was looking for honey and milk in Europe", Mr. Afghan added, "but I didn't expect this misery."

Mt. Afghan's new life started in June at Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in Spitsbergen. June was also the month of Ramadan, a religious event where Muslims are not allowed to eat anything until sunset.

Now Mr. Afghan's journey is over, he expresses disillusionment and disappointment about Norway.

"All ice bears, seals and even the sun will convert to Islam"

The first day of Ramadan, Mr. Afghan waited for sunset but it still did not happen. Longyearbyen experiences midnight sun from April to August. 

When we interviewed Mr. Afghan, he already did not eat for 3 days. "I am a Muslim and have to obey the doctrines of the Quran. If I eat  during Ramadan I will go to hell," says Mr. Afghan. "Now I hate Norway, I hate Spitsbergen. I am praying to the Lord everyday but the sun doesn't seem to sink. I am angry. I think I will join the ISIS or the Salafist. Spitsbergen should be a caliphate. All ice bears, seals and even the sun will convert to Islam." Mr. Afghan seems to loose his temper because of fasting for a long period of time.

One week after the interview with Mr. Afghan, we heard that he tried to go back to Afghanistan but was deported to Norway because the authorities found out that his passport was not valid.