New Times Spring 2017

REFUGEES. REPORT. LIFE.

NEWTIMES SPRING 2017 > ISSUE # 101

“DANES ARE MUCH WARMER THAN THE COLD WEATHER HERE” Meet Mania and other asylum seekers in our portrait series inside the magazine Page 9

A FORMER CASEWORKER IN THE HOT SEAT PAGE 4 ASYLUM SEEKERS’ VIEW ON TRUMP PAGE 6 ROSKILDE UNIVERSITY HELPS ACADEMIC REFUGEES PAGE 3

DEAR READER 65,3 million people are forcibly displaced in the world now according to the UNHCR. Some of them have found their way to Denmark. Last year a total amount of around 6.000 applied for asylum.

In this magazine we dedicate several of our pages to small portraits of some of the people who have arrived to Denmark to seek protection. By showing these portraits we hope to build bridge between the many newly arrived refugees and our

Asylum statistics How many asylum seekers came in 2016 compared with 2015?

bring you an interview with the interviewer.

And of course, our first magazine after the election of Trump for the presidency in USA, also comments on Trump. Read an interesting opinion piece by our senior staff member from Iraq who compares Trump’s fight with the media with Saddam’s control of the Iraqi media.

Behind the scenes at our office, we have had to say goodbye to two of our good people.

One, Sara, because she got her

Danish readers. We hope you will enjoy them and sit back with a better understanding of some the members of the group so often just described with the general term “refugees” or “asylum seekers”.

This magazine also provides you with an interview with a former staff member from the Immigration Service, who sheds light on the people on the other side of the desk during the asylum seekers’ interview. In other words; we

New arrivals in 2015

asylum case approved. Another, Bahr, because he had his case rejected.

It is always painful to say goodbye to people if they have to leave because of a rejection.

Whenever that happens I am always reminded of my tremendous luck to be born in a safe, peaceful and rich corner of the world.

I wish Bahr, and the other 65,3 million people in UNHCR’s statistics, would also experience that soon.

Robin Ali Ahrenkiel El-Tanany

New arrivals in 2016

5.000 4.000 3.000 2.000

December

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

April

February

February

January

1.000

Source: Red Cross

MADS VOLUNTEERS TO IMPROVE THE LIFE FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS ❚❚Photo and story by Makmoud Mads is 34 years old. Normally he is a civil servant in the administrative office in the Ministry of Education. But for the past 15 months he has also been working as a volunteer in center Kongelunden. Making lunch for asylum seekers on Sundays. Today he is making dough for naan bread.

“I like it very much, everybody is very nice, both volunteers and asylum seekers.

When we are in the kitchen everybody wants to have a good time together, everybody wants to meet each other. Some don’t even speak Danish or English, and still communicate. I feel very happy that I am helping somebody.”

REFUGEES. REPORT. LIFE.

NEWTIMES Published by: The Danish Red Cross Editorial Office: New Times Rosenørns Allé 31, 2. sal, 1970 Frederiksberg Email: newtimesdk@gmail.com www.newtimes.dk Tel. +45 23 34 58 87 Editor: Robin Ali Ahrenkiel El-Tanany

New Times Journalists: Makmoud, Hala, Bahr, Eden, Marion, Paiwand, Mila, Hamid & Danial Editorial assistants: Katja Gasiorowski, Anne-Marie Dynes Møller, Naja Duus Bendixen, Marie Hohnen, Julie Steenbuch Holt & Michael Bang Interns: Laura Arlund Yderholm Volunteers Camilla Uhrskov Bank Layout: Jens Burau, supergreen.dk

PAGE 2 | ISSUE # 101 | SPRING 2017 | NEW TIMES

Printed by: OTM Avistryk Distributed to: Asylum centres, Ministries, Members of the Danish Parliament, public libraries, asylum and human rights organizations, NGOs, media and individuals in Denmark and abroad.

Subscription: Subscriptions are free. If you would like to subscribe to New Times send us an email at newtimesdk@gmail.com and we will send it directly to your email inbox as soon as the next issue is out. If you would like to receive the magazine by post send us an email for details. You only pay the postage.

ASIG: ASIG (Asylum Seekers Information Group) answers questions about asylum and life as a refugee. Individuals, teachers, students, journalists and anyone interested in asylum matters are welcome to send an inquiry. To book the group for lectures, presentations and discussions contact newtimesdk@gmail.com Support: We are supported by the Danish Red Cross adult education and training department.

Note: Some of the journalists use their real names, but some use pseudonyms because they do not want their whereabouts known by people in their home countries.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are those of the authors and the persons interviewed and not – unless stated clearly – the opinion of the Danish Red Cross.

STUDENTS HELP REFUGEES WITH UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS A group of students from Roskilde University has started helping refugees with an academic background enter Danish universities fast and smooth ❚❚By: Hamid Mukhtari A lot of refugees who are leaving their country because of war, religious, political and personal belief in Denmark are highly educated, but ends up driving a taxi or work in a storage. One of the reasons is a complex Danish education system. A group of students from Roskilde University realized the problem and started an organization called Students Support Refugees.

CREATING A BETTER FUTURE

Ida Lund-Larsen is a member SSR, and studies Cultural Encounters and International Studies at Roskilde University.

She thinks that SSR is an important group when it comes to creating a better future for educated refugees in Denmark: “Through education people get a chance to integrate and share their knowledge. But it is quite a complicated process for the refugees since they have no knowledge about how the educational system works here in Denmark.

BEING SURE

Mazen Alfeel, a refugee from Syria, is one of the students that received guidance from the SSR group. Mazen Alfeel now studies a Master degree at RUC in the field of International Humanities. “They make you pay attention to any mistake in your application to the university, and they advise you if you are confused about any point, so you will be sure about everything in it”, he says.

APPLY TO UNIVERSITIES

Ida Lund-Larsen says: We work

The logo of the students’ support group

as a mentor organization, and we communicate with people who want to apply to University by email, telephone and our Facebook page. Sometimes we help find an education that the person would find interesting, other times we help write motivational letters and CVs, and we will also help people who are confused about language school and high school courses, Ida Lund-Larsen added.

dent Support Refugees group is so helpful and it is very nice to meet these people who offer a beautiful picture of their communities, and how you should be not only as a student, but as a human too”, Mazen Alfeel.

“When you get help from people who have the experience, you can be sure that your application is correct and you haven’t got any mistakes that can make you regret later.”

Many refugees dream of continuing their studies at a Danish University.

But the road to enter can be full of obstacles. (Photo: Nasim webpage)

BEING HELPFUL

“They helped me in the application in all its phases, Mazen Alfeel tells New Times. “The Stu-

FACTS: RSS helps refugees write motivational letters and CVs in the application proces for the universities in Denmark. They also inform about The Danish Education system. The group consists of six persons. Two of them are Danish, the others are from Spain, Namibia, Germany and Iraq.

Contact the Students Support Refugees Group here: Email: studentsrefugeesdk@gmail.com Telephone: 28465391 Facebook Page:facebook.com/ RUCSupportsRefugees/

NEW TIMES | SPRING 2017 | ISSUE # 101| PAGE 3

CHANGE OF ROLES: A FORMER CASEWORKER IN THE HOT SEAT Daniel Møller Ølgaard worked as a caseworker in Centre Sandholm for eight months last year. His job was to interview asylum seekers, but today we change the roles, so he is interviewed by an asylum seeker

❚❚By Marion Chen As a former caseworker in the Immigration Service, Daniel has mixed feelings about the asylum system in Denmark.

“Denmark, compared to the other countries, is still in the good part of the countries. We treat the asylum seekers quite good. We have a relatively small influx compared with some of the South European countries, like Italy and Greece, and we actually allocate resources to deal with it. On the other hand, I think we also implemented some changes that were problematic.” says Daniel Møller Ølgaard.

Daniel was interviewing both adults and unaccompanied minors in Centre Sandholm, but today he doesn’t work for the Immigrations Service anymore. Even though, he is still limited by the law of confidentiality, so he can’t talk about the specific procedures in the Immigration Service.

Today Daniel is working on a Ph.D. What is the general criteria to judge an asylum seeker’s request for asylum in Denmark?

"The general criteria is the conventions, including international conventions, related to human rights violations. If you are personally persecuted in terms of five reasons, such as religious, politically or sexual persecution, you can be granted asylum. You have to be in a concrete risk of being killed or being subject to human right violations, if you go back to your home country. That’s the law."

Is there a law for the caseworker to secure that all the asylum seekers are treated equally? How do you make sure it happen in practice?

"There is a law. This goes for any government office for a public employee. You are obliged to live by the rules and actually you get those rules at the first day of the employment. One of those rules is to treat people fairly. If any employee is caught mishandling cases, either on a personal level or if not abiding by the laws in that specific area of work, then he will be fired and banned from working in other government offices.

In that position you have a lot of power. You really do. You don’t make final decisions, but you are the one writing everything down and you are handling the interview. It is very important for us to write things down in a truthful manner and we made a great effort to make sure that the applicant knows how we write it down. Every-

thing is translated at the end of the interview, so that the applicant get to know what the caseworker has written down."

In that position you have a lot of power. You really do.

How did you feel about having the power to decide the future of other people?

"That’s something I was really aware of when I started the job, but it fades away when you get into it. It is so regulated and there is not a lot of wiggle room. It’s very rare that cases are in a sort of grey zone and if they are, you have to talk with them again. At the beginning you are very insecure about what you’re doing, so you consult your team leaders and your head of office much more, but then you find out that there is a huge safety put into place so that it’s difficult to make grand mistakes, which makes you relax a little more."

Many asylum seekers feel that the caseworkers don’t know enough about their home country.

What do you think about that? Do you think it is a problem?

"I have had this conflict many times where the applicants feel that it’s very important to explain a lot of details about their home country and culture. But to be honest, it’s not very important, because it is not allowed to judge your case on that, because it is not depending on specifics.

The international conventions are universal so it doesn’t matter what kind culture you come from."

The problem is that we have no chance of verifying very specific kinds of information.

"If information from an asylum seeker contradicts the background information that the Danish government has, then the applicant's explanation will most likely be rejected on that basis alone.

And that is the most difficult part - it must be difficult for the applicant, because he can say “I was there!”, and that’s a very good argument. The problem is that we have no chance of verifying very specific kinds of information. On the other hand, if we don't have any background information that speaks against the information given by the applicant, and the information seems coherent and likely to be true, then we can't reject it."

Are there any actions to correct mistakes?

"There is a lot because this is a big system. Any rejection of asylum is automatically moved to an independent legal board - the Refugee Appeals Board - which is independent from the Danish

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Immigration Service and it has representatives from different bodies. Anyone who gets rejected will get the chance to make their case with a lawyer. If they can convince the board that the case has mistakes, then the board can rule that the case has to go back to start over again."

People working there do a good job.

Do you have anything you want to add?

"My personal opinion about the system is that people working there do a good job. My head of the office was very, very good. I never once felt that any of my colleagues didn’t care about the applicants. But we are also subject to a lot of regulations and changes of the rules from the government that made it difficult. But we found a way to make it as bearable as possible. I really liked working there. I mean, it is a tough job, but I felt that the people I talked to and the people I was in touch with did a good job."

NEW TIMES | SPRING 2017 | ISSUE # 101| PAGE 5

CONTROLLING THE MEDIA IS DANGEROUS – I SAW THAT IN IRAQ A system without criticism towards the people in power makes me think about the dictatorship I experienced back home

Trump is attacking the media that criticized him. That is like our old dictator in Iraq, Saddam Hussein. In Iraq, we experienced Saddam talking for two hours in the TV. After that was a two hour news program about Saddam until midnight. You never heard about the rest of the world. It was very scary.

I folded the piece of paper but somebody outside the booth shouted that people should not fold the voting paper. Then I had to walk from the booth to the box. A walk of 30 meters.

And all the way, on both sides, a long line of green clad party members were standing, trying to see what I, and others, had voted. I was scared. I knew I might die if they saw my vote. I was lucky and made it.

IT IS DANGEROUS TO BE AGAINST A DICTATOR

THE BEGINNING OF A DICTATORSHIP

❚❚Opinion piece by: Makmoud

We had three wars (1980, 1990 and 2003) where hundred of thousands of Iraqis were killed.

And every journalist in Iraq was a civil servant. Only reporting Saddam’s world.

At the elections in the nineties, I went to the ballot box and voted no (we could only vote yes or no for Saddam Hussein).

A system without criticism towards the people in power makes me think about the dictatorship I experienced back home. It is a dangerous development in a society when the leaders control the media. It is one of the first steps towards dictatorship.

Before Trump was thinking

PAGE 6 | ISSUE # 101 | SPRING 2017 | NEW TIMES

about being president I saw documentaries about him. And his TV-show. “You are fired!”, he told people even though they had made just one mistake. I had a business myself back home. If my staff made mistakes, I did not fire them immediately. I gave them two or three chances. Because one mistake can be based on a fair excuse. But Trump is hard. He wants his things his way. I don’t think a president should be like that. A president should be like the father for everybody in the country.

HOPE OF TRUMP NOT AFFECTING REFUGEES IN DENMARK

I am not in America. I hope what he does about the refugee issue, does not resonate here in Denmark. The last years here in Denmark, there have been

many cuts and tightenings for the asylum seekers and refugees. And the extreme right wing in Europe has gained wind because of him.

I watch a lot of news. Many people demonstrate against Trump. If he does not wake up and starts listening to both sides, he will lose the majority in the senate and in the house.

If he does not change, he will be in trouble.

ON THE RUN AT TØJHUSMUSEET ❚❚By Marion Chen It is a cold and frosty Friday morning. Groups of students led by their teachers enter Tøjhusmuseet in Copenhagen to visit all exhibitions there. Among all those black cannons piled up alongside the corridor of Tøjhusmuseet, there is a big bright yellow banner with an eye-catching letter På Flugt (On the Run), which is one of the exhibitions in the museum.

“It’s very interesting. I like it,” a student from Copenhagen Adam Hug says, “It's realistic. It is talking about what’s happening now in the world.”

“There are so many interactions and it’s easier to learn when you can move around when you see it with the virtual reality mirror,” says Paul, an eighteen-year old student.

Senior professor Lars K. Christensen who works in Tøjhusmuseet is the curator of the exhibition. According to his view, a museum is a place for all the history: starts from the way back in ancient times and lasts until yesterday evening.

Everything that happens before yesterday evening is history.

“We do a lot of documentation of contemporary history,” says Lars Christensen, “When something happens which we think will have historical significance, we try to document it, almost immediately just after it has happened.”

BLACK RUBBER BOAT

With two orange life vests, a black rubber boat marked Humanity Denmark starts the tour of På Flugt. This is the first part of the exhibition called Risking Your Life. Then comes the second stage named From Place To Place which shows refugees living in different temporary conditions, searching for new information, being helped or exploited here and there from camp to camp. The light in the darkness is the decorations in and on the tents in camps. This is shown in the third part of the exhibition Order In Chaos.

The fleeing way where people don’t know where to end leads to the fourth part of the exhibition The Journey.

come?- which all asylum seekers need to get through here in Denmark.

During the waiting time when asylum seekers learn to do a lot, such as paintings and handcrafts in the camp, is the sixth part of the exhibition Waiting Time. The end of the exhibition A New Home is a TV by a sofa showing a video of the new life refugees’ starts after being granted asylum in Denmark.

Tøjhusmuseet has an exhibition about the refugees called On The Run. The collections in the exhibition from Greek asylum centers illustrate the true scenario of the tough journey of the refugees fleeing out of Syria

FACTS: The exhibition can be seen at Tøjhusmuseet, Tøjhusgade 3, 1220 København K. Between 20th January and 11th June 2017.

The picture shows a part of the exhibition På Flugt at Tøjhusmuseet in Copenhagen. The exhibition runs from January till June 2017

DENMARK FIRST IN THE WORLD

It’s interesting that there is a display panel showing that Denmark is the first country in the world to sign the UN refugee Convention in 1952, which indicates the tradition of humanity help and support of Danish people. Before the refugee crises caused by Syria War, French Huguenots, Russian Jews and German War refugees came to Denmark seeking for asylum as well, including people from Hungary, Chile, Palestine, Bosnia and Somalia which are mentioned as a few.

“We think this refugee issue is what need to be documented for the future at the museum and it will be a part of the Danish history. People who are granted asylum are potential new Danish citizens, so the story we are telling here is also going to be a part of the history of Danes,” says Lars Christensen.“Maybe in a hundred years, somebody will come and say to us, my heritage goes back to Syrian refugee, Iraqi refugee or Chinese refugee.

Why is that not reflected in the museum?”

DANES WITH REFUGEE HERITAGE

Lars also expresses that they have experienced that people, whose great grandparents came from Hungary or from seventeenth-century France, have the expectation that their heritage is the part of the Danish heritage or Danish history. ”That is also the reason why we want to include the history of the refugees coming now or the ones who are coming,” says Lars Christensen.

WELCOME?

After arriving in Denmark, a country very different from the home country, people suffered from the disasters have to find the way around the asylum system which they don’t know at all. This is the fifth part Wel-

At the picture sees the first part of the exhibition På Flugt called Risking Your Life

NEW TIMES | SPRING 2017 | ISSUE # 101| PAGE 7

“THERE IS NO PEACE IN ETHIOPIA” Sena came to Denmark ten years ago from Ethiopia. Many people from her political movement are killed, she says ❚❚By Eden The Danish government believes that in Ethiopia there is peace and democracy, but according to Sena that is not the reality. Sena is born in Ethiopia and grew up with big problems between the government and the Oromo ethnic group which she belongs to.

“Oromo people are always mistreated. We don't get treated like we are a part of Ethiopia.

Since I was born my family has been fighting for our rights and freedom. When I was young I was inspired to get involved in demonstrations or an government opposition movement. I support O.L.F (Oromo Liberation Front)”, she says.

THE MAIN PROBLEM IS IN ETHIOPIA

“Human rights are never respected in Ethiopia. People are taken to prison without

doing anything wrong and people are not allowed peaceful demonstrations. Some in my family have been killed, raped by army and taken by army to unknown places. Lots of Oromo people are disappearing. We don't know where there are.

Oromo people’s farm land is taken by force. It makes me full of pain all the time. That is why I left my country. There is no justice. Election is every four years, but we don't see any new government. So where is democracy? Where is freedom?”

send you back”. But the past ten years I was not send back.

I don't know why. They believe Ethiopia is a democratic country, that is why I'm rejected. But I'm in danger if I go back.”

MY HEALTH IS AFFECTED BY LONG TIMES WAITING

“Long time camp life makes people sick mentally and physically, fighting with other tired people. I have bad nightmares. I cannot sleep well. There are lot of side effects of long time waiting. I'm always afraid because long time ago, the police called me severals times and said, “we

Sena (right) at a demonstration in front of the Danish Parliament asking the politicians to push for human rights in Ethiopia (Photo: Bahr)

MANY RESIDENTS HAVE TO MOVE BECAUSE OF FUNGUS IN KONGELUNDEN The future of asylum center Kongelunden is unknown as the fungus is difficult and expensive to remove ❚❚By: Makmoud There is fungus in the Kongelunden Asylum Center. This fungus has returned after it was treated more than two years ago which then cost a few million Danish kroner. The kindergarten at the center, the staff members and some of the asylum seekers had to move to a new location in Kongelund Asylum Center.

Badran and his family are residents and now have to move from their apartment to a shared house. I met him with his family on the steps of the flat he was told to leave. “I am worried about the health of my children. In the new place we have to share a kitchen and also a bathroom. This has added a burden on me when I’m also looking after my mentally ill wife and my three chil-

dren. Two of them are very energetic”, he says.

New Times talked to the head of the center, Gitte Nielsen, about the fungus in Kongelunden Asylum Center.

WHAT IS THE HEALTH RISK OF THIS FUNGUS?

"The Danish health authorities say that some people have health risks with fungus, but not everybody. If you are living under these conditions for a long time you can get allergy from the fungus. It can affect your skin and your lungs. The longer you stay, the worse it will be.

We moved the people who work here very quickly. If we did not do that the Danish work authorities would ask us to do it. You are not allowed to work under these conditions."

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WHERE DO YOU MOVE THE PEOPLE?

"The women from the Single Women's Center are being moved to Dianalund. The people who are sick and families with children move too. The rest will stay in their rooms. Cleaning of the rooms will

be done three times a week by vacuum cleaning machines. We also have a clean area in the center, that we can use. The Immigration authorities will decide what to do about the whole thing. Either they will renovate - or they will move the entire center."

They are all asylum seekers but their stories are very different.

Meet a number of people behind the term “asylum seekers”. ❚❚Stories and pictures by Hala, Danial, Makmoud, Bahr, Mila and Paiwand

“

I had lost my hope for everything. Hope for waking up happily the next morning, hope for a good future, and hope for love. The only thing I had on my mind was my two daughters whom I was taking care of all alone. I never thought that I could fall in love again, especially not in an asylum center. But then he showed up. In the middle of the asylum center. He made me feel alive and I began to

appreciate every single piece of life again. I was in my 40’s, and with him by my side I began to feel young again and to think that I still had a lot of years to enjoy my life.

After some months he got residence permit and moved far away, but he kept coming back for me. Neither of us had a family in Denmark, so we decided to get married and be each other’s family. At the wedding my daughters were

my witnesses, which was an unforgettable experience. Well, we began to live together, and one day I found out that I was going to be mother again. In my age I thought it would be very hard, but I always wanted a son too.

With the age difference of 20 years between my daughters and my son it is a very unique experience. I am happy for my life. I am happy for finding hope in Denmark. Even though

I still have problems getting residence permit, we are fighting. But the important thing is that we fight together.”

NEW TIMES | SPRING 2017 | ISSUE # 101| PAGE 9

“

I came to Denmark in the beginning of 2016. I was just a 23-year old girl, and I had never been away from my family before.

Now, I was going to live alone for the first time, and I didn’t even know for how long. I came from Iran, a sunny country with warm people, to Denmark, a country with busy people and cold weather.

I felt so lonely and foreign, when I met Danes for the first time. They had blonde hair, blue eyes and a cold look on their faces. I was by myself in a country without sunshine surrounded by people, who spoke a language I did not understand. I thought Danish people looked at me like a person, who was trying to destroy their country or a terrorist with black hair. One time, I was walking and a man passed me by. He looked at me with an angry face and then he spit on the ground, and said something in Danish. It was so painful, and when I tell the story today my eyes are full of tears.

I felt love and helpfulness for the first time.

During my first year here, I found out that Danes are much warmer than the cold weather here.

They are my friends now. Today, I can see a great future for myself in Denmark, and I am slowly learning to understand the language and culture.

I can become a doctor, and it has been my dream since I was a child. I won’t lose hope!”

“

Everything about my husband was annoying me. He told me “you are pregnant”, but I didn’t want to believe in that. So I decided to take a test. And when I find out I was pregnant, I just screamed and called my husband. I was so surprised. Because we have talked about it before, and we decided we don’t want children before we get residency. So we had to talk again. My husband told me he is going to be a good help for me during my pregnancy, and I had a good feeling about going to be a mom. So we decided to keep the child. Now it has been three months, and in this period my husband was a good help. He does all the work with cooking and cleaning. It is so hard because almost everything is annoying me. We are still living in a asylum center and we share the kitchen with other families. Our room is next to the kitchen, so I can smell all foods and smells and some of them make me angry

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“

I am Majed Diab. I have been two years and three months in Denmark, with my wife and two kids. I come from Palestine originally and grew up in Libya. I got rejected from the immigration service and the refugee court and they told me that they would send me back to Libya. The Danish authorities have contacted the Libyan authorities to process our case to send us back, but according to the Danish authorities, the Libyan authorities announced that we could risk our lives if they did send us back.”

“Both my wife and I have a university degree in Computer Engineering. I have found an internship in Copenhagen in a shop repairing phones as it is part of my education in technology in general. I asked the job center and the asylum center to give me permission to start, but the asylum center has refused my request. They said: "You're in phase three and are not allowed to get an internship". Even though I am in phase three they still asked me to go to another place for an internship, but what is the point in that?”

“I think it is a very good solution to let me do the internship. Then I would learn something new and gain experience and at the same time getting to meet and know more people and increase my network in the Danish labor market. When I get my permit to stay then I would have my job and know where to work.”

“

My name is Fadi. I am 28 years old and have a bachelor degree in law. Sectarian issues are the reason why I am here in Denmark. With all the conflict in Iraq and the sectarian issues going on in Baghdad you can't express what you feel or mention the wrong name. If you don't keep silent you will have the same result in the end: you will get threatened to leave or you will get shut.”

“The reason why I am in Denmark is that my wife she lives here.

She is a Danish citizen with Iraqi background. I wanted to live in peace and quietness far away from the risks which could affect my wife as well. I miss my hometown and I have these nice memories whenever I pass through an Iraqi restaurant and smell the delicious food. I have a lot of dreams which I wish to become true. One of them is that I can get a master in law here in Denmark.”

NEW TIMES | SPRING 2017 | ISSUE # 101| PAGE 11

“

I breathed with a sigh of relief when my son was able to get out of Aleppo with the help of an International agreement in December 2016. I came to Denmark almost two years ago, but I had to leave my two sons in Aleppo. I thought at that time ‘I don’t want to risk the death of my sons when they should cross the sea to the Greece”, so I came alone. I’ve got a temporary residence, and completed the reunification issue to bring my two sons. One of them managed come, but the other was trapped in Aleppo for about year.

It was the toughest days of my

life, when my son was trapped there. I couldn’t sleep. I was cooking food but couldn’t eat, because I thought: How can I eat when my son might not have food? I was spending a lot of time on the street and crying. I used to go to language school to keep myself busy, but I couldn’t focus. Thank God, he was able to reach Turkey peacefully. The embassy has told me, I will be able to see him after 4 months. When I left him, he was 15 years old, but when get to see him again, he will be 18.

Maybe he has grown grew. He looks tall in the pictures he has send me.”

“

I have many things I want to do in the future. Like to get my own apartment close to Copenhagen. Now I live in a shared accommodation in Sorø, and it’s very far from my work place. I also want to get a fulltime job. I have a part-time job now. I got this job in a famous fashion design shop in Copenhagen. My contact person in the municipality where I live helped me get the job after I had been an intern in the same shop for about a month. The shop owner is a gentleman, and my colleagues are very nice. That is why I still want to work in this place. To be able to work in a famous place makes me gain more experience through contact with many kinds of people.

It also helps me learn the Danish language. I find great pleasure in my work. I don’t like just sitting at home without doing anything.”

Iman Al-Shayah is from Syria.

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“

I am from Ghana and I came to Denmark as an asylum seeker seven years ago. As a displaced person, I have gone through stressful events. I have lost so many things. My family, my home and my livelihood. I arrived to Denmark with complete uncertainty about my future, and now I also got trauma from living in the asylum center. Even though I’m strong, the conditions in the camp is so tough without any activity. You are just waiting to get the chance to work and get a family. I have freedom, but I’m not free in this country.”

“After long time in the camp with mostly physical treatment, I have started to think that mental treatment is more important, because it can help me to find a way to overcome my trauma from the past and from the waiting time in Denmark.”

“

When I’m weight lifting in the club, I forget everything else. I don’t think about my asylum case. Instead I feel like I am ready to train an entire city. I dream about competing in international tournaments or becoming a professional coach in a club.”

“In Denmark people have a good way to deal with children and let them to choose to exercise and do what they love. So I have decided to do the same with my kids in the future. I remember when I was young and I would show my interest in music. I believe that music creates joy and happiness between people. But because of the conservative society I grew up in, my father kept me away from music. So I turned to sports. I started when I was 15 years old with football and then I headed to running. I did this until I got a medal and won the second place in a big competition.

After that I began doing shooting sports.”

“In the end I found out exactly what I want to do. It’s weight lifting. I discovered how many Danes also like this sport. Weight liftings teaches you ethics and gives you a healthy body with no diseases. I always advise people like alcoholics, drug addicts or people with psychological issues and depression to practice sports. Sports drive the negative energy out of the body.”

Semko Peroty is 28 years old and from Iran.

“

When I was a kid, I loved to play with my dad’s shaving tools. Until I became 15 years old, I decided to be a barber like my dad, so I made my first attempt cutting my brother’s hair. I wanted to make a nice haircut for him, but I kept on cutting until my brother was completely without hair. Fortunately he was my younger brother, so I was not punished.

Afterwards I became a professional barber.”

“I came to Denmark one year ago. During the waiting time for the Immigration service’s decision, I joined a new project, that the Red Cross calls “Frisør skole”.

The school has courses in hairdressing and it lasts for three months. After just one month of being in this school and with the help of the teachers collaborators, I can now make woman’s hair styles as well as hair coloring – something I didn’t know how to do before. I hope after I get a permission to stay in Denmark – and that I can bring my wife and my three children

here. Then I want to open a big salon, which will consist of two parts, one for women managed by my wife, and the other one for men managed by me”.

Amer Omer is 40 years old and from Iraq

“

I feel bored in the center where I live. There’s not much to do in the asylum center. I don’t have any real friends here – so I miss my friends in Syria. Sometimes I want to play with boys older than me, because the kids at my age are playing games which I find boring and trivial.

I love watching basketball games, so someday I want to become a famous basketball player. Or be an engineer like my father. The teachers at the school find it difficult to spell my name, but that doesn’t bother me, or make me want to change it” Bashir Al-Jazaery, 11 years old, from Syria

NEW TIMES | SPRING 2017 | ISSUE # 101| PAGE 13

BETHESDA IS A HOUSE OF MERCY Bethesda means house of mercy and is an NGO which aim is to assist migrants and refugees in their efforts to settle in Denmark ❚❚By Danial Bethesda is a Christian NGO, non-profit organization, where people can start having a new network in Denmark and where refugees and asylum seekers can meet people in different life circumstances. They can start having new friends and making new networks, which is the basement of integration, and at the same time meet a lot of people from different levels of society.

“We provide English and Danish classes for free. We have had this cross-cultural organization for 27 years now. We have legal concealing in this place. One of our colleagues has already worked about 12 years

in this field, and we also have two lawyers, who come here twice a month”, says Anders Graversen, leader of Bethesda.

Is it important that the students are Christians?

“Of course not, this is open for everybody, we have been seeing people from all over the world attending to our activity in 2016. We have had participants from 111 different countries. We are seeing people from all over the world because we are welcoming people from all over the world no matter the religious background. We have Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Atheists.

Moreover, the educational background is also very different for the students who attend our classes. Some of the students from Afghanistan or from Africa have had no education before coming to Denmark. They haven’t been at school in their life, and they can only speak their own language. Some people who are speaking Persian or Afghan or Arabic help them in our classes”, Anders Graversen tells.

New Times met Hasan from Afghanistan, an asylum seeker who is learning Danish in Bethesda:

”I knew about Bethesda from my friend. I am Muslim and at first, I thought maybe is just for Christian people, but afterward I understood that it is for people with different religions. Moreover, the classes are useful for me and the condition and atmosphere is very friendly”, he says.

FACTS: Bethesda’s address is: Rømersgade 17, 1362 København K The organisation running Bethesda is The Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark (in Danish this home mission is called: The Inner Mission)

Bethesda is an organization helping refugees and asylum seekers

“REFUGEES NEVER LEAVE HOME BECAUSE THEY LIKE TO” Many Danes have no contact with refugees. According to a volunteer, this can create misunderstandings and mistrust in society towards asylum seekers in Denmark ❚❚By: Hamid Mukhtari Many Danes volunteer to help refugees and asylum seekers.

One of them is Marianne Kampmann from Virum, who works as a volunteer in Lyngby Frivillig Center. Marianne was a high school teacher for 35 years and used to teach her students in Danish and Music.

Now, she is using her knowledge to teach refugees Danish and how to structure an assignment. Besides, Marianne is also spending her valuable time volunteering to help Danish students with special needs, such as dyslexia.

SHARING SURPLUS

Marianne helps refugees because it makes a difference to those with fewer resources:

“I think I have the responsibility to help and share my surplus with those, who need it. When you do something in practice, it will make a difference.”

When Marianne is helping others she gets joy, satisfaction and an inner peace: “It is a wonderful feeling.

But it is also a different kind of appreciation to help refugees compared to when I taught in high school. It is necessary to show that we like refugees and that they are welcome to in our country. Every single refugee is qualified to be Danish citizen.”

REFUGEES DON’T LEAVE HOME VOLUNTARILY

Marianne also approaches Danes, who have negative views and perceptions towards

PAGE 14 | ISSUE # 101 | SPRING 2017 | NEW TIMES

refugees. In her opinion, Danes and refugees need to make contact to break down prejudice: “Many Danes have no contact or relationship with refugees. And therefore they don’t know them. They have preconceived ideas about refugees, and think refugees are just here to take our money. But it is too

easy to make these barriers and to say “they and we”. The best way to break down these barriers is for the Danes to meet refugees and realize that we all are human beings. We’re all the same.”

According to Marianne Kampmann it is important to understand that refugees do

not leave their country by their own free will: “We have to realize that refugees have been forced to leave their country. I think that most people never flee their homes just because they feel like leaving. In most cases, it is because they can’t live in safety anymore."

EXPLORE COPENHAGEN’S FREE ATTRACTIONS Living in or visiting Copenhagen can be quite expensive, but I found several things to do for free in the city. Explore art, nature, the royal family and much more with this guide

❚❚Story and pictures by Mila The capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, is known as an ecofriendly destination with helpful and friendly citizens. Copenhagen is also famous for being both historical and modern at the same time. For me the city is full of unique and beautiful design scenes with a laid back atmosphere, a tasteful Nordic cuisine, beautiful Renaissance castles and many other things.

Despite Copenhagen’s reputation as an expensive city, I have been able to find many free attractions in the city - and with the upcoming summer you can find even more opportunities.

I like to explore the city, and I also like to save money - so in this guide I will mention some of the attractions you can enjoy for free.

I have been there - and now it is your turn to enjoy the activities without spending any money.

THE LITTLE MERMAID – DEN LILLE HAVFRUE

The Little Mermaid: Langelinie, 2100 København Ø The address for “ The Citadel”: Gl. Hovedvagt, Kastellet 1, 2100 København Ø

This little lady is one of Copenhagen’s most famous tourist attractions, who receives more than a million visitors a year. She is located at Langelinje Pier and is quite a symbol of Copenhagen. She was made in 1913 by Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen who was inspired by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale.

On your way to visit the bronze mermaid you will also be able to see other sights. For example The Gefion Fountain, St Alban’s Church and The Citadel (Kastellet), which is a starshaped fortress built in 1626 to defend the city. However, the area is open to the public and you can enjoy the green lung for a brisk walk and stroll the historic building and windmill.

NYHAVN

Nyhavn: Nyhavn 1-71, 1051 København

The colorful houses and the historical tall ships are some of the things you can enjoy in Nyhavn.

It was originally a commercial port where ships from all over the world docked, but today Nyhavn is an area with many

expensive restaurants and filled with people enjoying the cosy atmosphere.

House number 9 is the oldest house in the area dating back to 1681. The design of the house has not been changed since that time. And do not forget to see house number 20, where the famous Danish author Hans Christian Andersen was living in 1835.

In Nyhavn you can take the perfect photograph with the beautiful colors or enjoy a guided tour through the historical canals of the city. However, the price for the guided tour in the canals is around 40 kr.

AMALIENBORG PALACE

Not so far from “The Little Mermaid” you can find the Amalienborg Palace. If you have an interest in Denmark’s royal history and royal family this is the place to be, because the royal family still lives here. Denmark has the world’s oldest monarchy, and from the palace square you can experience the Royal Guards protection of the buildings. You can watch the changing of the guards as they march from their barracks to Amalienborg.

If you would like to have a closer look at the royal family then note down the Queens birthday (psst, 16th of April).

Every year the royal family shows up on the balcony on the occasion of the birthday celebration where they wave and greet the people who are there to celebrate the Queen from the palace square.

BOTANICAL GARDEN BOTANISK HAVE

When it is summer and the sun is shining in Copenhagen my favourite thing to do is to make a visit to the Botanical Garden.

It is a little oasis located in the city center, which for me is a lovely break from the "city life".

This garden has the largest collection of living plants in Denmark with more than 13.000 species, and you can also visit the large Palm House from 1874 where you will be able to see different kind of palm plants.

Between trees, flowerbeds and a lake you can spend your time in the casual cafe and relax in the delightful nature in the middle of Copenhagen.

Botanical Garden: Øster Farimagsgade 2B, 1353 København K

ing me, so this is one of the reasons for me to recommend this place. Even though this museum, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, is located 40 kilometres north of Copenhagen it is worth a visit. Louisiana has 8-12 special exhibitions every year, which are really fun to explore, and besides the special exhibitions they have permanent collections with over 3.000 works. And art does not have to be boring, especially not for the kids. If you bring them with you, you can find a kid’s area, where the little ones can express themselves creatively.

Louisiana cooperates with the Red Cross Schools and together they have created a project for refugee children, where they get opportunity to meet the art. The purpose of the customized teaching program is to strengthen the children's self-confidence and give them a good experience in a safe environment with the opportunity for contemplation.

The museum gives free entry to asylum seekers. All you have to do is to show your ID-card.

Amalienborg : Amalienborg Slotsplads 5, 1257 København K.

Zulu Summer Open Air Cinema visits a number of cities in Denmark, and in Copenhagen it takes place in Fælledparken in Copenhagen’s Østerbro area and in The King’s Garden (Kongens Have) which is located in the city centre.

There is no admission fee, so you can enjoy some Danish “ hygge” with your friends for free. You can also bring your own soft drinks and popcorn.

The Summer Open Air Cinema takes place every summer in beginning of August. For the exact date check their Facebook page.

Fælledparken: Edel Sauntes Allé, 2100 København Kongens Have: Øster Voldgade 4A, 1350 København

ZULU SUMMER OPEN AIR CINEMA

Who doesn’t love to enjoy a good movie with friends or family?

For me Zulu Summer open Air Cinema is a perfect match of my two favourite things - summer and movies. With Zulu Summer open Air Cinema you enjoy a movie in cosy atmosphere in middle of nature. Every year Louisiana Museum: Gammel Strandvej 13, 3050 Humbebæk

LOUISIANA MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

A lot of studies show that art can make people happier - includ-

NEW TIMES | SPRING 2017 | ISSUE # 101| PAGE 15

NEW REFUGEE COOKBOOK

A new, unique, cookbook has just been released on the market in Denmark. It shares tasty recipes from female refugees’ home countries ❚❚By: Eden “The book is important, because it gives the possibility for asylum seekers to tell their story and present their country through the recipes in the book,” says Erica. Erica came up with the idea about the Sister’s Cuisine Cookbook together with another woman, Be Tka, last year. Both are helping in the Trampoline House through an internship. And both are connected to an activity in the Trampoline House called Sister’s Cuisine, where female asylum seekers and refugees meet every week to cook delicious food from their home countries.

THE BOOK REPRESENTS REFUGEE POWER

“The book is a supposed to show what it means to be a female refugee in Denmark. The book represents how refugees are powerful and it gives them the opportunity to combine the Danish culture and the refugees’ home country. The book includes the story about a refugee and about the country that

they came from. And it includes recipes and descriptions of the way of cooking and eating in the refugee’s home country,” says Erica.

“The book gives the women living in the camp power and activities to do. The book makes Danes and asylum seekers taste different cuisines from different nationalities,” Erica explains.

THE MONEY WILL GO TO THE TRAMPOLINE HOUSE

The money made on the book will go to support the work of the Trampoline House to create more opportunities for asylum seekers and refugees to be more active and to get them to share their experiences.

FACTS: The name of the cookbook is “Sister’s Cuisine Cookbook: Recipes Without Borders”. The price of the cookbook is 99 kr. It can be bought in the Trampoline House and selected book shops or online here: https://www.trampolinehouse.dk/ shop/ The book is printed in a Danish and an English version.

Meet refugees through the food of their home countries. (Photo: Trampoline House)

ASK A LAWYER 1 2 1 2

Hi. My name is Hamid and I am refugee in Denmark.

Can you describe what are the main conditions to get permanent residence and citizenship in Denmark such as length of stay, language skill, job, the amount of tax, criminal records and etc.?

Dear Hamid, In the asylum department in the Danish Refugee Council we work primarily with asylum law and we are not experts in questions related to permanent residency and citizenship in Denmark. I will refer you to https:// www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/ coming_to_dk/permanent-residence-permit for information about permanent residency.

For information about Danish citizenship I would refer you to the webpage of the Ministry of Immigration and Integration, but unfortunately they have very little information in English http://uim.dk/arbejdsomrader/statsborgerskab/ in-english. Finally, I have found information on the webpage of Refugees Welcome http:// refugeeswelcome.dk/en/applying-for-residence/, but I do not know if this information is up to date. If you have questions or are in need of counselling on

this subject I will refer you to contact Frivillignet: https://flygtning.dk/frivillig/hvem-vi-er/ kontakt-os.

Hi. If an asylum seeker is rejected by the court, and she wants to apply asylum in another country, can she retrieve her documents from the Immigration Service and go to this country for applying?

In order to answer this question, I will go briefly through the Danish Asylum Procedure. When an asylum seeker applies for asylum in Denmark and the case is processed in Denmark the procedure is as follows.

First the Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen) will make a decision and if this decision is negative the case will be processed by the Refugee Appeals Board (Flygtningenævnet or court). The decisions of the Refugee Appeals Board are final and cannot be appealed to a higher court in Denmark. After a final rejection from the Refugee Appeals Board the case will be transferred to the Danish Police who will arrange the deportation of the rejected asylum seeker. It is only possible for the Danish Police to

PAGE 16 | ISSUE # 101 | SPRING 2017 | NEW TIMES

We sent your questions to the lawyers at the Danish Refugee Council. Here are their replies deport a rejected asylum seeker to her home country or to a country in which the person has a valid residence permit.

The police will hand over the documents when a deportation takes place. The Dublin Regulation regulates that an asylum seeker can only have her asylum case processed in one of the European member states. Because of that it is not possible to retrieve her documents from the Danish authorities and apply for asylum in another European country.

If the rejected asylum seeker applies for asylum in another European member state after a final rejection there is a great risk that she will be transferred back to Denmark, since this is the country in which she first applied for asylum.

3

Hi. Is there any chance to move from third phase to second phase? For example if you have been refused residence permit but Danish Immigration Service is still assessing your case.

3

There are three phases in the Danish asylum procedure. Phase one is when it has not yet been decided by the Immigration Service if the

asylum case will be processed in Denmark or if the asylum seeker will be transferred to another European country under the Dublin Regulation.

Phase two is when the Immigration Service has decided that the asylum case will be processed in Denmark and the process is ongoing at either the Immigration Service or the Refugee Appeals Board. Phase three is when there is a final rejection from the Refugee Appeals Board. It is possible to go from phase three to phase two, but it only happens in rare cases.

This could happen for example in cases where new relevant information is being presented after the final rejection or if the situation in the home country changes dramatically. In these cases it is possible to apply the Refugee Appeal Board to reopen the case.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? WRITE TO: New Times Rosenørns Allé 31, 2. sal, 1970 Frederiksberg or email us at newtimesdk@gmail.com Please feel free to ask your questions anonymously.

YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT: Dansk Flygtningehjælp Legal Counseling Unit Asylum Department Borgergade 10 Postbox 53 1002 København K www.drc.dk Email: advice@drc.dk Free Legal Counseling for asylum seekers every Wednesday from 10:00 - 13:00 You need to present your questions in Danish or English