Politics

Vox Refugee: Mustapha

Time to meet someone on the other side of the LaGeSo line. Mustapha is not a refugee himself, but left Morocco for fairer economic weather. Now that he's here, he feels compelled to help Berlin's newest arrivals.

Image for Vox Refugee: Mustapha
Photo by Boryana Ivanova

Mustapha, 28, met November 25 at LaGeSo

“Islam commands that we help other people. I have the time to help people, and this is why I’m volunteering at LaGeSo to help refugees. I left Morocco two and a half years ago. There were no jobs there, so I set off looking for better opportunities. I got on a plane to Rome and from there I went to Sicily, where I have family. I worked different jobs for two years – badly paid jobs. I was working as a driver and sometimes I even had 20 hour shifts. Friends of mine actually told me that I should go to Berlin, the only trouble being the language. When I arrived here four months ago, the refugee crisis was just starting to get out of hand and I decided to help out in any way I could. It breaks my heart to see the situation of the refugees here. It’s a catastrophe… it hurts me to see all these helpless women and children. Even though the situation in my country is not ideal, I could return – it wouldn’t be a total disaster for me. I still have my family there, my house, my friends. And I’m really thankful for that. Most of the people that I meet here every day have no chance to go back. But what I’m seeing here isn’t an ideal solution either. Of course these people are lucky to have escaped war. Now they can sleep in peace, eat in peace and live in peace. But the best solution would be no war and people could stay in their countries and live a nice, quiet life.”