Hlangana noRahaf Khatib: I-American Muslim Running the Boston Marathon Yokuqongelela Imali Ababaleki BaseSyria

-Delile

• Buyekeza kwe-

URahaf Khatib akayena umuntu ongaziwa ukwephula imigoqo nokwenza isitatimende. Waba sematheni ngasekupheleni konyaka odlule ngokuba umgijimi wokuqala we-hijabi ongumSulumane ukuvela kukhava yephephabhuku lokufaneleka. Manje, uhlela ukugijima iBoston Marathon ukuze aqoqele ababaleki baseSyria imali e-U.S.-isizathu esiseduze nesithandekayo enhliziyweni yakhe.

"Bekuhlale kuyiphupho lami ukugijima umjaho omdala kunayo yonke, ohlonishwayo," etshela u-SHAPE engxoxweni ekhethekile. IBoston Marathon kuzoba ngeyesithathu kuKhatib iWorld Marathon Major-esevele egijime umjaho weBMW Berlin neBank of America Chicago. “Izinhloso zami wukwenza zonke lezi ziyisithupha, ngethemba ukuthi ngonyaka ozayo,” usho kanje.

UKhatib uthi ujatshuliswa yileli thuba, ngokwengxenye ngoba kube khona umzuzu abecabanga ukuthi bekungafanele wenzeke ngawo. Njengoba umjaho ungekho ngo-Ephreli, ubeqale ukufinyelela ezinhlanganweni zosizo ngasekupheleni kukaDisemba, ngokuhamba kwesikhathi ezwe ukuthi umnqamulajuqu wokufaka isicelo ngenhlangano esiza abantulayo kade wadlula, ngoJulayi. “Angazi nokuthi ubani ongasheshe afake isicelo,” ehleka. "Ngangishayekile, ngakho ngangifana nokuthi ngiphile kahle, mhlawumbe akuhloselwe ukuba kulo nyaka."

Ngokumangala kwakhe, kamuva wathola i-imeyili emema ukuba agijime umjaho.“Ngithole i-imeyili yokungimemela eqenjini labo bonke besifazane nabadlali abanekhono,” kusho yena. "[Lokho kukodwa nje] kwakuwuphawu lokuthi kumele ngenze lokhu."

Ngezindlela eziningi leli thuba belingafiki ngesikhathi esingcono. Uzalelwe eDamaseku, eSyria, uKhatib wathuthela e-United States nabazali bakhe eminyakeni engama-35 edlule. Selokhu aqala ukugijima, wayazi ukuthi uma engake agijime umjaho weBoston, kuzoba ngosizo olusiza ababaleki baseSyria.

"Izimo zokugijima nokusiza abantu ziyahambisana," esho. "Yilokho okukhipha umoya we-marathon. Ngithole le bhibhi mahhala futhi bengingavele ngigijime nayo, ayikho ipun ebihloselwe yona, kodwa ngizwe sengathi bengidinga ngempela ukuthola indawo yami kuBoston Marathon."

“Ikakhulukazi ngakho konke okwenzakala ezindabeni imindeni ihlukana phakathi,” kuqhuba yena. "Sinemindeni lapha [e-U.S.] ezinze eMichigan edinga usizo, futhi ngacabanga 'yeka indlela emangalisayo yokubuyisela'."

Ekhasini lakhe lokuqoqa imali iLaunchGood, uKhatib uchaza ukuthi "kwababaleki abayizigidi ezingama-20 abagcwala umhlaba namuhla, oyedwa kwabane ungowaseSyria." Futhi kwababaleki abayi-10 000 abamukelwe yi-United States, abayi-1 500 babo sebehlala kabusha eMichigan. Kungakho ekhetha ukuqoqa imali yeSyrian American Rescue Network (SARN) - inhlangano engeyona eyepolitiki, engahambisani nenkolo, engakhokhi intela ezinze eMichigan.

"Ubaba wafika lapha eminyakeni engama-35 eyedlule nomama weza nami esemncane," esho. "Ngakhulela eMichigan, ngaya ekolishi lapha, isikole samabanga aphansi, konke. Okwenzeka manje kungenzeka ukuthi kwenzeka kimi ngo-1983 ngenkathi ngisendizeni ngiza eMelika"

U-Khatib usevele wathatha isibopho sokuqeda izinganekwane mayelana namaMuslim aseMelika nabasubathi be-hijabi, futhi uzoqhubeka nokusebenzisa lo mdlalo ukuqwashisa ngesizathu esiseduze nesithandwa kakhulu enhliziyweni yakhe.

Uma ungathanda ukuzibandakanya, unganikela odabeni lukaRahaf ngekhasi lakhe le-LaunchGood. Bheka i-Instagram yakhe ku- @runlikeahijabi noma ulandele iqembu lakhe nge- # HylandsPowered ukuze uqhubeke noqeqesho lwabo njengoba belungiselela iBoston Marathon.

Buyekeza kwe-