Canada, Don't Abandon Afghan Interpreter Sayed Shah Sharifi
You start to wonder who the real enemies of freedom are when Canada denies a visa to an Afghan ally--because he complained about slow bureaucracy in Canada.
Sharifi was an interpreter for Canadian military forces in the war in Afghanistan. Star columnist Paul Watson calls Sharifi a "courageous leader" who showed "extraordinary bravery under fire," working right on the battlefield alongside Canada's soldiers.
Canada's immigration department was initially favorable to Sharifi's application for a visa. After all, Canada has a program specifically designed to harbor Afghans who can't go home because they aided Canada's military. But after Sharifi complained about the slow wheels of immigration in the Canadian press, his application was rejected.
Tell Citizenship and Immigration Canada to honor its commitments to allies and grant a permanent visa to Sayed Shah Sharifi.
We the undersigned believe
a functioning democracy treats its critics the same as its fans. We respectfully ask that you
grant asylum to Sayed Shah Sharifi who risked his life for Canada and will perhaps lose his life if he returns to Afghanistan.
