Why Husien Panahi has earned the right to remain here

Meet Husien Panahi, 19 years-old, talented, intelligent, full of achievments and, until he was informed otherwise by the Home Office after completing his final A-level exam at the Chatham Grammar School for Girls‘ Sixth Form (Luton and Wayfield), living here contentedly, peacefully and surrounded by those who love him.

On Wednesday, those same people were surrounding him once more, waving makeshift pickets and placards at passing cars, declaring such achievments as “offered 6 university places” and “raised nearly £400 for “Children with Leukaemia”" and, amongst his many achievments, messages of support: “his home is here!”. For Husien was informed by letter that, as his leave to remain in this Country expired, such leave would not be renewed.

From a traditional Conservative ideological perspective one might expect me to say, why should he be given indefinite leave to remain here? In fact, that is a question posed by one of my Government and Politics sparring partners as we walked home from our final AS-level exam yesterday, and my response was to agree with Chatham Grammar School for Girls – and the Government. To sum up such an argument is easy: “earned citizenship”.

There are not very many people who have earned their right to stay in the Country quite like Husien. His unlimited selflessness and numerous attempts at being self-sufficient bring shame on native citizens.

When he arrived in Britain in 2003, he was just a terrified 15 year-old boy and could not speak a word of English. He was seeking refuge in Britain, after his parents were murdered in Afghanistan, and was granted asylum – learning to speak English (a lot better than many people from Chatham his age, and indeed in his home town of Rochester) within six months of being fostered by a Medway family.

Since then, Husien has been an outstanding active member of the community, having raised £360 for Children’s Leukaemia and twice being awarded the resident of the month in the Springboard Foyer, amongst his many achievments.

He is equally talented both in his education and in his sport – he passed 11 GCSEs, three AS-levels and has been predicted BCC in his A-levels, and has been offered a place at six different universities; he represented Medway in a European football tournament, played football for Chatham Town FC and voluntarily worked coaching Meridian Girls’ football team.

Finally, he has tried to support himself along the way. Unlike many people in his position, he has not lived off Government hand-outs, but he has worked hard, first starting with a paper round then working in a hairdressing salon and now working as a barman at Enigma in Rochester.

Husien is a prime example of someone who has earned citizenship of the United Kingdom. Our Government speaks of helping the plight of the less fortunate generation, but they are happy to send Husien back to Kabul – back to the nightmares and depression in a country which Husien reminds us “has been at war for 25 years and it is still not safe, people are being killed there every hour.”

Husien himself is said to be overwhelmed by the support from friends, fellow students and even complete strangers – so far 300 letters and 650 emails of support have been received and Husien’s plight has hit the media with a report on Meridian News on Wednesday 6th June, a KMFM radio interview on Friday 8th June and making the front pages of both the Medway News and the Medway Messenger – however I see no reason why this wrong decision by the Home Office should be ignored.

Husien Panahi is an exceptional British citizen – and that is the way things should remain.

Husien’s story was featured on Meridian News and you can help support the campaign (by writing to Husien’s highly supportive MP Robert Marshall-Andrews, the not-so-supportive Immigration Minister Liam Byrne or downloading fliers, petitions and template letters) through the Chatham Grammar School for Girls’ website section dedicated to fighting to prevent Husein Panahi from being deported. His appeal will be heard before a tribunal on June 28.