For months, Hameedullah Rokhan fought alongside NATO troops in Afghanistan, trying to keep the Taliban at bay. As the war-torn country鈥檚 government started to collapse, he fled his homeland.
Rokhan finally received a visa for refugees and moved his family to Montgomery County, Maryland.
He was a guest speaker at a rally Thursday to support Afghan refugees and families like his.
鈥淲hen I moved here, I was so happy,鈥� Rokhan said, who left Afghanistan in December. 鈥淣ow we are feeling good and we are at rest now.鈥�
Montgomery Councilman Evan Glass said he quickly planned the rally for two reasons.
The first was to send a clear message to people who don鈥檛 want Afghan refugees to settle in the U.S.
鈥淲e have seen what鈥檚 been on social media,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople are trying to be divisive about our moral obligation to help those who helped us.鈥�
Several community groups are working with refugees, scrambling to find them jobs, apartments and enroll their children in school.
One group, the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation, said its biggest challenge is locating affordable housing.
鈥淭hey are shattered,鈥� said Saba Rashid, the foundation鈥檚 president. 鈥淚 had a family yesterday and they just came with nothing. We鈥檙e talking to the country to provide some sort of subsidized housing.鈥�
Glass said that鈥檚 the second reason why he organized the rally 鈥� to get more help for refugees, especially through volunteers.
鈥淧eople want to help and they don鈥檛 know where to turn,鈥� Glass said. 鈥淭his was really to educate people on how we got this place and activate them to help.鈥�
