MORE – a program to help refugees gain access to higher education

My name is Asad Ullah Wahab and I am from Pakistan. I have been living in Austria since July 2015, when I fled from Pakistan because of the ongoing persecution against my faith in Pakistan. I belong to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, which is an international reform movement started in 1889 by a man in Qadian, India. We are being persecuted in many Muslim countries because of our faith. In such circumstances, especially in Pakistan, it is not easy to survive and, for that matter, to gain knowledge freely. As a Muslim, it is also a religious obligation for me to gain knowledge.

In Austria, everything was new for me. It was like beginning a new life, and for that I had to put a lot of trust in myself. It was not easy for me, but I told myself, “Look, you have been given a new chance, either you make the best out of it, or you leave it,” and motivated myself.

It was then that I found information on the Internet that WU was providing educational courses for refugees, which immediately appealed to me, and so I filed an application. Today I am a proud WU student and I am very thankful that WU has given me this great opportunity to fulfil my desire to gain knowledge.

I am deeply impressed by the facilities provided to us at this university. I was given so much respect and was treated so warmly, which was very unexpected for me as a refugee. Due to this loving and caring atmosphere, I was able to stand up again very quickly after facing so many difficulties in life (from the persecution in my home country until reaching Austria safely).

I don’t think that any other university is showing that much kindness to people like me. Also, the high standard of the education at WU is something to be inspired by. I am very happy, and I hope that the university will keep up these standards and carry on with this noble task of providing knowledge to everyone without differentiating between human beings in respect of their colour, religion, etc.

Thank you WU!

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