HYDERABAD: despite a US federal judge ordering a temporary halt to President Donald Trump’s ban on travellers from seven Muslim countries, confusion, skepticism and anger still continues to haunt students from these countries studying in the City.
Hyderabad hosts one of the largest populations of students studying in India from the seven countries - Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Iraq, who are confused regarding their dream of pursuing higher studies in the US.
Hend-al-Borsan, a Syrian student who has completed her Masters from English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) said that after the ban, it will be against her dignity to head to the US. “The political atmosphere in Syria is not peaceful enough and that compels me and my people there to move to other countries for a secured future,” she said. “The ban made me cry as I had plans to migrate to US for career. I will not want to go to US now, it will be against my dignity,” she said.
Hamed Sofyan Almaqrami, a Yemeni student who has finished his Masters in Linguistics from Osmania University was scheduled to head to Malaysia for an interview is now confused. “I had plans to go to the USA for my PhD and was selected for diversity visa to the country,” said Almaqrami. “
City students too expressed similar views. Sabi Sheik, a Hyderabadi, is an MBA graduate from ICFAI Business School awaiting admissions in the US. “America is a land of opportunities but heading there now seem like being an unwanted guest. Terrorism has no religion. Trump should look at policies to counter terrorism than spread hatred,” said Sheik.
“It is a blot on the world’s oldest democracy,” said advocate Mounis Abidi. For a country which calls itself champion of human rights, the latest order would act as a catalyst for rise in extremism and hatred,’’ he said.