November 24, 2021 at 4:29 a.m.
Fighting for Riz
Jay County couple is working to help their friend from Afghanistan
Fighting for Riz
Rizwanullah Bahrami had a target on his back.
He also had a champion.
Riz — as his friends call him — represents everything the Taliban detest. He speaks fluent English and has been affiliated with the American University of Afghanistan. He worked on behalf of the government of President Ashraf Ghani and is steeped in western culture. In other words, since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, he has been a dead man walking.
His champion: Vivian Morehous.
Retired educators Vivian and Bob Morehous moved to Jay County in 2016 to be closer to his family. Bob grew up here, and though the couple had lived and worked in the Martinsville area for 46 years, the move to rural Jay County east of Portland made sense.
They were welcomed into the community, in large part because of the hospitality shown by the late Vicki Tague. They were welcomed into the Portland Rotary Club and were soon befriended by Dale Basham, a retired Muncie area educator who later became Rotary district governor.
“Dale is a very special person,” said Vivian.
It was through Basham that the couple made first contact with Afghanistan.
He invited the couple to a meeting in Muncie. The speaker at the meeting was Bibi Bahrami, founder of Awaken, a charitable group based in Muncie that has provided assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan. She and her husband, Dr. Mohammed S. Bahrami, medical director for American Health Systems, made a huge impression on Vivian and Bob.
“I was very impressed by her,” said Vivian.
But she still had her doubts.
“My impression was that anyone from Afghanistan was a terrorist,” she said. “And I had this stereotype of Muslim men.”
That stereotype was put to the test when she received a Facebook friend request from someone she had never heard of.
“It was some Arab-looking guy,” she remembered.
But then she noticed that the young man making the request — Rizwanullah Bahrami — was also connected via Facebook with Dale Basham.
Basham assured her that Riz was not only OK, he was also a Rotarian. And he was the nephew of Bibi and Sadr Bahrami, who are U.S. citizens.
He was also a young man of extraordinary promise.
Born in a small village, he had pursued his education relentlessly. After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, he applied to the master’s of business administration program at Ball State University. His application was accepted in 2014.
But there were problems. Although Riz took additional classes at the Professional Development Institute at the American University of Afghanistan, his command of the English language still needed work.
That’s where Vivian stepped in.
For five years, she tutored Riz in English — conversational and American — via the internet, using Messenger, Facebook, Zoom and Google Meet.
“There was sporadic internet, and the electricity (there) kept going off and on,” said Vivian.
“He speaks English because of her,” said Bob. “And there have been a lot of life lessons thrown in.”
All of that would have been challenging enough. Then came COVID-19. Riz was able to take some online classes toward his MBA under lockdown conditions.
But then the Taliban and ISIS began to stir the pot with their own brand of chaos.
Students at the American University of Afghanistan faced an increasingly perilous situation, especially those wishing to continue their education in the U.S.
“He wants to get a quality education,” said Vivian.
Riz found himself particularly vulnerable to attack by the Taliban.
Then came the August chaos of the American withdrawal.
“The American University in Kabul no longer exists,” said Vivian.
Fear and uncertainty descended upon the country.
But she still had her doubts.
“My impression was that anyone from Afghanistan was a terrorist,” she said. “And I had this stereotype of Muslim men.”
That stereotype was put to the test when she received a Facebook friend request from someone she had never heard of.
“It was some Arab-looking guy,” she remembered.
But then she noticed that the young man making the request — Rizwanullah Bahrami — was also connected via Facebook with Dale Basham.
Basham assured her that Riz was not only OK, he was also a Rotarian. And he was the nephew of Bibi and Sadr Bahrami, who are U.S. citizens.
He was also a young man of extraordinary promise.
Born in a small village, he had pursued his education relentlessly. After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, he applied to the master’s of business administration program at Ball State University. His application was accepted in 2014.
But there were problems. Although Riz took additional classes at the Professional Development Institute at the American University of Afghanistan, his command of the English language still needed work.
That’s where Vivian stepped in.
For five years, she tutored Riz in English — conversational and American — via the internet, using Messenger, Facebook, Zoom and Google Meet.
“There was sporadic internet, and the electricity (there) kept going off and on,” said Vivian.
“He speaks English because of her,” said Bob. “And there have been a lot of life lessons thrown in.”
All of that would have been challenging enough. Then came COVID-19. Riz was able to take some online classes toward his MBA under lockdown conditions.
But then the Taliban and ISIS began to stir the pot with their own brand of chaos.
Students at the American University of Afghanistan faced an increasingly perilous situation, especially those wishing to continue their education in the U.S.
“He wants to get a quality education,” said Vivian.
Riz found himself particularly vulnerable to attack by the Taliban.
Then came the August chaos of the American withdrawal.
“The American University in Kabul no longer exists,” said Vivian.
Fear and uncertainty descended upon the country.
“Riz was in Kabul,”recalled Vivian. “He was centerstage. He became desperate to get out of the country. He tried four times (to get to the airport where he might be able to board an American transport plane).”
The first two times he was unable to get near the place. On the third try, he reached a Taliban checkpoint only to be beaten by the guards there.
His fourth try came on the day of a Taliban suicide bomber attack on the airport.
Riz had made it to the checkpoint where American troops were stationed. He showed his passport and documents to a young woman there and was ready to go through when he dropped his passport.
When he bent down to retrieve it, the bomb went off, spewing shrapnel.
“He woke up in a pool of blood,” said Vivian.
The young American servicewoman was not so fortunate. She was among those killed by the blast.
After being treated for his injuries, Riz twice tried — unsuccessfully — to cross the border to Pakistan overland.
Finally, on Oct. 22, he was able to leave Afghanistan on a flight to Pakistan.
And there he remains, still hoping to get to Ball State to resume work on his MBA. He is safe, but Vivian and Bob Morehous remain frustrated.
“He should have been over here a long time ago,” said Vivian.
Added Bob, “It may be a while yet, but at least he’s got help.”
The Institute for International Education, which administers the Fulbright program, is providing assistance, as is the office of Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana).
Though frustrated, Vivian remains optimistic. “The outpouring of support from people in Indiana has just been wonderful,” she said.
He also had a champion.
Riz — as his friends call him — represents everything the Taliban detest. He speaks fluent English and has been affiliated with the American University of Afghanistan. He worked on behalf of the government of President Ashraf Ghani and is steeped in western culture. In other words, since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, he has been a dead man walking.
His champion: Vivian Morehous.
Retired educators Vivian and Bob Morehous moved to Jay County in 2016 to be closer to his family. Bob grew up here, and though the couple had lived and worked in the Martinsville area for 46 years, the move to rural Jay County east of Portland made sense.
They were welcomed into the community, in large part because of the hospitality shown by the late Vicki Tague. They were welcomed into the Portland Rotary Club and were soon befriended by Dale Basham, a retired Muncie area educator who later became Rotary district governor.
“Dale is a very special person,” said Vivian.
It was through Basham that the couple made first contact with Afghanistan.
He invited the couple to a meeting in Muncie. The speaker at the meeting was Bibi Bahrami, founder of Awaken, a charitable group based in Muncie that has provided assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan. She and her husband, Dr. Mohammed S. Bahrami, medical director for American Health Systems, made a huge impression on Vivian and Bob.
“I was very impressed by her,” said Vivian.
But she still had her doubts.
“My impression was that anyone from Afghanistan was a terrorist,” she said. “And I had this stereotype of Muslim men.”
That stereotype was put to the test when she received a Facebook friend request from someone she had never heard of.
“It was some Arab-looking guy,” she remembered.
But then she noticed that the young man making the request — Rizwanullah Bahrami — was also connected via Facebook with Dale Basham.
Basham assured her that Riz was not only OK, he was also a Rotarian. And he was the nephew of Bibi and Sadr Bahrami, who are U.S. citizens.
He was also a young man of extraordinary promise.
Born in a small village, he had pursued his education relentlessly. After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, he applied to the master’s of business administration program at Ball State University. His application was accepted in 2014.
But there were problems. Although Riz took additional classes at the Professional Development Institute at the American University of Afghanistan, his command of the English language still needed work.
That’s where Vivian stepped in.
For five years, she tutored Riz in English — conversational and American — via the internet, using Messenger, Facebook, Zoom and Google Meet.
“There was sporadic internet, and the electricity (there) kept going off and on,” said Vivian.
“He speaks English because of her,” said Bob. “And there have been a lot of life lessons thrown in.”
All of that would have been challenging enough. Then came COVID-19. Riz was able to take some online classes toward his MBA under lockdown conditions.
But then the Taliban and ISIS began to stir the pot with their own brand of chaos.
Students at the American University of Afghanistan faced an increasingly perilous situation, especially those wishing to continue their education in the U.S.
“He wants to get a quality education,” said Vivian.
Riz found himself particularly vulnerable to attack by the Taliban.
Then came the August chaos of the American withdrawal.
“The American University in Kabul no longer exists,” said Vivian.
Fear and uncertainty descended upon the country.
But she still had her doubts.
“My impression was that anyone from Afghanistan was a terrorist,” she said. “And I had this stereotype of Muslim men.”
That stereotype was put to the test when she received a Facebook friend request from someone she had never heard of.
“It was some Arab-looking guy,” she remembered.
But then she noticed that the young man making the request — Rizwanullah Bahrami — was also connected via Facebook with Dale Basham.
Basham assured her that Riz was not only OK, he was also a Rotarian. And he was the nephew of Bibi and Sadr Bahrami, who are U.S. citizens.
He was also a young man of extraordinary promise.
Born in a small village, he had pursued his education relentlessly. After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, he applied to the master’s of business administration program at Ball State University. His application was accepted in 2014.
But there were problems. Although Riz took additional classes at the Professional Development Institute at the American University of Afghanistan, his command of the English language still needed work.
That’s where Vivian stepped in.
For five years, she tutored Riz in English — conversational and American — via the internet, using Messenger, Facebook, Zoom and Google Meet.
“There was sporadic internet, and the electricity (there) kept going off and on,” said Vivian.
“He speaks English because of her,” said Bob. “And there have been a lot of life lessons thrown in.”
All of that would have been challenging enough. Then came COVID-19. Riz was able to take some online classes toward his MBA under lockdown conditions.
But then the Taliban and ISIS began to stir the pot with their own brand of chaos.
Students at the American University of Afghanistan faced an increasingly perilous situation, especially those wishing to continue their education in the U.S.
“He wants to get a quality education,” said Vivian.
Riz found himself particularly vulnerable to attack by the Taliban.
Then came the August chaos of the American withdrawal.
“The American University in Kabul no longer exists,” said Vivian.
Fear and uncertainty descended upon the country.
“Riz was in Kabul,”recalled Vivian. “He was centerstage. He became desperate to get out of the country. He tried four times (to get to the airport where he might be able to board an American transport plane).”
The first two times he was unable to get near the place. On the third try, he reached a Taliban checkpoint only to be beaten by the guards there.
His fourth try came on the day of a Taliban suicide bomber attack on the airport.
Riz had made it to the checkpoint where American troops were stationed. He showed his passport and documents to a young woman there and was ready to go through when he dropped his passport.
When he bent down to retrieve it, the bomb went off, spewing shrapnel.
“He woke up in a pool of blood,” said Vivian.
The young American servicewoman was not so fortunate. She was among those killed by the blast.
After being treated for his injuries, Riz twice tried — unsuccessfully — to cross the border to Pakistan overland.
Finally, on Oct. 22, he was able to leave Afghanistan on a flight to Pakistan.
And there he remains, still hoping to get to Ball State to resume work on his MBA. He is safe, but Vivian and Bob Morehous remain frustrated.
“He should have been over here a long time ago,” said Vivian.
Added Bob, “It may be a while yet, but at least he’s got help.”
The Institute for International Education, which administers the Fulbright program, is providing assistance, as is the office of Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana).
Though frustrated, Vivian remains optimistic. “The outpouring of support from people in Indiana has just been wonderful,” she said.
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