Sabir Zazai

Dad smuggled into UK in lorry slams Government's asylum seeker plans and blasts Farage Sabir Zazai OBE, has made a life for himself in Scotland after going through the asylum seeker system in 1999 - has begged for refugees to be treated with dignity in communities.

26 years ago our CEO @sabirzazai.bsky.social arrived in the UK.

Here he tells the Daily Record about his challenging but inspiring journey uk.news.yahoo.com/dad-smuggled...

Sabir Zazai, CEO of Scottish Refugee Council, said:

“We don’t have to go to Denmark to see how to treat refugees. The world should look to Scotland to see what we’ve achieved together.”
@sabirzazai.bsky.social

Sabir Zazai, CEO of Scottish Refugee Council, said:

“We don’t have to go to Denmark to see how to treat refugees. The world should look to Scotland to see what we’ve achieved together.”
@sabirzazai.bsky.social

Scottish refugee Council CEO Sabir Zazai speaking at a podium

Happy 40th birthday card for Scottish Refugee Council

Smiling woman with glasses

Leadership is not just about policy; it is about setting an example in every community…where communities are resourced, solidarity grows 🌱 - Dr @SabirZazai.bsky.social

🎉 Happy 40th Anniversary @ScotRefugeeCouncil.bsky.social 🎈

#AyeWelcomeRefugees 🧡
#TogetherWithRefugees
#NewScots #UntilWeAllBelong

Scotland 4, Denmark 2. In Scotland we clearly refuse Danish model of asylum! #ScotlandvsDenmark

What a heartwarming story. The news should feature more stories like this!

Entrepreneurial refugee says 'thank you UK' for giving family sanctuary Since settling in North Yorkshire, Nahid Hamidi has set up a pop-up restaurant and helps other refugees.

Refugees bring opportunities and often turn their own experiences of suffering and loss into hope for others. Nahid's story is one of courage, resilience and hope.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

@sabirzazai.bsky.social "lessons have not been learned" "Home Office's approach to asylum accommodation - lack of planning, compassion and accountability"

Photo of a number of prominent Scottish women and the text "Women Against the Far Right - Scotland' 200+ prominent women and women's organisations across Scotland have signed the open letter rejecting the far right's claims to protect women & girls & condemning the exploitation of violence against women to fuel hate and division."

My heart is full today 💜 as I join 200+ brave, thoughtful & determined women in #Scotland to challenge far right claims that their divisive and racist solutions are necessary to protect women & girls

✍🏽 “We believe in a society where all women are safe, supported and free from abuse”

Reform vows to deport hundreds of thousands with indefinite leave to remain

First, they came for those seeking sanctuary. Then for those with settled status. Soon, they'll come for those with citizenship. If we don’t stop them, they'll come for us all. Racism thrives on division & fear but we've far more in common than they want us to believe. metro.co.uk/2025/09/22/r...

Refugees in the UK are terrified. Please stand with us in solidarity Memory, a refugee living in the UK, writes about her experiences over the last year following riots and rising right-wing rhetoric.

No one should live in fear; especially those seeking sanctuary, who carry deep scars of dreadful conflicts and traumatic experiences of perilous journeys to safety.
www.bigissue.com/opinion/refu...

First patients arrive in Scotland from Gaza for treatment THE first two patients and their families have arrived in Scotland from Gaza to receive treatment, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

Scotland has always delivered on its promise and we @scotrefugeecouncil.bsky.social are ready to work with people fleeing global conflicts including those now arriving from Gaza?
www.thenational.scot/news/2546896...

White text on purple background reads: "We all deserve to be safe and feel like we belong, no matter where we come from or how we arrived."

We stand in solidarity with people seeking safety and against acts of violence and intimidation taking place in parts of the country.

Times are tough but people fleeing war and persecution are not to blame for Scotland’s problems. Everyone deserves to be safe and feel like they belong.

As our CEO, @sabirzazai.bsky.social said: “Words matter. We have to challenge misinformation, engage with communities, speak to those who have concerns, but at the same time engage with those seeking sanctuary. We need to work for a society where all of us feel safe and no one is living in fear.”

Home secretary suspends refugee family reunion applications until new, tighter rules are put in place – as it happened Yvette Cooper says rules were designed years ago to help families separated by war but are being used in a different way now

Cutting family reunion routes is heartless. For many, it’s the only safe route to be reunited with loved ones. Removing it pushes people into the hands of smugglers and perilous journeys. We need policies rooted in compassion, not cruelty. #FamiliesBelongTogether 🧡
share.google/HPpDrPZ51h94...

The path to safety is not paved with fear. It’s built through compassion. Over the past few weeks, like many others, I’ve felt the personal and professional weight of rising anti-refugee sentiment. When one community lives in fear, we all live in fear. This moment calls for courage and leadership.

10 positive stories Alison Phipps 10 things we can do to turn the tide away from anti refugee sentiment Sabir Zazai Two stories together on same page of newspaper

That’s Sabir Zazai and I quite literally on the same page today in the today’s National (and no, there was no coordination)

www.thenational.scot/politics/254...

www.thenational.scot/politics/254...

500 pieces of welcome.
While some piece together hate, I’m building belonging, one puzzle at a time. #AyeWelcomeRefugees #PartOfTheBiggerPicture 🧩

Love Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🧡!

Sadly I live too far away to attend the Cheltenham Book Festival and hear the three of you speak. However having read your powerful book "Anywhere but here" I am now ordering "We came by sea". @sabirzazai.bsky.social @alisonphipps.bsky.social

We are all part of a bigger picture. Let’s not allow hatred or misinformation to fracture the communities we’ve worked so hard to build. Now more than ever, we need truth, compassion, and solidarity to guide us forward. #partofthebiggerpicture 🧩

Thank you, First Minister @johnswinney.bsky.social for your leadership 🙏.

Happy 40th Birthday @scotrefugeecouncil.bsky.social . Congratulations to everyone past and present who have contributed so much to welcome refugees from many places, despite the hostile environment, over the last forty years.
@sabirzazai.bsky.social @alisonphipps.bsky.social
#AyeWelcomeRefugees

It's absolutely phenomenal to have so many pubs & restaurants being #partofthebiggerpicture🧩

Across sectors, people are playing their part in making Scotland a more welcoming & inclusive place - and we LOVE to see it!

Give them a wee visit when you're out & about!

HUGE THANKS to all involved!🧡

Photograph of a lifebelt floating in the sea with a Scottish Refugee Council logo in the bottom right hand corner and the following words superimposed over the top: "The best way to stop people risking their lives on dangerous journeys is to create safe routes to refugee protection."

Although we welcome renewed dialogue between the UK and France on the issue of migration, another complex asylum deal is not the answer.

The current system is broken. People seeking safety face a complicated, confusing and often arbitrary process which is founded on institutional hostility.

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Moygashel: Parties condemn bonfire effigy of refugees in small boat A small boat with several figures wearing lifejackets inside is on top of a banner saying 'stop the boats'.

Utterly abhorrent far right behaviour. After the racist violence in Ballymena, there is no way to argue this isn't a hate crime designed to stoke violence against refugees. Everyone involved needs banging up and the bonfire ripped down before they can set it alight.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Thank you, Frankie Boyle. In Scotland, we take a whole society approach to welcome and support refugees. It takes all of us to work together to help people rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.

A jigsaw is not complete without all the pieces.

Our staff & volunteers are an integral #PartoftheBiggerPicture ... and so are YOU! 😃🧩

Get your t-shirt here: scottishrefugeecouncil.bigcartel.com

We're delighted to have the backing of @mogwai.scot and many others in creating a Scotland where everyone sees themselves as #PartOfTheBiggerPicture. This reminds us we're not alone in the work we do to help refugees rebuild their lives in Scotland. Thank you 🙏.

Everyone seeking safety in Scotland should be made to feel welcome no matter where they came from or how they arrived.

Join us in creating a more welcoming & inclusive society by displaying a #partofthebiggerpicture poster in your window!

Print out, take a photo & tag us! 🧩📸

ow.ly/Gj7n50Wluk3