Najib Faizi has survived death threats, beatings, kidnapping and more, becoming a fearless role model for LGBTQ refugees everywhere. MsReads via Narratively
earing 5-inch stilettos and proudly clutching the red, green and black flag of her country, Afghanistan’s first drag queen struts toward the stage. Her cheekbones are glowing, not just because of her sparkly highlighter makeup but also thanks to her pre-performance ritual: smearing a thick white layer of Greek yogurt on her skin. In a colorful, skin-tight minidress and bold makeup, Najiba looks ultrafeminine and striking.
Najib Faizi has amassed an enormous online following — from Afghans to Germans and beyond — as Najiba, the “first drag queen” from Afghanistan, a likely claim that no one has disputed. The title is an honor, but it also puts a target on his back. While Najib has received overwhelming praise and recognition, he’s also gotten death threats and endured familial abuse because of his self-expression.
Najib couldn’t take it anymore. The fear left his body as he pushed his father away with all the strength he could muster. He looked his father straight in the eye and told him to back off. It worked, and his father stormed off. But it couldn’t make him change. He would always be back.Following the incident, Najib’s mother decided to wed her daughter to a distant relative in Germany. Najib couldn’t understand why his sister’s wedding was so plain.
After arriving in Mashhad by plane — using a fake passport — and posing as the son and daughter of their mother’s distant cousin, Najib and his sister were put on a bus for the next leg of their journey. They were accompanied by at least 50 other refugees from Afghanistan, all escaping the war and uncertainty in their homeland. Together, they embarked on an expedition fraught with risk.
When the Faizi siblings arrived in Istanbul, it was bustling with raw, pulsating energy. But Najib and his sister were too weary and famished to appreciate its vivacity. “I had not eaten anything for 48 hours,” recalls Najib. “Even a simple meal of fresh bread and cool yogurt at that time seemed like a delicacy.”
Drifting in the park, amid rumors and dust, Najib obtained the coveted phone number of a smuggler who agreed to take him to Germany for €200. His mother sent the money via Western Union to a nearby shop, and the shopkeeper gave Najib a code so that he could withdraw the money . Najib passed this code on to the smuggler and instructed the shopkeeper to release the money only after he had arrived in Germany.
The three prison cells that housed the refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia were cold and daunting. Time moved differently. The days were long with very little to do, so the inmates passed the hours by taking shots at one another. Najib was often at the receiving end of these attacks. Some kids called him effeminate; others teased him for the way he walked.They would taunt and laugh. They peeked under the door to watch Najib while he showered.
Najib arrived at the camp, but it was not a welcome sight for him. After spending months in a crowded prison cell, the vast openness of the refugee center was intimidating and inhospitable. After a panic attack, Najib decided to reconnect with the only friend he had: Ahmed, the kind young man from prison.
They beat Najib so that his mother would hear his cries. After keeping him as a hostage for 15 days, the kidnappers agreed to take €4,000, which Najib’s mother was able to borrow from family members. After she paid the ransom, Najib was released, blindfolded, and put in a cab to a bus station. A ticket awaited him. On the six-hour bus ride back to Athens, Najib cried and seethed with rage.
Najib arrived at the Serbian camp — and its wide, open halls and hostile environment instantly sent him into a panic attack. The place looked unwelcoming, and its aimless refugees made him worry for his safety. He mulled over his options and tried to concoct an escape plan. On the train from Budapest to Hamburg, Najib felt bittersweet. It had been two years since he’d embarked on his journey. On the train, traveling without papers, he spent a lot of time hiding in the bathroom, hoping to avoid arrest. When the train slowly chugged into Hamburg, 12-year-old Najib heaved a sigh of relief.
“I just wanted people to understand me, love me, listen to me. All of this was eating me up inside. I was scared, shocked, traumatized. But no one was interested.”You walk like a girlthey taunted. But Najib had been through too many horrors to put up with bullies again: He had to stand up for himself.
For Najib, being cut off by his mother was a turning point. From that day on, he decided to do whatever and be whomever his heart desired, no matter the price. “I really wanted to show the world who I am,” he recalls. As Najib invited more and more people onto his talk show, the views climbed higher and higher. Suddenly, Najib was being invited on important programs like BBC News Dari and TOLONews in Afghanistan to talk about LGBTQ+ rights and visibility. People in his community respected his bravery and considered him a pioneer of the cause.
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