Mother-daughter duo help Afghan refugees resettle in Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - As Muslim women, Rajaa Shindi and Hiba Muhyi say they felt a personal calling to help the Afghan refugees who fled their homes for the United States.

“I felt like the urgency right away to help and support," said Shindi, who is an assistant business professor at New Mexico State University. "We started thinking, ‘We are going to need to do something for these people.”

Shindi said she immigrated to the United States from Iraq in 1993. As an educator, she hopes to connect the refugees to classes and language resources.

“We’re like family to them," Shindi said. "They left their family. They left home. We feel that we are supporting them.”

Her daughter, Muhyi, is a senior at NMSU majoring in English. She also felt a strong inner desire to help the refugees.

“As a child of immigrant parents, I do feel a cultural and religious connection to the people of Afghanistan, because I am a Muslim woman," Muhyi said. "The moment I knew they would be arriving to Las Cruces, I knew I had to spring into action.”

Shindi said between 10 and 15 Afghans now call Las Cruces home. She said they are expecting hundreds more, although they might not stay on a permanent basis.

Both women work with the Southern New Mexico Islamic Center to welcome the refugees. They both encouraged the community to donate to the center.