Almost four years ago I wanted to start my studies again to finish my college but I had no
money in my pocket all I knew was I want to finish my college no matter what. My certificates
from Pakistan were not equivalent in Germany the only other option I had was to take
admission in a private college. I worked day and night in several places to collect my admission
fee and at some point I also got the admission but after just 2 months I realized I cannot afford
the college fee and my living I was about to quit but I wanted to give it a last chance before I
quit so I talked with the dean of the college and explained her my situation and told her my
story and guess what I got a full scholarship to finish my degree and now in a week I am going
to Ireland for my graduation ceremony, finally. I cannot wait for the moment where I will be
holding the degree in my hand.
Let me start by introducing myself, my name is Mursal and I am soon turning 26. As mentioned
I am a week away from my graduation ceremony and will fly to Ireland for the ceremony. I have
started working as a student in Intel and now they have offered me a full-time job after my
graduation. Things look very good. But it was never the same.
It was 29th or 30th of November 2011 when I was thrown out of the house of my ex-husband
and it was only after 3 and half month of us living together, of me moving to Germany and not
to forget I was just 19 years old. He was raised in Germany since he was a child his family
originally belonged to Afghanistan and my parents are also from Afghanistan but I am brought
up in Pakistan.
It was heavily snowing and freezing cold when I was thrown out on the street. I was on the
streets with only wearing a shalwar-qameez with slippers on my feet. I had extremely limited
knowledge of German language. I knew nothing about the country or the city I was staying in.
In the eve of our engagement I got 18 years old, and few days after that I got married to
someone I have never known or seen before, he was a stranger. It was something that my
family decided for me and I honestly respected it and had to accept it. I saw him just three days
before our engagement.
II had to move to Germany to a completely new culture between completely new people to my
ex-husband so I moved to Germany leaving my family, my home, my friends the life I had there.
My mind was in a very complicated situation there was a pain of leaving all those beloved ones
behind but in my mind, I was also very hopeful for a good, a new and a fantasy world start of
my married life.
II came to know just two days after our marriage that he had lied about his age he was double of
my age and that shocked me and the relationship already started with a lie and that was
difficult for me to even digest But I didn’t know that a much greater challenge was waiting for
me and that the fairy-tail life which was promised to me was just a story.
My feelings as a girl as a woman, my emotions meant nothing to my ex-husband and his family.
I was beaten and treated like if I was not a living being but if I was a thing which could be used
and treated as it is required. I was beaten up, tortured mentally and physically. I was in an
excruciating pain but I had no one to talk or to share with. And I was blackmailed by my ex that
if I open my mouth to anyone and tell my family about my problems and situation they will kill my
sibling who was back then in Kabul.
From Survivor to Hero
As told by Mursal Shoiab