Bahaudin Mujtaba and Noman Mujtaba.Photo: Courtesy Bahaudin Mujtaba via AP
A young Afghan boy is one step closer to his new home.
Bahaudin Mujtaba and his wife were five years into the process of adopting Noman, a 10-year-old distant relative, beforethe Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan— which put the remainder of the process in jeopardy, according toNBC News.
“He’s very nervous about the situation in Afghanistan, as obviously every Afghan would be. So there’s a lot of uncertainty, a lot of fear,” Mujtaba told the outlet on Thursday, noting that he was about “90 percent done” but still had to secure Noman’s visa.
“Everything is shut down right now. And that’s what the fear he was expressing to me over the phone,” he added of the boy.
Fortunately,TODAYreported on Friday morning that Noman had made it out of the country safely, citing the Frank Adoption Center, which is helping Mujtaba and his wife.
“He was on one of those emergency flightsout of Kabul airport yesterday,“Hoda Kotbsaid, calling the development “a heartwarming update.”
Bahaudin Mujtaba and Noman Mujtaba.Courtesy Bahaudin Mujtaba via AP
“He was very energetic and very talkative, and I fell in love with his personality right then at the time,” Mujtaba told the outlet.
Mujtaba, a U.S. citizen who emigrated from Afghanistan 40 years ago, has been back to visit Noman 10 times, according to theAssociated Press.
He also told the news agency that Noman — who loves music and hopes to become an engineer or doctor when he grows up — seemingly has diabetes as well as other medical issues.
“We’re not really sure exactly what the problems might be,” he said, noting that it’s unclear if the boy has received adequate medical care.
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As for part of what makes the process so difficult, Mary Beth King — the executive director of the Frank Adoption Center — told NBC News that “Afghanistan prefers adopting parents who are originally from Afghanistan who are practicing Muslims.”
While it remains to be seen when Noman will be reunited with Mujtaba, the professor hopes the rest of the process will take place as quickly as possible.
“It’s heart-wrenching, obviously, for me not to be able to give him a definitive date in terms of when he’ll come,” he told NBC News on Thursday.
“Hopefully he’ll be home soon with Mom and Dad,” he added.
source: people.com
