Reykjavík Grapevine - feb. 2020, Blaðsíða 6

Ali and Razia, a young couple from
Afghanistan who had a baby in
Iceland over Christmas, are now being
expelled from the country, Kveikur at
RÚV reports. The couple fled Afghani-
stan when Ali was 15, and the Taliban
threatened to kill him if he did not join
their ranks. After spending a year in
Iran, they moved to the Greek island
of Lesbos in 2016, where they were
granted asylum.
The situation for refugees in Greece
is bleak. Housing is sparse, and access
to medical services is limited. When
Razia became pregnant in early 2019,
they decided to seek a better life for
their baby. They moved to Iceland and
requested asylum here. Iceland’s Direc-
torate of Immigration, Útlendingast-
ofnun (ÚTL), promptly rejected their
request on the grounds that they had
previously been granted asylum in
Greece. They appealed the decision, but
it was deemed final. The fact that their
baby was born in Iceland didn’t matter.
Similar song,
different dance
The case of Ali and Razia isn’t an
exception for those seeking asylum in
Iceland. Faisal and Niha Khan and their
son Muhammed, faced a similar situa-
tion recently. They applied for asylum
in 2017 after fleeing Pakistan. In her
home country, Niha was supposed
to marry her much older cousin, but
she fell in love with Faisal and eloped
with him. Unfortunately, her cousin’s
influence and power gave her good
reason to believe that her life would
be in danger. But they didn’t quite fit
the strict guidelines for refugees from
Pakistan. ÚTL is merciless in the appli-
cation of the law (though not always to
international child-welfare and refu-
gee accords to which Iceland is signa-
tory), so the family was denied.
A happy ending
Having befriended the Khans, the
Grapevine’s editor-in-chief, Valur
Grettisson used his connections and
influence to help them. Thousands of
others rallied behind the family, sign-
ing a petition on change.org. Even with
the petition and community support,
it looked as though they would have
to leave. At the last minute, however,
Minister of Justice Áslaug Arna Sigur-
björnsdóttir passed legislation that
said families with children who have
been here more than sixteen months
would be allowed to stay. This meant a
happy ending for the Khans. Of course,
this happy ending came with an over-
whelming amount of publicity and
support, which not every case receives.
The future
At this time, it appears as though the
situation for Ali and Razia is not as
positive. Until the law changes, count-
less other asylum seekers and refugees
will face the same bleak circumstance.
There has been a lot of political debate
around how to solve this, and many
politicians are trying to pass legisla-
tion to make it easier for refugees to
seek asylum here.
It is inevitable to notice the teens and
pre-teens working behind registers
and on farms all over the country.
We asked Salvör Nordal, Director of
Centre for Ethics at the University of
Iceland, the origins of this.
The idea of working hard is deeply
rooted in Icelandic culture and it has
been generally accepted that it is
good for children to experience par-
ticipating in the labour market from
an early age. For centuries, while Ice-
land consisted mainly of farmers and
fishermen, children started assist-
ing their parents or the household
at a very young age. Until rather re-
cently, the school year was organized
around farm work: it ended at the
beginning of May so children could
participate in lambing season and
started again mid-September a!er
the sheep gathering. Nowadays, chil-
dren are encouraged to work during
summer holidays and many children,
especially those 15 years and older,
work 1-2 days a week during the
school year. It is however important
that work does not interfere with
their sleep, education and free time.
The legislation regarding child la-
bour is twofold: it aims at protecting
children from participating in jobs
that are dangerous for their well be-
ing or interfere with their education
and their development and it aims at
keeping their job participation within
reasonable limits. It is furthermore
important that special consideration
is paid to children in collective wage
agreements and that children are
aware of their rights. Parents have
supervisory responsibility for their
children when they enter the labour
market.
ASK AN
Ethics
Professor
Q: Why do
Icelanders work from
such a young age?

Flat-
kaka is
an unleavened
rye flatbread. It is
made
by mixing boiling
water with flour
and then cooking
the dough. Back
when Iceland
was first settled,
ingredients
such as grain
were scarce,
so moss was
o!en used
to supple-
ment
the flour.
As time
passed,
moss was re-
placed with rye
flour. Today, wheat
flour is o!en used
with the rye, with
the final prod-
uct being a so!,
round, thin, and
dark. This e"cient
vehicle of flavour
can be cooked in
many ways, but
the most tradi-
tional method is to
place the dough
directly over hot
coals. Today, most
people use a hot
plate, and they
cook it outside to
avoid filling the
house with smoke.
Others use a pan
specifically for
cooking flatkaka,
also outside, or at
least in a well-
ventilated space
like a garage.
Flatkaka may
also be purchased
in stores all over
the country, but as
with most foods,
homemade is bet-
ter. Either way, it is
best to eat flatka-
ka with some sort
of topping, with
the most common
being butter and
hangikjöt. The
smokiness of the
hangikjöt perfect-
ly complements
the rye flavour of
the flatkaka, and
the butter binds it
all together in holy
matrimony.
It is also possi-
ble to top flatkaka
with cheese, lamb
paté, and other
savoury good-
ness. For a less
traditional but still
delicious flavour
combination, try it
with hummus, or
peanut butter and
bananas. SPO
Fla
tk
ak
a
Child Born In Iceland
Faces Deportation
The situation is hopeless if the law doesn’t chan#e
Words:
Sam O’Donnell

Photo:
RÚV
First 6 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 02— 2020
FOOD OF
ICELAND
NEWS
Young Muhammed, who has never known anything else than Iceland, was recently spared due to public pressure
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