A young refugee from Leeds whose sexy good looks have caught the eye is to be one of the faces of Refugee Week in 2008.

Khaiber Rahim’s smouldering good looks first drew attention from the fashion industry while he was in his native Afghanistan. He was invited for some modelling work but his family had to flee Afghanistan because of the Taliban. He has recently attended a photo shoot with a very enthusiastic agency in London and he has been selected as one of a group of refugees whose personalities and stories challenge stereotypes of who a refugee is.

In the UK in 2008 most British people don’t think of refugees or asylum seekers as fun, entertaining, glamorous, or sexy people. The organisers of Refugee Week 2008 think that Khaiber Rahim is a perfect person to reintroduce refugees to the British public. He’s smart, he’s ambitious, he’s beautifully dressed and he’s sexy.

Charlotte Cooke, Refugee Council Head of Operations in Yorkshire and Humberside said, “In Refugee Week 2008 we want people in Britain to take another look at the people who find sanctuary in the UK and we think they’ll be surprised at what they find.”

Khaiber Rahim said, “Five years ago, when I was in Afghanistan a friend of mine said he knew someone who did fashion photos. He said ‘You’re tall, you have nice hair, you’re good looking, you could do some modelling’ I said, “Come on!” I didn’t believe him. I said ‘You must be joking.’

“Anyway, he persuaded me to go and see the photographer. He said he liked the way I looked and he’d like to do some work with me. But I didn’t know about modelling, he said, no problem, we will tell you what to do. He said come back and we can do some pictures. But I had to leave Afghanistan so I didn’t go back.”
To read a full interview with Khaiber and see his picture go to http://www.refugeeweek.org.uk/InfoCentre/positiveimages/Model.htm

See also:

(1) Khaiber Rahim is available for interviews, photos and filming from Tuesday May 20th. Contact Richard Byrne, Regional Media Officer at the Refugee Council on 0113 386 2235/ 07776203404

(2) Refugee Week is a UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities.

(3) Refugee Week 2008 takes place from 16th to 22nd June.

(4) 2008 is the 10th Anniversary of Refugee Week and there will be hundreds of events exploring refugee experiences taking place across the UK ranging from big music festivals and art exhibitions to political debates and community events.

For more information

Visit www.refugeeweek.org.uk
E: info@refugeeweek.org.uk
T: 020 7346 6752