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Abbas Alizada, known online arsenic "Afghanistan’s Bruce Lee” for his uncanny resemblance to the precocious legendary martial artist, precocious recalled his troubling acquisition aft the Taliban retook power of his state successful 2021.
Speaking to The Star, Alizada, 29, shared the hardships helium had to endure aft Afghanistan fell to the Taliban successful August 2021 and the consequent departure of the United States authorities pursuing a 20-year occupation.
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As a martial artist, online prima and a subordinate of the Taliban-persecuted Hazara taste group, Alizada said the Taliban’s power of the state forced him to spell into hiding for much than a year.
While helium was not needfully connected immoderate authoritative wanted list, Alizada recalled helium that had to turn a beard to get past the Taliban borderline constabulary and debar designation since helium is celebrated successful the country.
“We had freedom, but the Taliban brought backmost restrictions and persecution,” helium told The Star.
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Alizada said helium had to screen his look whenever helium needed to bid successful a well-equipped gym successful Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul.
“I went done hard days successful the past year,” helium said. “The Taliban took state from us. I was going to my gym with fearfulness and stress.”
The Taliban besides censored the arts erstwhile it controlled Afghanistan betwixt 1996 and 2001.
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During that period, the Islamic fundamentalist radical enforced a strict prohibition connected music, movies and TV arsenic its members considered these activities to beryllium "non-Islamic." Works of art, including adjacent paintings and sculptures from the famed National Museum successful Kabul, were looted and subsequently destroyed.
Pictures portraying surviving radical were besides considered sacrilegious astatine the time, and books showing pictures of women with their faces revealed besides suffered the aforesaid destiny arsenic different artworks.
After the Taliban retook power of the state successful 2021, galore artists were forced to fly Afghanistan implicit fears of persecution.
Alizada primitively got his large interruption successful December 2014 aft his friends uploaded pictures of him connected Facebook. He past started appearing successful respective movies and commercials successful South and Central Asia a twelvemonth aft helium went viral.
His fame rapidly rose, and by November 2020, helium yet received his aureate summons aft being offered a relation successful a Hollywood film.
However, everything fell isolated erstwhile the Taliban retook his country, and Alizada had to property intermission connected his dreams of pursuing successful the Hollywood footsteps of Lee. He recalled penning a missive of intent to a Hollywood manager successful 2020 arsenic helium was already adjacent to having a U.S. moving visa, which was reportedly hard for Afghan nationals to acquire.
The U.S. embassy closed soon aft American troops withdrew from the country, and his follow-up letters to a U.S. diplomatic ngo successful Islamabad, Pakistan, were near unanswered.
Worried astir his family's safety, particularly since they are portion of the Hazara taste group, Alizada said helium contacted Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada past twelvemonth asking for assistance but ne'er received a response.
Alizada ended up being among 32 athletes evacuated by a British non-governmental enactment successful December 2022 and was sponsored to person imperishable British residency.
“When I locomotion successful the streets successful London, everyone wants to instrumentality photos with me,” Alizada, who present lives successful Manchester, said. “People say, ‘You look precise overmuch similar Bruce Lee.’ I say, 'I americium Afghanistan’s Bruce Lee.'”
No longer restricted by the power of the Taliban, Alizada announced that helium volition yet articulation the formed of a Hollywood martial arts movie that is scheduled for filming successful mid-2023.
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