{"id":95191,"date":"2019-02-21T14:59:05","date_gmt":"2019-02-21T13:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=95191"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:13","slug":"from-threats-in-pakistan-to-zebrafish-studies-in-rotterdam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/02\/21\/from-threats-in-pakistan-to-zebrafish-studies-in-rotterdam\/","title":{"rendered":"From threats in Pakistan to zebrafish studies in Rotterdam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pakistani refugee Ijaz Qadeer and Rotterdam professor Caroline Klaver have embarked on a unique partnership. The two will be researching how scientific researchers can make more sustainable use of zebrafish in a joint study funded by an NWO grant for refugee scientists.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Caroline Klaver, Adriana Iglesias and Iljaz Qadeer<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLevien Willemse<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

In 2014, Ijaz Qadeer (48) still lived in his country of birth, Pakistan. He started to receive dozens of threatening text messages, telling him he had the \u2018wrong\u2019 faith and advising him to \u2018prepare for his death\u2019. The veterinarian took his family and hastily fled the country, eventually finding refuge in the Netherlands. In the near future, he will be able to \u2013 \u2018finally!\u2019 \u2013 continue his work as a researcher at Erasmus MC, thanks to a special grant awarded by the funding agency Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).<\/p>\n

Every year, the Netherlands offers shelter to thousands of refugees who face an uncertain future in their home country. In 2015, their number rose dramatically due to the civil war in Syria. In response, NWO considered setting up a dedicated grant scheme for refugee scientists. Last year, the agency set up a pilot programme together with The Young Academy, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Foundation for Refugee Students (UAF): \u2018Refugees in Science<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n

Last month, NWO announced this year\u2019s allocations<\/a>, which will enable 12 academics with a refugee status to set to work for a year as a researcher at a Dutch scientific institution. The two female and ten male scientists will be added to various research projects that are currently supported by NWO funding.<\/p>\n

One of the projects that have been awarded an NWO grant will be carried out in Rotterdam, at Erasmus MC. Which is also where we meet up with Qadeer and his future supervisor, Professor of Ophthalmology and Epidemiology Caroline Klaver. Sitting in Klaver\u2019s office on the 28th floor, the two scientists talk about how their collaboration came about and what research Qadeer will be performing in Rotterdam from March on.<\/p>\n

Dr Qadeer, you were forced to flee Pakistan in 2014. Did you consciously decide to apply for asylum in the Netherlands?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Qadeer: \u201cNo. At a certain point, our situation had become so threatening that I didn\u2019t have that many options. And the tickets that were available at short notice \u2013 thanks to a friend of mine who worked at a travel agency \u2013 were for a flight to the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t actually want to leave Pakistan. I had a master\u2019s degree, earned my doctorate in veterinary medicine there and had a good job as district head of the veterinary department of the provincial government of Punjab. But I had to flee the country for religious reasons. I am an Ahmadiyya Muslim. This Islamic movement is not recognised in Pakistan. In fact, it is actively discouraged by the government: there are all sorts of anti-Ahmadiyya laws, for example. Highly educated adherents with a good job are common targets. At a certain point, they had singled me out too. I started to receive threats over the phone from religious extremists, and death threats via text message. The police refused to protect me, so I saw no other option than to flee the country \u2013 both for my own safety and that of my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had a choice at the time, I might have gone to an English-speaking country \u2013 the UK, for instance. They have a large Pakistani Ahmadiyya community there. And of course, I already speak English. But upon arriving in the Netherlands, I immediately decided it was important to learn the language. I put a lot of time into it over the first few years. By now, I can speak Dutch at the C1 level [\u2018advanced proficiency\u2019, Eds.].\u201d<\/p>\n

Going from an asylum seekers\u2019 centre to the university is quite a step. How did the two of you get together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Klaver: \u201cAll credit is due to Ijaz \u2013 he tracked down our group here in Rotterdam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qadeer: \u201cI owe a great deal to Professor Nico Schulte Nordholt [professor emeritus at the University of Twente, Eds.]. He was my social coach at Vrijwilligerswerk Nederland and has helped me find my bearings in the Netherlands\u2019 academic system. I registered for university job alerts and joined the Academic Transfer career platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Klaver: \u201cHow many application letters did you write again?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qadeer: \u201cOver 70. I can honestly say that when it came to finding a job, I left no stone unturned. And then I had the flu precisely when NWO announced this programme for scientist refugees. But fortunately, Professor Schulte Nordholt brought it to my attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qadeer sent an email with his CV to Martje Fentener van Vlissingen, Director of the centre for animal research Erasmus Dierexperimenteel Centrum. She estimated that Qadeer\u2019s expertise \u2013 IVF in animals \u2013 could be of interest to Caroline Klaver in her research into myopia. Klaver was enthusiastic and applied to NWO for the grant together with postdoc Adriana Iglesias. \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n<\/svg>\n\n\t<\/button>\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

What does myopia have to do with veterinary medicine?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Klaver: \u201cI use zebrafish as a model organism in one of my research lines. Since their eyes are similar to ours, they are well suited for studying the role played by various genes in myopia, for example. At present, we still keep these zebrafish in large containers until we need them for an experiment. But this cultivation can be optimised, both to our and the animals\u2019 benefit \u2013 and hopefully Ijaz can help us in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qadeer: \u201cIt was so nice of you to take me on. I\u2019m so grateful to everyone here \u2013 without you, I would never have had this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Klaver, with some emphasis: \u201cI really need your contribution though! We lack the required expertise, which you can bring to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

Could you explain this expertise in further detail?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Qadeer: \u201cIn Pakistan, I earned my doctorate with research into bovine IVF. We plan to also use IVF for the reproduction of the zebrafish here in Rotterdam. We\u2019ll be freezing the sperm, and only thawing it and using it to fertilise zebrafish eggs when we need animals for a clinical experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Klaver: \u201cThis allows us to reduce the number of fish used for testing. We\u2019ll be the first department to try this approach with zebrafish \u2013 which I think is also one of the reasons why NWO was so enthusiastic about our project. It also means that as a researcher, you lose fewer fish to illness, for example. And we can maintain tighter control over the animals\u2019 genetic material. The population will be subject to less mutation, since it reproduces at a slower rate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Should NWO continue this grant scheme?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both: \u201cAbsolutely!\u201d<\/p>\n

Qadeer: \u201cIt has really opened a door for me. As a refugee, it is very difficult to get a job at one\u2019s level of qualification. Particularly when you\u2019re over 45 \u2013 which as I understand it can be challenging for Dutch citizens too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Klaver: \u201cLast month, we had a get-together that was attended by the various recipients of this grant. And when you hear what kind of work some of the researchers are doing right now: dropping off packages for DHL, pizza deliveries\u2026 It\u2019s such a waste of their research abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qadeer: \u201cNWO should definitely follow up on this pilot programme. In science, there are no boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t

De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t