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From St. Louis, An Afghan Contemplates His Homeland

Caption: Qais Meraj stands outside his home in St. Louis County.
Emily Woodbury
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Qais Meraj stands outside his home in St. Louis County.

These days, Qais Meraj lives in south St. Louis County, where he and wife are raising his four children and own a business. But he was born in Afghanistan, and his family spent years in India for his father’s work as a diplomat before receiving refugee status and coming to America in 2009. Years later, Meraj volunteered to go back to Afghanistan as a translator, seeking to use his language skills to help the U.S. military.

He sat down with St. Louis on the Air at his home last week to share his thoughts on America, the refugee’s journey and the loved ones he worries about who remain in Afghanistan.

From St. Louis, An Afghan Contemplates His Homeland

St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. Jane Mather-Glass is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.

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Sarah Fenske served as host of St. Louis on the Air from July 2019 until June 2022. Before that, she spent twenty years in newspapers, working as a reporter, columnist and editor in Cleveland, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles and St. Louis.