A DOUBLE amputee is set to ride his wheelchair from Glasgow to Gaza in a campaign to highlight the horrors in the territory, as he doesn’t want to see any more children lose their limbs.
Shaho Qadir lost both legs when he was 13 years old, when Saddam Hussein bombed his hometown, Halabja, in the Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq.
Now, 50 years old, Qadir said, watching Israel’s war on Gaza makes his “heart so sad”, as he sees little kids without their legs or arms due to the ongoing genocide.
Watching the devastation unfold in Gaza over the past 23 months, Qadir said he can no longer sit by without taking action.
He plans to wheel from Scotland to Palestine in a bid to spread awareness about the ongoing catastrophic situation, and to try to prevent any more children from suffering loss of limbs.
“I don’t want anyone to go through what I have gone through with my injuries. It makes my heart so sad to see all the little kids in the strip without their legs or arms,” Qadir said.
“I know how hard life can be for them, especially in places which are going through what Gaza is going through. Please, no more, no more children should have to lose their limbs.”
Starting on Sunday, September 28, Qadir plans to wheel through the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Monaco, Italy, Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Lebanon and Jordan.
He will be raising money for the Gaza Sunbirds, Palestine’s Para-cycling team of amputee athletes, delivering aid across the strip and raising the flag at international sporting competitions.
Qadir moved to England when he was 27 and has always seen fitness as a central pillar of his life.
In his late 20s, he took up wheelchair racing, competing in marathons in Paris, New York and even placing 19th in London in 2005.
Qadir has taken up multiple other sports like gymnastics and skatepark riding, as he said, staying strong is important to him as well as inspiring others with disabilities not to feel they cannot get involved.
Ahead of his campaign, Qadir said he has a message for Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, along with any other politician who say they want the horrors in Gaza to end.
“I would like you to join me on my journey, even if it is for two steps, or support me by donating to support the people of Gaza,” Qadir said.
Wheel to Gaza is also supported by its partner, Solidarity Rising – an international human rights organisation gathering activists in the struggle for a world where everyone’s rights are respected.
To join the ride or support Qadir with accommodation, donations and local connections, click here to find out more.
