[2] After being arrested twice due to his work in the human rights sector, Ashour sought asylum in Sweden while there on a business trip in 2014.
[1][3] Ashour later moved from Sweden to New York City where he graduated in 2018 from Columbia University with a master's degree in human rights.
[1] IraQueer subsequently went on to perform international advocacy in support of the rights of LGBT people living in Iraq, including with the United Nations, in addition to providing safe housing and medical help.
[4] Ashour has also expressed doubts at Kurdish governments in Iraq and Syria's attempts to present themselves as being LGBT friendly, stating that "talking is easier than action" and felt such statements were made to appease the West.
[10] In 2022, Ashour criticised the Iraqi government's proposed legislation that would prohibit homosexuality in the country, stating it would legalise the murders of LGBT people.