Ali Nowroz sits quietly in a bar on Jalan Jaksa in Central Jakarta. Nearby, a small group of expatriates analyze their careers and love lives as Nowroz, 25, recalls a not-so-distant past, when the Taliban tried to kidnap him.

Nowroz is from Quetta, Pakistan, but is of Afghan descent and is an easily recognizable member of the Hazara ethnicity. Because of this, he has endured racial and religious persecution his entire life. Pakistani Hazaras, who are mainly Shiite Muslims, have been prime targets of Sunni radicals for several decades.