Something so small had made it so far from home – that all that raging water could carry something so gentle.” Mohamed Hassan, “Secrets of the Sea” On September 2nd, 2015, Nilufer Demir captured an image that would change the world. The image was of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, lying in the sand on the shores…
Tag refugees
Arabic “Sesame Street” Style Show Hopes to Help Refugee Children
Over 70 million people have been displaced or made refugees due to conflicts around the world that put them in peril. Approximately half of those impacted are kids, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Specifically looking at one of the biggest crises today, five million Syrian children have been affected by the brutal Syrian Civil…
Rahaf and Nada: Are Asylum Seekers and Refugees Lensed by Politics?
Rahaf Al Qunun: When she first made news, we saw in her as a teen burdened by patriarchy, in the clutches of a possible death penalty, and shackled by constitutional laws. Her story resonated with women who have battled patriarchy and felt suffocated in being told what to do. Scratching beyond her narrative, in this…
Where Has Trump’s Humanity Gone?
Where has humanity gone? A question that is on most of our minds. When we talk humanity, we think of compassion, helping hands, open arms. As humans, it is our natural instinct to survive. Unfortunately, survival means something different depending on where you live. Imagine finally getting the courage to flee danger, whether it’s a…
Refugee Children and Trauma: Can We Ever Hope to Heal Through Play?
The routine for a mother in a middle class neighborhood in American suburbia is a simple one. She tends to her family’s needs, her children’s schooling and food intake, and still strives to do better the next day. Her mind is filled with thoughts of whether or not her children are eating enough of their…
Here’s How Refugees Turn Hate Into Love
The Trump administration, and many of its hardcore fans are still enamored with the ridiculous belief that refugees are “taking over.” While refugees are out here being the living embodiment of sayings like, “be kind to rude people because they need it the most,” and “hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that,”…
What Does It Mean to Be a Refugee?
A rectangular folding table was placed against a wall. I sat at the head, and directly to my left was a male translator, along with a female patient. Usually, I prefer to have the patient closer to me, but she looked upset as soon as she had walked into the clinic and I wanted her…
Why TF is Lena Dunham Adapting a Story About a Syrian Refugee?
“Honestly, is this actually a real headline?!” was my exact reaction after reading a headline about Lena Dunham being chosen to adapt a story about a Syrian refugee. And that’s exactly how Alia Malek, a popular Syrian-American author, among many others felt about it as well. In a Buzzfeed article about the situation, it’s explained…
Germany Accepts Muslim Refugees, Bans Islamic Burkini at Public Pools
Germany has been at the forefront of international news throughout the past year due mainly to the country’s acceptance of nearly 1 million Syrian refugees, most of which are Arab Muslims. So naturally, it comes as a shock to learn that a country recognized for being so welcoming of Muslims has purposed – and successfully…