1. Article for Syrian refugees
In our world today the refugee crisis in the Middle East and specifically the Syrian
civil war which unfortunately in part spawned the caliphate known as Isis, have been on the
forefront in the news and political debates in the US as well as Europe. Now with the horrific
and devastating massacre of innocent lives in Paris, for which Isis has claimed responsibility,
the issue of the refugee crisis has become even more in the forefront of discussion, not only for
the politicians but a dinner table discussion among many concerned and informed people.
What will be the fate be of the Syrian refugees after the latest events spawning outrage and
more anti-refugee sentiment? The Syrians fleeing their homeland do so to save themselves
from unspeakable horrors not only from their government who has been killing their own
citizens, but also from Isis. I could not imagine living in such a quagmire that leaves you little
choice but to leave your homeland and begin a dangerous and unknown journey to escape such
horror.
In Greece there has been an enormous daily influx of Syrian, Afghan and other
refugees pouring onto the Greek Islands from neighboring Turkey, eventually making their way
onto the mainland. The Greek government has estimated a total of about 4000 refugees per
day. This past August I was in Greece visiting family and friends. As I traveled into Central
Athens on my second day, I walked out of the subway at a central square and was met by many
refugee families sitting around the square in the early morning and along the steps of a
fountain. Having an inquisitive and investigative nature, I approached some of the extended
families and ask about their lives and journey that has taken them thus far to Athens. With
hand gestures and some able to speak limited English I put together quite a harrowing and life
threatening journey that these families had endured. One young man when I asked if he was
Syrian nodded yes and then proceeded with hand gestures to depict bombs falling from the sky
and ran his hand across his throat meaning to say they are escaping the brutality of daily
bombings which have killed so many innocent Syrian men, women and children.
Several days later I met someone that told me of a refugee camp in a large park in central
Athens. I immediately decided that I would visit the camp the next day with my camera in hand
to witness and document my experience. So the next day I walked into the camp and first came
across a large number of refugees in line leading up to a van that was distributing food in the
morning. I readied my camera and began shooting dozens of photos of a day in the life of a
refugee camp. The camp was a mix of Syrian and ethnic Hazara refugees from Northern
Afghanistan. I stayed at the camp for several hours photographing whatever I could. Later on I
Spoke with Greek aid workers who were overseeing this camp about their work and challenges
feeding and addressing medical problems of such a large group. The Greek people working in
the camp all volunteered their services. The Greek government at this time had its hands full

2. collecting the refugees that have been pouring on their shores, housing and documenting them
before going on their way to northern Europe, but with the large influx of refugees every day
the makeshift government camps were just overwhelmed and could not house everyone. So
the Greek volunteers were certainly a welcoming sight for these refugees in this makeshift
camp which would be in dire straits if not for the compassion of these people. I thought about
the images I witnessed in the news of the makeshift rafts that crossed the sea, wondering what
harrowing stories these people could tell of their journey to reach the shores of Greece as I
went about photographing their lives.
Since I have had the opportunity to witness what a refugee endures on a daily
basis to save their lives and find a better and peaceful life for themselves and their family, I
believe it would be morally reprehensible to deny these refugees passage to the US as many
politicians have suggested. Some have gone as far as suggesting only Christians be allowed.
Really? I find it hard to believe that a politician running for the highest position in the land
would even consider say such a statement. Perhaps some politicians would say anything for
votes. This is not what this country has stood for since its existence. The major European
countries such as France, England and Germany have taken in thousands of Syrian, Afghan and
other refugees. It is our moral duty to join them. The president of France, Francois Hollande
recently came out and said despite the attacks in his country it will accept 30,000 refugees over
the next 2 years. “We will stay true to our beliefs” he was quoted as saying. We need more
men like him who are strong but morally true to his beliefs in humanity.
The refugees entering this country would have to go through multiple layers of
security and scrutiny before being allowed to enter. The US has the best intelligence gathering
in the world and agencies like Homeland security, FBI and others would certainly check every
single refugee thoroughly that would be applying for asylum.
I will end by mentioning that I was a refugee of sorts once. I was born in a country that
at the time was considered a poor and developing country. I was orphaned at an early age.
Eventually I was adopted by American parents and given a better and rewarding life. If there
had been such sanctions on me for being Muslim or some other religion that was chastised at
that time who knows what would have happened to me or would I even be alive today. One
thing is for sure you would never have read this article and never had the opportunity to see
these precious photos.