A Syrian refugee’s warning
© Kousai Al Mhanna
Days after the attacks in Paris last Friday, one Syrian already living in Ottawa is raising concerns about the Liberal government’s plan to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of this year.
“As a Syrian, I am asking and I am begging the government to check the history and criminal record of these people,” said Kousai Al Mhanna. “I saw with my eyes people killing kids and I was so surprised that after only four months I saw one man seeking refuge in the Netherlands. He shaved his face and looked like a normal person.”
Unlike thousands of Syrian refugees stranded overseas, Al Mhanna, 35, was able to come to Canada earlier this year from Damascus because he had a valid Canadian visitor visa, acquired to visit a sister who lives here. After arriving in Canada, he applied for refugee status. He has had help from his sister who has lived in Canada for 25 years.
Commenting on the Canadian government’s generosity to receive Syrian refugees, Al Mhanna praised the initiative. He said he appreciates that Canadians have been so nice to strangers, but cautioned that all people seeking asylum are not innocent.
Even though he doesn’t support Assad regime, Al Mhanna said that Canadian officials can work with the Syrian Embassy and Syrians who are already in Canada to check the history of those asking for asylum in the nation. He believes that the Syrian Government will be cooperative about the refugee issue because it wants to save its image. (This would likely be anathema to many Syrian refugees who are fleeing the Assad regime, itself responsible for much of the violence in the country, and who might thereby endanger themselves and their families still in Syria.)
“I know it’s a longer process and people need to get out of Syria but it’s better to protect the country,” Al Mhanna said.
Even though Al Mhanna is worried about possible terrorists entering Canada, he believes Canada has better control over its borders than Europe which is close to the Middle East.
Al Mhanna, who is a Catholic himself, is volunteering with the Catholic Center for Immigrants in Ottawa in preparation for welcoming Syrian refugees. His four siblings have left Syria but both his parents have refused to leave the country they’ve been living in their whole lives.
Many elders find it hard to leave Syria, usually because they feel very attached to the culture and don’t speak a foreign language, Al Mhanna explained.
The Canadian government has pledged to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of year but after the attack on Paris last Friday, some Canadians have expressed doubts about the pace of the effort.
One of the more vocal opponents to the idea is Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall who called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “suspend” his Syrian refugee plan. He said deadlines and numbers are driving the Liberal government’s decisions, which “may affect the safety of our citizens and the security of our country.”
