The Syrian Rose

Canada welcomes Syrian refugees with open arms 

This week, Canada welcomed the first of the 25,000 Syrian refugees it intends to accept. This is more than twice the amount that President Obama plans to resettle in the U.S within the next year. Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau promises to resettle all 25,000 refugees by the end of February 2016. Previously, the Liberal party had promised to accept 25,000 refugees by the end of 2015, but the timeline was extended after protests that the 2015 end of the year deadline was rushed, and would not allow for accurate security measures to be upheld.

The refugees were greeted with songs, clothes, and by the Prime Minister himself. Trudeau personally met with refugees at Toronto Airport, and presented one young refugee with a coat and teddy bear. 

The headline of the Toronto Star included the words "Welcome to Canada" in Arabic, and a heartwarming front page article that warmly welcomed Syrian refugees, "You're with family now".

One of the most inspiring, and heartfelt welcomes that I saw on the internet was a Canadian choir singing Tala'a al Badru Alaina. This is a song which was sung in a similar situation about 1400 years ago when the Prophet Muhammad and his followers sought refugee in the city of Medina from Makkans who were persecuting them. To have them sing it in Arabic, and to sing it in such a situation... it is an emotional experience, one that I have no doubt Syrian refugees will appreciate. 

Foreign fighters numbers' double in Syria

The number of foreign fighters in Syria has doubled in the past year alone, officials say. The Soufan Group, a intelligence firm founded by former FBI agent Ali Soufan, reported that the number of foreign fighters in Syria had gone up from 12,000 in the previous year to 27,000-31,000.

The report also states that, according to the Russian Federation, the number of Russians joining the Islamic State has gone up from 800 in June of 2014 to 2,400.

Syrian refugees in the West

The Paris attacks have spurred intense debate worldwide over the fate of Syrian refugees in Europe and the United States. Now that Daesh has shown what it is capable of, many fear that Daesh is looking to further its interests in the West by sending operatives disguised as refugees. Anti-immigration protests have spread across Europe, and in the U.S the subject is being heavily among politicians. Presidential candidates have weighed of both parties have weighed in on the matter, and a bill was recently passed in the House of Representatives that is meant to hinder the flow of Syrians into the United States. This bill opposes Obama's plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees within the next year. Many believe that the planned 18-month screening/vetting process is not enough to dismiss the security risks refugees may pose. 

Russian attacks continue. Over 403 Syrian civilians reported dead as a result of the campaign

According to the Syrian Observatory, more more than 400 Syrian civilians have been killed as a result of Russian airstrikes on ISIS. SOHR reports that, of the 400 dead, 97 were children. Russia has recently escalated strikes on Syria in the wake of the Paris attacks, and does not plan on reducing Russian military action in Syria any time soon, according to President Putin. 

If you had only a small bag in which to pack your most valued and needed possessions, what would you fill it with?

For six-year-old Omran, part of that precious space is occupied by a zip-lock bag of marshmallows, the young boy's favourite snack, alongside a toothbrush, toothpaste and a pair of trousers and a shirt.

Omran, from Syria, is too young to comprehend fully the upheaval that is occurring around him.

He is among the thousands of refugees fleeing unrest in Syria and other parts of the Middle East and Afghanistan, and risking their lives in a desperate dash for Europe and the hope of a new, safer life.

The International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian aid organisation, spoke to a handful of those displaced people and photographed the meagre possessions they had managed to carry with them across the Aegean Sea to Lesbos, in Greece.

"Smugglers routinely exploit them, promising safety for a price, only to squeeze them like sardines into tiny boats," the committee said in a statement.

"Most have no option but to shed whatever meagre belongings they may have salvaged from their journeys. Those allowed to bring extra baggage aboard often toss it overboard, frantically dumping extra weight as the leaky boats take on water."

Entitled What's in my bag?: What refugees bring when they run for their lives, the photo essay paints a bleak picture of life on the move.

Omran, 6, from Damascus, Syria

Photo: International Rescue Committee

Contents of the bag:

Aboessa, 20, from Damascus, Syria

What's in my bag? These are the only possessions Aboessa, from Syria, could carry with her when fleeing. Photo: International Rescue Committee

Aboessa left Syria with her husband and their 10-month-old daughter, Doua.

"Everything is for my daughter to protect her against sickness. When we arrived in Greece, a kind man gave me two jars of food. Another man gave us biscuits and water when he saw my baby," she said.

Contents of Aboessa's bag:

A pharmacist from Syria, who wished to remain anonymous

Photo: International Rescue Committee

A 34-year-old pharmacist from Syria carried these items with him in a small bag. His boat began leaking, and he ended up treading water for 45 minutes before he was rescued.

Contents of his bag:

A family from Aleppo, Syria

Photo: International Rescue Committee

An extended family, from Aleppo in Syria, lost most of their possessions along the way and arrived with just one bag. There were seven women, four men and 20 children.

Contents of their bag:

https://www.booster.com/syriancrisis