Syrian man whose plight spurred Obama's support comes to US

[webfact]

Syrian man whose plight spurred Obama's support comes to US
JEFF KAROUB, Associated Press

ROMULUS, Michigan (AP) — A Syrian scientist whose harrowing, tragic story spurred supporting words from President Barack Obama and a successful fundraising effort launched by actor Edward Norton has arrived as a refugee into the Detroit area.

Refaai Hamo and four of his children landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, anxious to rebuild their lives in suburban Oakland County. The 54-year-old, who suffers from stomach cancer, fled to Turkey from Syria after a missile attack on his home killed his wife and one daughter.

"If they will only call me a refugee ... I don't want to be here. I want to be a good citizen," said Hamo, accompanied by his 18-year-old son at a nighttime news conference at the Romulus airport. The conference was arranged by Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, the state's largest refugee resettlement agency.

Hamo was profiled earlier this month on the popular photo blog Humans of New York and identified as "The Scientist." He said in text accompanying seven photos that he "was overseeing a project outside the city when the missile hit my house" and those of relatives next door. He said 16 people died, seven from his family, and he left Syria "with nothing."

Hamo said his cancer has gone untreated because he lacked insurance, and wants to get well so he can "make a lasting contribution to humanity."

After reading the story, Obama called Hamo "an inspiration" on the president's official Facebook page, adding that he's "proud that you'll pursue your dreams here."

"Michigan will embrace you with the compassion and support you deserve," Obama's post said. "Yes, you can still make a difference in the world, and we're proud that you'll pursue your dreams here. Welcome to your new home. You're part of what makes America great."

Hamo arrives at a time when the resettlement of Syrian refugees has faced backlash from many Republican governors, lawmakers and presidential candidates in the wake of deadly attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, which heightened terrorism fears in the United States. Republican front-runner Donald Trump, whose campaign slogan is "Make America great again," has called for temporarily banning Muslims from the United States — a proposal criticized by his rivals.

Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who considers himself one of the nation's most pro-immigration governors and has passionately spoken on behalf of newcomers from the Middle East and elsewhere, nonetheless urged a pause in expanding resettlement efforts beyond current commitments until security concerns are addressed. Snyder, who said he welcomes Hamo and his family to Michigan, hasn't proposed blocking Syrians outright as other state leaders have, and has sought to distance himself from Trump.

"It's clear it became overly politicized across the political spectrum. I think that's unfortunate because I view this as a national security interest issue and it needs to be done in an appropriate balance with the spirit of immigration, which is at the core of America," Snyder said. "There are other people that have politicized this. I've tried to stay true to the course of striking this appropriate balance and doing it in a factual fashion."

For his part, Norton wrote that Hamo's story "moved me to tears," and created the campaign that has raised roughly $450,000 through thousands of individual online donations for Hamo's family and his medical treatment.

Norton told The Associated Press he would like to help other U.S.-bound Syrian refugees profiled by Humans of New York once Hamo's needs are met, and "we're well on our way to being able to do that." He added he's inspired by "the human story that's behind the immigration stories."

"It's not only what our country is built on ... but it's who we say we are in so many ways," said Norton, who is leading the campaign on CrowdRise, a charitable crowdfunding site he co-founded. "It's profoundly ironic when there are people (getting) political momentum out of ... the repudiation of the idea that America is a place for those kinds of people."
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Associated Press writer David Eggert contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-12-18

[mamypoko]

Bravo!

[oneday]

This is the very sad thing about all this terrorism and being labeled a Muslim...there ARE good people (Muslims) out there that do deserve a new life. It's just very difficult to take a chance one of them coming into the country is not what he says he is and ends up taking many innocent lives.

I hope this man does have a good life, gets treated for his cancer and has a chance to contribute to society.

Good luck Mr. Hamo.

[ggt]

Meanwhile, Christians who are being slaughtered by the thousands as the Islamic state purges it's newly acquired territory of all infidels...are being marginalized by the same folks who are rushing to bring Muslims into America...claiming one's religion is not a factor...

The numbers speak otherwise...

A total of 2,290 Syrian refugees have arrived in the United States since fiscal year 2011, which is when the Syrian civil war began, through Nov. 20, according to the State Department’s Refugee Processing Center. Of those, only 62 were identified in the center’s database as Christian. That’s 2.7 percent, even though the Christian population in Syria is about 10 percent, according to the CIA World Factbook.

http://www.factcheck.org/2015/11/facts-about-the-syrian-refugees/

Edited December 18, 2015 by ggt

[simple1]

Meanwhile, Christians who are being slaughtered by the thousands as the Islamic state purges it's newly acquired territory of all infidels...are being marginalized by the same folks who are rushing to bring Muslims into America...claiming one's religion is not a factor...

The numbers speak otherwise...

A total of 2,290 Syrian refugees have arrived in the United States since fiscal year 2011, which is when the Syrian civil war began, through Nov. 20, according to the State Department’s Refugee Processing Center. Of those, only 62 were identified in the center’s database as Christian. That’s 2.7 percent, even though the Christian population in Syria is about 10 percent, according to the CIA World Factbook.

http://www.factcheck.org/2015/11/facts-about-the-syrian-refugees/

Syrian Christians were living in areas protected by the Assad dictatorship, embedded in his government, military, militias and so on. When Assad began losing control with heavy casualties etc, Syrian Christian and others, who previously felt safe, began the refugee journey. Accordingly it's not surprising that currently Syrian Christian refugees are not represented in large numbers due to the timeline required for processing. Different story for Iraqi Christians who over time have now been relocated to the West, including the USA, in large numbers. More detail in the following article.

Why Are There Only 53 Christians Among America’s 2,184 Syrian Refugees?

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/november-web-only/why-only-53-christians-2184-syrian-refugees-resettlement.html

Edited December 19, 2015 by simple1