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cover of episode He left everything to flee war in Syria. What does the war's end mean for his future?

He left everything to flee war in Syria. What does the war's end mean for his future?

2024/12/29
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Consider This from NPR

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Ari Shapiro
穆罕默德·阿尔-雷法伊
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Ari Shapiro: 本报道讲述了叙利亚难民穆罕默德·阿尔-雷法伊在美国俄亥俄州托莱多市的生活,以及叙利亚战争结束对其未来规划的影响。穆罕默德在2015年逃离叙利亚内战,独自一人来到美国,多年来一直与家人分离。叙利亚政权垮台后,穆罕默德的家人也搬到了托莱多与他团聚。报道探讨了穆罕默德一家在美国的生活,以及他们对未来是否返回叙利亚的考虑。 报道中穿插了穆罕默德获得绿卡、成为美国公民以及与家人团聚的经历,展现了他在美国逐渐安家落户的过程。同时,报道也关注了叙利亚战争对穆罕默德及其家人生活造成的深远影响,以及他们对未来生活和回国计划的思考。 穆罕默德·阿尔-雷法伊: 我在叙利亚战争期间逃离家乡,独自一人来到美国,多年来与家人分离,这期间经历了诸多困难,包括获得绿卡和美国公民身份的漫长过程。叙利亚政权垮台的消息让我和我的家人非常激动,我们终于可以团聚了。目前,我的家人已经搬到托莱多与我一起生活,我们对在美国的生活感到满意和安全。虽然我的部分亲属已经返回叙利亚,但我目前没有计划回国,因为美国的生活条件更好,更安全。我感激美国给予我的机会和帮助,并会永远珍惜这段经历。 虽然叙利亚战争已经结束,但它对我的生活和心理留下了不可磨灭的印记。我仍然牵挂着在叙利亚的亲朋好友,希望他们能够在和平的环境中重建家园。对于未来,我将继续努力工作,在美国创造更好的生活,同时也会关注叙利亚的局势发展,并根据情况考虑是否回国探望亲人。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

Why did Mohammed al-Refai move to Toledo, Ohio, and what challenges did he face?

Mohammed al-Refai moved to Toledo, Ohio, after fleeing the Syrian civil war in 2015. While he received a U.S. visa, his family did not and remained in Jordan. He settled in a group house, learned English, and worked at a halal butcher shop. Challenges included separation from his family and fears of not being allowed back into the U.S. after traveling abroad, especially during the Trump administration.

What significant milestone did Mohammed achieve in 2022?

In 2022, Mohammed al-Refai became a U.S. citizen, a milestone he had been working toward since arriving in the U.S. This allowed him to finally reunite with his family in Jordan after years of separation.

How did Mohammed and his family react to the fall of the Syrian regime?

When the Syrian regime fell, Mohammed and his family, who were together in Toledo, celebrated with tears and joy. They watched the news together, and Mohammed took the day off work to process the momentous event, which they had been waiting for over a decade.

Why did Mohammed's family decide to stay in Toledo instead of returning to Syria?

Mohammed's family chose to stay in Toledo because they found safety, stability, and opportunities in the U.S. They were uncertain about the future of Syria and how long it would take to rebuild. While they may visit Syria in the future, they prioritize their current life in Toledo.

What changes did Mohammed's aunt and uncle experience after the fall of the Syrian regime?

Mohammed's aunt and uncle, who remained in Syria, regained their freedom and were no longer afraid to speak openly. They returned to their home, which they had fled during the war, and began cleaning and reclaiming it.

How has Mohammed's family adapted to life in Toledo?

Mohammed's family has adapted well to life in Toledo. His father has a car and friends, while his mother attends school and has made new connections. They feel safe and content in their new home, appreciating the opportunities and stability the U.S. provides.

Chapters
The episode starts by describing the celebration of Syrian refugees in Toledo, Ohio, following the fall of Syria's dictatorship. It introduces Mohammed al-Refai, a Syrian refugee who had been living in Toledo for several years, separated from his family who remained in Jordan. The chapter details his journey to the US, the challenges he faced, and his eventual reunification with his family.
  • Celebration in Toledo, Ohio, among Syrian refugees upon the fall of Syria's dictatorship.
  • Mohammed al-Refai's journey as a Syrian refugee to the US.
  • Reunification of Mohammed with his family in Jordan after several years of separation.

Shownotes Transcript

Translations:
中文

When Syria's dictatorship fell in early December, a celebration broke out nearly 6,000 miles away in Toledo, Ohio. The first time I visited Toledo to meet Syrian refugees was nearly a decade ago. I met a young man living in a group house near the university. My name is Muhammad. Muhammad Al-Rafai was a 22-year-old refugee. In 2015, millions of Syrians fled the civil war in their country.

Muhammad's family went across the border to Jordan. But something strange happened. While Muhammad got a visa to come to the U.S., his parents and siblings did not. Nobody knew why families are usually kept together. So he settled into the group house in Toledo with a bunch of American guys who called him Mo. He learned English and got a job at a halal butcher shop. Chicken legs, chicken breast, goat, steak, lamb, beef.

Meanwhile, he dreamed of visiting his family in Jordan. But after Donald Trump was elected president the first time, leaving the U.S. seemed like a bad idea. Mohamed was afraid he wouldn't be allowed back in. I feel bad for they not with me.

But I can't do anything for help. In 2017, the guys at the group house called me with an update. Who wants to share the good news? Mo, go. Say it. What'd you get? I have the green card. A green card. He told his family he would visit them in Jordan, but only once he was a U.S. citizen. He'd be eligible in 2020. But the pandemic kept him from taking the test for another two years.

Finally, in 2022, it happened. Yes, yes, yes. I'm so glad I am now American citizen. And then I got this voice memo from him a few months later. Hey, my friend. Mohammed was messaging me from Jordan. Now I'm with my family, my friend. Yep. How are you?

The newly minted U.S. citizen was finally reunited with his family. So, when the Syrian regime fell, I immediately thought of Mo. Consider this. The Syrian civil war changed millions of lives all over the world. We'll hear what the end of that war means for one man in Toledo and his family. ♪

From NPR, I'm Ari Shapiro.

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It's Consider This from NPR. Until early this month, the idea of ever returning to Syria seemed like a faraway dream for millions of refugees like Mohammed al-Rafai. But since the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell, Syrians began flooding back home to cities they hadn't seen in more than a decade. I wondered if Mohammed was planning to do something similar. So I gave him a call. Hello? Hey, Mohammed, it's Ari.

Hey, Ali. Good, good. So where were you when you learned that the government in Damascus had fallen? I was wake up at night and I have to go to work at around three o'clock. And I was have my dad and my mom, they watching the news. Wait, wait, wait. Your dad and your mom were in Toledo? In Toledo, yes, sir. So your family was all together when you got the news? Yes. And I wake up, you know, I sleep early because I have to work at night.

And I wake up, open the door, and I see my dad and my mom, they're watching the TV. I say, what's going on? They said, just watch the news.

They're quiet and everyone, they watch the news, my mom and my dad and my sister. And I look, I see it's Bashar, he's left in Syria. And I call my job and I say, hey, I need a day off. I'm not coming today to my work. Did they understand? You know, I'm waiting for that day like 13 years ago or 14 years ago. Everyone, they're excited.

They have good day for that day. Did your family hug? Did you cry? Did you sing? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Like they was crying and they was like, because it's like big, big, like, I don't know how we say, but it's big, good for us. Of course. Yeah. I have so many questions. First of all, was your family just visiting from Jordan? Are they living in Ohio now? What were they doing in Toledo? Yeah.

They're coming, living in Toledo like in one years ago. They moved to Toledo. So your whole family is together now. Oh yeah. I have my dad and my mom and sister and brother. They come like in one years ago.

And we got a house and we're living together now. That's incredible. So how have you been celebrating these last couple of weeks? You know, we have a group at WhatsApp and they text us. They said, hey, we will meet. Is this a WhatsApp group of Syrians in Toledo? Yes, sir. So everybody met up.

Yes, like in, we'll say downtown of Toledo or Kroger parking lot. The parking lot of the supermarket Kroger. Yes, sir. Everyone, they need that that day. Yeah. Yeah.

Does your family talk about going back to Syria? It has taken you so long to finally be together in the United States. Do you plan to stay in Toledo? What do you think about what comes next? No, we're not going back to home because I don't know what's going on next. Sure. But...

I don't know how long it will take to fix everything. I don't know when they will fix it. But we're not going back now because here it's more safe, more good for us job, have more people safe. But maybe not now, but maybe we'll go visit back there.

You know, I have a lot of friends. I have, like, family still. I have family there. I have my aunt, my uncle back home. When you talk to your aunt and uncle, what do they say? Oh, they, like, now they can't talk anything about Syria, like, because they're freedom. They're not scared about anything. Like, they're not secret. And now they enjoy the life, like,

They can do anything. They go back home. You know, they are living in Syria, but not the house, the same house they own. They had to relocate. Yeah. And now they go back to the house. They open the house. They clean it. So your aunt and uncle have been able to return to the house that they had to flee during the war. Uh-huh. How are your parents and your siblings adapting to life in Toledo?

Like good, my dad and my mom, I buy a car for my dad and he has a lot of friends here. When my mom, she go to school and she meet a lot of friends and she like it. We not go back to Syria now because everything here, it's good. Everything's safe. Yeah. When you sent me that voice memo from Jordan, it was the first time you had visited your family in seven years. And I'm sure it felt like such a rare, precious opportunity. Yeah.

Now, they are with you every day. Does it feel normal? Does it feel like a dream? How does that feel after so long of being apart? It's a dream when we got out of Syria because the president, he was in Syria, he was like a dangerous guy. And it's a dream we got like here and safe and no one killed, no one he got in jail.

That was the dream. And we find good life in the United States. And if we go back to Syria, like, I don't know when, like, we'll say 10 years, 20 years, but we will love America because she is saving us and she took care of us and she helped us. And she also, she gave us a passport, like, visa. This is why we will love America forever.

Well, Mohamed Al-Rafai, it is so good to talk to you again. And I'm really happy to hear that your family is reunited at last. Thank you so much, Ali. This episode was produced by Matt Ozog and Michael Levitt with audio engineering by Patrick Murray. It was edited by John Ketchum and Sammy Yenigan, who's also our executive producer. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Ari Shapiro.

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