Two generations of Syrian refugees find sanctuary in Vancouver

canada goose jacket outlet sale For Mohamad Mamoun Alhomsi and his two sons, Canada has meant freedom on many levels. canada goose jacket outlet sale

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canada goose outlet online store review Their ordeal started in 2000, when Mohamad, an independent member of the Syrian parliament, went on a hunger strike to protest the human rights abuses perpetrated by the regime canada goose factory sale of president Bashar Assad. canada goose outlet online store review

canada goose factory outlet vancouver “In Damascus, people loved him so much. Too many people,” Canada Goose Parka Majd says, explaining that his father’s popularity was threatening to the government. canada goose factory outlet vancouver

Alhomsi was arrested on charges that included “attempting to change the constitution by illegal means,” according to Human Rights Watch, and sentenced to five years in prison. Canada Goose sale His arrest and sentence attracted international condemnation, including from the governments of Canada, France and the United canada goose uk black friday States.

canada goose outlet london Alhomsi believes his jail sentence was intended to punish the whole family. Yasin, who was 10 at the time, says their father was a hero to them and it caused them pain to imagine what was happening to him in prison. He and canada goose Majd, then 7, were supported Canada Goose Outlet by the extended family. canada goose outlet london

canada goose outlet mall In canada goose coats on sale 2006, Alhomsi was released from prison and fled to Lebanon with his wife. The government would not let him have contact with Yasin Canada Goose Coats On Sale or Majd. Shortly after Alhomsi was released from jail, state security forces came to the family home looking for him. They kidnapped Yasin, then 16, and held him overnight, hoping to lure his father back. canada goose outlet mall

canada goose outlet seattle From Lebanon, Alhomsi lobbied foreign governments to support democracy and human rights for the Syrian people. president George W. Bush, who subsequently invited him to a meeting at the Oval Office. canada goose outlet seattle

canada goose shop uk This angered the Assad regime in Syria, which pressured the Lebanese government to expel Alhomsi from the country and uk canada goose outlet in 2010, canada goose clearance they moved to deport him. and Canada. He canada goose black friday sale had no interest in going to any country other than Canada, he says through Yasin, because of its reputation canada goose uk outlet for upholding human rights. He was assured by Canadian embassy officials in Beirut that he’d be able to sponsor his two older sons within six months. canada goose shop uk

canada goose sale uk Meanwhile, in canada goose coats Damascus, life was not easy for Yasin and Majd. One day, state security forces boarded the bus he was taking home from university, shouting “Where is Yasin Alhomsi?” canada goose sale uk

canada goose outlet location They took him to prison, and thus began some of the darkest months of his life. canada goose outlet location

canada goose jacket outlet uk He slept on the floor of a crowded prison cell and shared his food with about 10 other men who all ate from the same dish. He was beaten, kicked and only allowed to use the bathroom twice a day. Prisoners were allowed only one shower each month. canada goose jacket outlet uk

“The Syrian government has a lot of ways to pressure you, not only physically, also psychologically. Maybe every two weeks comes somebody to tell me today you will go to your home,” Yasin recalls. “You don’t know if in the future you will go back home or you’ll die what the coming days will bring to you.”

canada goose premium outlet His family was told nothing of his whereabouts until one day, seven months after his disappearance, when he showed up at home, 90 pounds lighter and almost unrecognizable to his family. canada goose premium outlet

canada goose outlet houston It took him several days to truly accept he was home. canada goose outlet houston

canada goose outlet in vancouver “When I wake up in the bed, not on the floor, I don’t believe it. When I enter the bathroom, I don’t believe I am alone in the bathroom.” canada goose outlet in vancouver

canada goose jacket uk He tried to go back to university, but they would not accept him for two semesters. Sympathetic students started a Facebook page to protest this decision, and finally Yasin was allowed back to finish his business administration degree. Majd was still in high school. canada goose jacket uk

Alhomsi, who was by this time living in Vancouver, pressured the Canadian government to speed up the refugee applications for his sons. Late last year, he was told his sons would need to get to Lebanon for an interview with Canadian embassy officials.

This proved especially difficult for Yasin, who held cheap canada goose uk no passport and was forbidden from leaving Syria. He crossed the border underneath a car after a perilous two day journey, with Majd following shortly after.

canada goose outlet store quebec The brothers set up in Beirut for what buy canada goose jacket cheap they hoped would be a short stopover Canada Goose online en route to Canada. canada goose outlet store quebec

canada goose outlet winnipeg address In an emotional reunion at Vancouver airport earlier this month, Alhomsi was finally able to embrace his sons after 15 years. They saw their eight year old canada goose store half brother for the first time since he was a baby and met their four year old half sister. canada goose outlet winnipeg address

Just over two weeks later, the brothers are slowly finding their feet in Vancouver. People have been kind to canada Canada Goose Jackets Outlet goose clearance sale them, Majd says, helping them get around on transit. Someone from the City of Burnaby’s parks department came by with swimming pool passes for the whole family, and Majd plans to join a soccer team at the nearby Bonsor recreation centre. They are pleasantly surprised by the www.canadagooseoutletjackets.com weather similar to Damascus, says Majd, who was sporting denim shorts and sneakers on a recent afternoon.

canada goose outlet uk sale Their most immediate and important priority, the brothers say forcefully, is to find work. They plan to attend resume writing workshops and improve their English to make this easier and are willing canadian goose jacket to accept any position, Majd says. canada goose outlet uk sale

canada goose outlet edmonton While they appreciate the support government assisted refugees receive their first year in Canada, Yasin says he wants to start paying his own way Canada Goose Jackets as soon as possible so that other Syrian refugees can benefit. canada goose outlet edmonton

canada goose outlet mississauga “We promise the great Canadian people that we will never disappoint their expectations and we will uk canada goose never rely on the Canadian government,” adds Majd. “We work hard.” canada goose outlet mississauga.