Local Syrians feel guilt, sadness
As Ottawa’s Syrian community mourns the death of two little boys and their mother off the coast of Turkey, it also hopes it will finally bring attention to the dire plight of hundreds of thousands of other refugees.
“Hopefully this picture will wake people up,” said Rana Ibrahim, in reference to the widely circulated image of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi lying face down on a beach in Turkey. He and his brother and mother drowned while trying to flee Syria.
Ibrahim, a Syrian-Canadian living in Ottawa, said the civil war in Syria, which has been going on for more than four years, should have received more attention from Canadians since day one.
But, she added, it’s never too late to start a conversation.
Ibrahim said she feels guilty everyday that her family remains stuck back home.
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