“I heard a story once that really stuck with me. A woman with a Turkish father and a Syrian mother explained that she wasn’t eligible for Syrian citizenship because in Syria nationality is inherited through the father, not the mother. She thought of Syria as her country and talked about how upsetting it was that she couldn’t live there, just because the ‘wrong’ parent happened to be Syrian.”
Rim Vefai, NGO Worker
“This woman’s story made me think of all the Syrians around the world who are longing for a home where they feel welcome and safe. This Syrian woman is longing for her land, yet is denied citizenship because her father is not Syrian. And at the same time there are so many Syrian youth who fled to other countries, trying to be anything but Syrian. It really touches me when I think of Syria and its people who are seeking belonging.”
Süheyla Alazmah, Student, Sociology Department