Wednesday 30 September 2015

Interview with a Syrian mother

Rula Al-Aken is a Syrian native and mum-of-two living in Limerick. 
Rula moved from Syria to Ireland in 1999.  
She says that Ireland is her home now and she doesn't know if she can ever go back to Syria.
"My country seems so unrecognisable now. It's hard for me to think of going back there and not seeing the same Damascus. It's all gone."
Rula's father passed away in 2013, but as it was during the war, Rula could not travel home for the funeral. 
Rula is urging Irish people to allow Syrians to come here. "People are being raped and murdered. It's not safe in Syria."
She speaks about the conditions that the Syrian people are now facing. "There is only four hours of water a day and two hours of electricity a day. There are no basic things left to survive. People with children have to leave to protect their children. No Syrian person wants to leave Syria but they have to."
Rula also speaks about ISIS. "What ISIS is doing to Syrian people is inhumane. ISIS are not Syrian. It's important that people know what this group is doing to other human beings."
"If Ireland can afford to bring more people into the country I would love that."
"To live away from home is very different from imply visiting a different place. When I settled here I just had to think, 'that's it, this is home now.'"