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

Consider This from NPR

NPR

Society & Culture, News, Daily News, News Commentary

4.1 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 December 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When Syria's dictatorship fell in early December, celebrations broke out around the world - including nearly 6,000 miles away, in Toledo, Ohio.

That's where Mohammed al-Refai, a refugee from Syria, lives now. NPR has followed his story for nearly a decade.

In 2015, millions of Syrians fled the civil war in their country. al-Refai got a visa to come to the U.S. His parents and siblings, who fled to Jordan, did not. So, he moved on his own to Toledo, where built a new life for himself.

He long dreamed of visiting his family and maybe, one day, returning to Syria.

With the Syrian civil war now over, we talked to al-Refai about what comes next.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at [email protected].

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	When Syria's dictatorship fell in early December, a celebration broke out nearly 6,000 miles away
0:06.7	in Toledo, Ohio.
0:10.7	The first time I visited Toledo to meet Syrian refugees was nearly a decade ago.
0:15.9	I met a young man living in a group house near the university.
0:18.7	My name is Muhammad.
0:19.9	Muhammad al-Rafay was a 22-year-old
0:22.4	refugee. In 2015, millions of Syrians fled the civil war in their country. Muhammad's family
0:28.7	went across the border to Jordan, but something strange happened. While Muhammad got a visa to come
0:34.2	to the U.S., his parents and siblings did not. Nobody knew why families are
0:39.2	usually kept together. So he settled into the group house in Toledo with a bunch of American guys
0:45.0	who called him Mo. He learned English and got a job at a halal butcher shop.
0:49.0	Chicken legs, chicken breast, goat, steak, lamb, beef, turkey.
0:57.8	Meanwhile, he dreamed of visiting his family in Jordan.
1:01.4	My mom do good food.
1:04.3	Yeah? I miss him.
1:06.4	But after Donald Trump was elected president the first time, leaving the U.S.
1:10.3	seemed like a bad idea.
1:11.8	Muhammad was afraid he wouldn't be allowed back in.
1:14.5	I feel bad for the day not with me.
1:19.0	But I can't do anything for help him.
1:22.0	In 2017, the guys at the group house called me with an update.
1:25.5	Who wants to share the good news?
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -9 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.