Inside Syria: The Aid Workers of Aleppo
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Bilal Abdul Kareem, is an American Muslim activist living in Syria who documents the lives of fighters and aid workers in Syria for Channel4. In this episode he talks to Tauqir who lives near the Turkish border with his British wife Racquell Hayden-Best, who is 21. When they married three years ago, he already had a long history of activism – he was one of those aboard the Gaza aid flotilla which was raided by Israeli forces in 2010. An excerpt of the story:
“I feel the whole world has turned a blind eye to Syria. We don’t want to be sitting here in five years’ time, wondering why we didn’t prevent another genocide. I feel it’s the duty of all Muslims to help.”
The Nottingham University graduate believes he has a religious obligation, but an obligation based on his very British upbringing. “I grew up in an ordinary, middle-class family. But we were always taught, growing up in the UK, that if we see injustice, we should step in and do something about it.”
Racquell says she was keen to travel with him to Syria, despite the dangers. “I had a very protected upbringing,” she says. “I wanted to get out and see the world. Life in the UK, it was depressing, it was like a robot life, doing the same things every day. Now Tauqir is doing what he wants to do. I’m happy because he’s happy.”
Syria Appeal:
