By Annisa Essack
04:03:2022

Ml. Habib Bobat and the JUSA team have been touring refugee camps in Idlib, Syria, on a fact-finding mission, carrying out aid work, and overseeing projects.

The Syrians are now facing the eleventh year. The situation of people living under dire circumstances has been exacerbated due to the world’s focus shifting to other conflicts and issues.

Presently, Syria has 6.6 million refugees and another 6.7 million internally displaced.

Ml Bilal Vaid explained the concept of being “internally displaced” or IDPs.

Before the war, Syria was a vibrant country trading globally, but the war stopped this. When the crisis began, people, overnight facing attacks from the air and ground, began to retreat to other countries or other areas relatively safer.

Those who could not reach the border and move over to countries became internally displaced – moving from one place considered safe to another.

Yesterday, the team provided aid to some many displaced families in icy winter conditions. Ml. Asad Pandor described the drive today into rural settings, and the conditions of the Syrian IDPs became even starker to the team as children played about in sandals in the mud. Members of the group wearing thermal clothes to keep warm were cold. The

Dr Zubair Chohan visited a “home”, which in the case of the Syrian IDPs, it is a tent structure comprising four pieces of cloth over an aluminium shell, about four by 4 metres square. The fabric is not waterproof; water leaks from the top and sides, and the wind constantly blows through.

A portion of the tent is used as a sleeping area, and people are blessed to have a piece of carpet to sleep on. Another portion is utilised as a cooking or kitchen area.

Mohammed Dadabhai says his heart sunk as he witnessed the crisis and its impact. He compared the luxurious homes that we are blessed with to those that the refugees had to live in.

He, emotionally, remembered how Dr Chohan remarked that we should be grateful that we can give to the people of Syria and that Allah should never place us in the situation of us being the recipient.

Ml. Bobat spoke about a project in a village that has begun building a small, solid structure 2-bedroom home with a kitchenette and ablution facilities. This project will then be introduced to the donor community to provide dignity to the people.

He further highlighted that most of the refugees and internally displaced people lived a good life until the crisis and how their situation changed overnight.

His parting naseeha on the final day was for those of us who are blessed with the many bounties of Allah, should be grateful. The team urged the Ummah to pray for our brothers and sisters facing oppression, poverty, and other societal ills.

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