Ebrahim - Syria

For a while, I wondered if Ebrahim actually lived at our office in Gaziantep, Turkey, where we worked together for several months in 2013 on a program to help Syrians. Every morning, he was already at his desk working when I arrived - earbuds in place to insulate him from the distractions of our high-energy team - and was still at his desk working when I left in the evenings. Ebrahim was known on our team for his laser-sharp focus, attention to detail, and intolerance for anything less than excellence. Before the war in Syria, he worked with Iraqi, Afghan, Yemeni, and Iranian refugees resettling in Damascus. He helped them overcome challenges like simply not having any paperwork, not to mention being in a new place with a new culture and language, knowing no one, after having experienced intense trauma. Can you imagine being in a foreign country trying to get a job or an apartment without a drivers license, birth certificate, social security number, or passport - because yours were destroyed or you had to flee your home without time to gather them? It was this experience that prepared Ebrahim - all his most important documents together in a file, ready to go for the day he himself needed to leave Damascus. He's currently working on a program to help Libyans as they struggle to combat insecurity and extremism in their own country. Libya is lucky to have him.

I've painted Ebrahim as a no-nonsense guy, but he is also one of my favorite people to hang out with outside of work. He's animated, fun-loving, and engaging (as most Syrians are, in my experience) and always ready with a witty teasing remark for his friends. After a drink or two it's not unusual to find him dancing or singing to Arabic music, which always brings a smile to my face. Ebrahim is currently in the (long) process of becoming a U.S. citizen, and America is lucky to have him, too.

It is unfortunate how religions (all religions) are used by countries, world leaders, religious leaders, and even normal people (brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and parents) as a tool to launch wars, justify killing humans, stay in power, create divisions, and advance personal interests. Let's keep religion in the private sphere and let Allah determine which religion is the right one and which religion is the one that leads to heaven. It's none of our business as humans to determine that.