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ORSAM<br />
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STRATEGIC STUDIES<br />
A car dealer Necmeddin Zuher abu Mustafa<br />
says to new immigrants that “I would also go<br />
and fight, if I were younger”.<br />
Necmeddin Zuher abu Mustafa: I come<br />
from Halluk neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria. I<br />
am 63 years old and father of 6 children. I am<br />
a taxi driver. I make my living by selling cars<br />
that I bring from Germany. Whomever buys a<br />
car abroad, they send me to bring it in. I used<br />
to bring those cars from Germany to Syria<br />
via Turkey in return for a certain amount of<br />
money. I do not have another job.<br />
ORSAM: Could you tell us about your life<br />
before the civil war in Syria, what you went<br />
through during the civil war and the reasons<br />
why you came to Turkey?<br />
Necmeddin Zuher abu Mustafa: When<br />
the civil war broke out in Aleppo, car business<br />
came to a stop as well. During the bombardment<br />
my car was trapped in the wreckage<br />
along with my house, and I lost my three<br />
children. Nobody could survive in my family<br />
except for my married daughter and my two<br />
sons who live outside Aleppo. I am in a total<br />
misery. As I cannot carry out heavy work<br />
due to my age, I sell Salep Bagels in Hatay<br />
Reyhanlı. Although I earn enough to pay my<br />
rent and to lead my life, I have a big problem<br />
in terms of health as I have to stand up while<br />
working during the day. Besides, I might also<br />
have to make do with what I earn by selling<br />
only bagels from time to time, as I cannot<br />
sell salep in hot weather. Salep sales also increased<br />
as the weather got cold. Currently I<br />
make relatively good money, I earn 20 25 lira<br />
on average.<br />
The civil war did not only take our economy<br />
away, but also it swallowed our pride. I never<br />
thought I would make my living by selling salep,<br />
as I used to earn my living by going to Europe<br />
and bringing cars to Syria. I feel embarrassed<br />
as I have become dependent on those<br />
at the age of my children.<br />
I used to have a luxurious house and a decent<br />
life in Aleppo. Now I live in a shack in<br />
Reyhanlı. Winter is about to come and I am<br />
not prepared for winter conditions. I have<br />
neither a heating stove, nor carpet or charcoal.<br />
My biggest dream is to take a rest next<br />
to a heating stove when I come home after<br />
working outside all day long, but it does not<br />
seem possible in such an environment with<br />
such income.<br />
I’m telling those who have recently been migrating<br />
from Aleppo: It is getting worse, and<br />
the circumstances are getting worse as well.<br />
Bombardments continue. I would also go and<br />
fight, if I were younger. I would join Jaish al<br />
Hur. Those who join those groups and fight<br />
receive 150 dollars in a month. I would prefer<br />
this option rather than living here under<br />
these circumstances, but my age is an obstacle.<br />
I have no choice other than being patient.<br />
* This interview was made by Feyyat Özyazar<br />
in Reyhanlı district of Hatay on 6 December<br />
2012.<br />
An Interview with Bekkar Hamid el Cannad<br />
abu Aziz, who came from Syria to Turkey<br />
and settled in Hatay<br />
Bekkar Hamid al Cannad, who is a farmer in<br />
Syria, came to Turkey along with his wife and<br />
children, and currently he earns his living by<br />
hawking.<br />
Bekkar Hamid el Cannad abu Aziz: I come<br />
from Bergum village of Aleppo, Syria. I am 55<br />
years old and I have 5 children, I have a small<br />
cattle farm.<br />
50<br />
ORSAM<br />
Report No: 157, May 2013
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