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ORSAM<br />
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STRATEGIC STUDIES<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 />
Shakir al Zammar Tillavi abu Shahab: I<br />
came from Idlib to Reyhanlı six months ago.<br />
My married son was injured during the civil<br />
war. He cannot work due to his injuries. His<br />
3 children and my 3 children live in a house<br />
with no heater. We can barely pay the rent<br />
of the house we live in. I work in fields, harvest<br />
olives, plant onion, and work as porter.<br />
Sometimes we cannot find a hot plate of food<br />
or even bread. Money I earn is by no means<br />
enough for all of us. I had some saving while<br />
coming from Syria. I am about to run out of<br />
it as well. Children who are not fed enough<br />
and cannot find a warm house will become<br />
miserable during the winter. In our country,<br />
the poor are left for hunger and misery. Nobody<br />
provide food, coal, gas aid for anyone.<br />
My house in Syria was bombed. My grocery<br />
store was plundered. I have no property, assets<br />
now. I had never worked under hard conditions,<br />
but here I have to.<br />
As Syrians, we do not have mercy on each other.<br />
We hear that some benevolent people send<br />
various food products, blankets and heater to<br />
Reyhanlı. Many Syrians received them, but<br />
many families like us did not even hear about<br />
these aids. Families like us suffered due to the<br />
random distribution of aids. If distributors<br />
had checked each neighborhood and houses<br />
and detected poor Syrians, I could have benefited<br />
from those aids as well. Everyone helps<br />
to those from their own village. Sometimes,<br />
even those who are not in need might benefit<br />
from those aids.<br />
Our neighbors provided us with some clothes.<br />
Sometimes people give us fruit and vegetable<br />
that are left at the end of the open market in<br />
the neighborhood. However, I can barely pay<br />
the monthly rent, gas and electricity bills. I<br />
hope the civil war ends and we can go back to<br />
our country by the end of winter.<br />
* This interview was made by Feyyat Özyazar<br />
in Reyhanlı district of Hatay, on 27 December<br />
2012.<br />
An Interview with Khaddur Hadji Nouri al<br />
Kad, who came from Idlib Province of Syria<br />
to Turkey and settled in Hatay<br />
Khaddur Hadji Nouri al Kad ran a coffehouse<br />
in town of Sermada near the Turkey border.<br />
When the tanks were deployed in customs<br />
area and the neighborhood was bombed, the<br />
coffeehouse was destroyed.<br />
Khaddur Hadji Nouri al Kad: I am from<br />
town of Sermada in Idlib Province, Syria. I am<br />
41 years old. I am a father of 3 children.<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 />
Khaddur Hadji Nouri al Kad: Town of Sermada<br />
is the nearest location to Turkey border.<br />
I ran a coffeehouse there for years. It was a<br />
stamping ground of truck drivers. Those who<br />
waited for their turn in the queue in customs<br />
while coming from Turkey and returning to<br />
Turkey left their vehicles and stayed with me.<br />
Some people waited for days. So I made many<br />
friends from Hatay. When the civil war broke<br />
out, there was no job opportunities left in the<br />
town of Sermada. When tanks were deployed<br />
in the customs area and the area was bombed,<br />
my coffeehouse was destroyed as well. Neither<br />
trucks came, nor did I have any place left<br />
to serve them. As a family, we passed through<br />
wire fences and we settled in Reyhanlı. Some<br />
64<br />
ORSAM<br />
Report No: 157, May 2013
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