The Journal on Migration and Human Security published a comparative study on Germany, the United States, Sweden, and the United Kingdom and how each respective country received Syrian refugees. The study’s author Nicole Ostrand stated, “[b]y the end of 2014, Germany had provided protection to the largest number of Syrians (approximately 67,000)” (Ostrand 271). Kate Connolly interviewed a Syrian refugee living in Germany. The ensuing article discusses the first-hand account of a resettlement success story of Firas Alshater. Alshater is a 24-year-old Syrian refugee living in Germany. The civil war broke out when Alshater was studying at university, and he quickly joined the rebel forces. One way he contributed to the resistance was by creating anti-government films and distributing documented footage of what he saw happening in his country. He was imprisoned and tortured by the secret police for nine months, but was found by his family who paid for his release. But his fight had just begun; the young rebel was soon captured again by extremist forces who tortured him again. Upon release, the brave young man fled Syria and headed to Germany. He claimed asylum in the country shortly after arrival. The basis of his claim was that he feared …show more content…
His journey makes the plight, pain, trials, and suffering of refugees tangible; the people behind the numbers are suddenly more than statistical figures flashed on a television screen during a news cycle or stamped in ink in a journal. Alshater is an example of the good that can happen when a country opens its borders, arms, and mind to vulnerable foreigners. But not all such migrants are as lucky as