Syrian Refugee Crisis…

Every day, I encounter countless Syrian refugees begging on the streets of Beirut. With Lebanon feeling the strain from the conflict in Syria, the Syrian refugee crisis seems to grow more dire each week. In addition to lacking financial and social resources, many Syrian refugees in Lebanon face political and race-based violence. Some of my own students from Syria have been personally attacked and had their property vandalized. To counter this trend, the Campaign in Support of Syrians Facing Racism (الحملة الداعمة للسوريين بوجه العنصريّة) was launched on March 21st on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The campaign was formed “in rejection of all violence towards Syrians [in Lebanon], racist political rhetoric, and the associated media hype.”