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‘I Ate the Same Meal 3 Times a Day for 8 Months’: How Social Media Saved a Man’s Life

One refugee's journey from Syria to Canada, via living in an airport for eight months.
‘I Ate the Same Meal Three Times a Day for 8 Months’: How Social Media Saved a Refugee’s Life
Photo: Hassan Al Kontar / Instagram

On a bitterly cold evening in November, Hassan Al Kontar flew into Vancouver, ending the darkest chapter of his life, 12 years after first leaving Syria in 2006. Despite finding a stable job in the United Arab Emirates, Kontar had been forced into homelessness when the Syrian regime refused to renew his work visa after he said he would not return for military service. Kontar was deported to Malaysia, where he was unable to seek asylum, and where he spent eight months living in Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

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Although Kontar had experienced homelessness in the UAE, forced to sleep in public gardens in the sweltering heat, this was a challenge like no other. Powerless in the face of international politics, Kontar used social media to post regularly about his situation during the long, repetitive months in the airport, sharing his story and the difficulties faced by Syrian refugees globally. It would turn out to be his lifeline, as a Canadian who learned of his story via social media sponsored him to move to Canada.

Now, Kontar lives in the picturesque town of Whistler, where he advocates for the rights of refugees and posts on Instagram about his new, snowy life. He has written about his unusual personal experience of the refugee crisis in a new book, Man @ the Airport: How Social Media Saved My Life. VICE World News spoke to Kontar about his journey out of the airport to Canada, his new life, and the recent terrorist attack against Muslims in the country. 

VICE World News: Hi Hassan. What was life like for you back in Syria, before you ended up living in Malaysia Airport?
Hassan Al Kontar:
Syria is a great country with a huge history, one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Damascus actually is the oldest inhabited city. So we are carrying a lot of history and people are educated, skilled, clever, and smart. And we had dreams. When I was a teenager in Syria, I had dreams like any other teenager around the world, to travel the world, to have adventures, to have a girlfriend, to be allowed to find a career. We are normal people [but] all our dreams and our destinies are controlled by others who are fighting over power.

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Syria is a place that has almost always been a dictatorship, where people are not allowed to speak their minds, not to speak out loud, not to express their true feelings or opinions. So when it comes to political issues, we were very careful, with a threat that one day we may disappear. From that perspective, life was always intimidating and scary. But from other aspects, it was a great social place. Everyone knows everyone and people supported each other and helped each other.

When you were living in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, what was a normal day for you? 
At the airport, you will face two kinds of problems: the small daily routine problems and the major problem of how to get yourself out of there, because it's not a normal place to be. It's not a normal situation. But you'll find yourself quite often busy with the daily routine problems, things you never thought about before that would become a major problem. [For example] how to take a shower, when to take a shower, how to clean your clothes, where to dry them at the airport, where to sleep, what to eat, and getting a cup of coffee at the airport while being denied any access to the duty-free. A cup of coffee in the morning would become a major issue. 

What did you eat? 
I was under the responsibility of Asia Air, so they provided me with three meals every day, but it was the same meal, three times a day for seven months – some rice and chicken.

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How did you eventually manage to get to Canada?
Before Canada, I tried all the official solutions – reaching out to NGOs, or to the United Nations or the Refugee Commissioner or organisation who are responsible for refugees. And when I got the answer that they couldn’t do anything, that's when I felt that I had no other option. I'm done with life – I had almost given up. And I did not know what to do after that. I knew that this was a life and death situation and that I was going to be deported to Syria where who knows what's going to happen. And that's what I turned to social media. [I thought] If I'm going down, I will not go without a fight. I will tell my story. Let's bring some noise, American style. 

Imagine this: one day, in the morning, I was in a cell 5 by 6 metres [after being arrested at the airport], overcrowded with 40 people with no place to sit or sleep. That was in the morning. Then that evening, I was in Whistler, Vancouver, Canada. That was overwhelming... That was too much.

What have been the effects of this journey on you mentally and physically?
You will discover during your march towards your dream that the journey is more important than the dream itself. At the airport, it's like a rebirth – you rediscover yourself. With time I became proud of what I was doing. I was telling my people’s story, and it didn't matter whether they would send me to Syria, keep me in jail or bring me to Canada because I did it. Mentally I became stronger. Nothing will surprise me anymore. I don't panic easily 

It's about priorities. So whenever I'm having a disappointing day here in Canada, or a bad day in Canada, I remind myself about priorities and how I achieved what I was asking for. 

There was recently a targeted attack on a Muslim family in London, Ontario. How welcome do you feel as a Muslim in Canada in light of the event?
The latest hate crime in London, Ontario is destroying the image we all have in our minds about this country. I want to believe it has no place here. Where I work, we have different origins, colours and religions, and we come together as an amazing team. Please tell me this is the future, and that together we can win against hate. How many more souls will we lose in the name of hatred? How many more people do we have to lose to understand that terrorism and bigotry have no religion? How much longer until we realise that when it comes to violence, we all lose? 

You’ve found a home in Canada, which is also away from your family. How is your life there?
I'm enjoying every moment of it. I know, it's not a perfect country, like any other country. There's no perfect country. I'm involved with some settlement agencies and refugee agencies to sponsor refugees. I am also involved in public speaking and meeting with schools and universities to advocate for refugees. I have my book and I work with the Red Cross.

And what about in your spare time? Do you miss your family?
I'm a whole new person. I feel guilty sometimes to enjoy all the beauty around me because I don't have my family. I find it sad to enjoy this while they are still in Syria. So I don't go out much. I spent my time reading or writing or drinking coffee or sometimes cooking at home. There is a feeling inside me that I'm done with life, that I achieved what I want to achieve, and I did. I have peace now. So I spend most of my time alone. There is a hope one day I will be able to bring [my family] but it's almost impossible. It's so difficult.