Image of Drowned Syrian, Aylan Kurdi, 3, Brings Migrant Crisis Into Focus
ISTANBUL — The smugglers
had promised Abdullah Kurdi a motorboat for the trip from Turkey to Greece, a
step on the way to a new life in Canada. Instead, they showed up with a 15-foot
rubber raft that flipped in high waves, dumping Mr. Kurdi, his wife and their
two small sons into the sea.
Mr. Kurdi tried to keep the
boys, Aylan and Ghalib, afloat, but one died as he pushed the other to his
wife, Rehan, pleading, “Just keep his head above the water!”
Only Mr. Kurdi, 40,
survived.
“Now I don’t want
anything,” he said a day later, on Thursday, from Mugla, Turkey, after filling
out forms at a morgue to claim the bodies of his family. “Even if you give me
all the countries in the world, I don’t want them. What was precious is gone.”
It is an image of his
youngest son, a lifeless child in a red shirt and dark shorts face down on a
Turkish beach, that appears to have galvanized public with desperation to leave their homes —
but a single tragedy that has clarified the moment. It was 3-year-old Aylan,
his round cheek pressed to the sand as if he were sleeping, except for the
waves lapping his face.
Photo
A Turkish gendarme prepared to carry the body of Aylan Kurdi, 3, who drowned off Turkey's coast on Wednesday. Credit Turkish News Agency
Rocketing across the world on
social media, the photograph has forced Western nations to
confront the consequence of a collective failure to help migrants fleeing the
Middle East and Africa to Europe in search of hope, opportunity and safety.
Aylan, perhaps more even than the anonymous, decomposing corpses found in the
back of atruck in Austria that shocked Europe
last week, has personalized the tragedy facing the 11 million Syrians displaced
by more than four years of war.
The case of this young
boy’s doomed journey has landed as a political bombshell across the Middle East
and Europe, and even countries as far away as Canada, which has up to now not
been a prominent player in the Syria crisis. Canadian officials were under
intense pressure to explain why the Kurdi family was unable to get permission
to immigrate legally, despite having relatives there who were willing to support
and employ them. So far, the government has only cited incomplete documents, an
explanation that has done little to quiet the outrage at home and abroad.
Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/04/world/europe/syria-boy-drowning.html?_r=0
After reading this terrible new , I was speechless. At first sight, that picture is extremely shocking.
Anyone who is very sensitive may feel disturbed when observing that image. In
my opinion, the publication of that photo is completely disrespectful for the
boy's family. Moreover, when I saw that image of that little boy with his
chubby cheek pressed to the sand with lapping waves over his face for the first
time, not only did I feel shocked but also it broke my heart into pieces. Never
in my life had I seen such an image of a child's corpse and I assume that I'll
never shake that image off my memory. A mix of sensations are inhabiting my
heart at the current situation of Syrian immigrants and those feelings are
grief, impotence and a continuous ache in my chest. I can't imagine how
devastated his father is at the knowledge of his wife and little sons' death
since he is the only surviving member of his family. Several times I wished to
have the power to revert the Syrian immigrants’ situation and get rid of
world's scourges. I know that this is very utopic but I always keep in my mind
that we, as human beings, can do our bit to help. I can't stand the idea of
pure and innocent children dying because of conflicts triggered by adults. In
several occasions, I couldn't hold back my tears at the knowledge of children's
deaths and some wealthy countries' indifference as regards helping
countries in dire necessity. In spite of the calamities that are still present
in our world, I strongly hold that people's conviction and willingness to
counteract conflicts are the keys to make our world a better place to live.
Anto, this is a very good post and I have to say that I agree with you with some of the things you've said. First of all, I think that posting the picture is highly disrespectful for the family, but I also think that it was the spark that lit the fire. If the photo wouldn't have been posted, no one would have said anything about it, and, quite sadly, no one would have done anything at all and syrians would still be dying all around the world and we here doing nothing.
ResponderBorrarIt is as you said, we need to get over the sadness it provokes and stand up and do something not only for the syrians but for our world.
Anto I agree with you on the part in which you said that kids, as Aylan, are the ones who suffer the consequences of the conflicts triggered by adults. Unfortunately, powerful people deny, at times, to help people in need. Instead, they support war and conflicts to have a better position.
ResponderBorrarI also think that it is not utopic to think about a better world where you can revert that situation. In fact we need more people like you in the world because that possitive attitute would contribute to make this world a secure world for the future generations -kids-
Anto, your post is great! I think we all share your feelings. I remember the first time I watched the picture I felt sadness for the two-year-old baby Aylan. He paid a huge debt, he paid with his life. I agree with you, maybe having published the picture was a little bit cruel, but if it hadn´t been published, we wouldn´t have known about the terrible situation the Syrian refgees are facing. Sometimes these things are necessary for people to be aware what is happening in pour world.
ResponderBorrarour world.
ResponderBorrarGreat post Anto!!! I was also shocked because of the picture not because I hadn’t known about what has been happening in Europe and all the migrations issues, but having to see it made a great impact on me, it made the suffering more real somehow. Humans have a huge capacity for destroying life but also we are capable of great things when we are moved by this pictures and stories.
ResponderBorrarIt was a heart-rending entry, Anto! Your detailed descriptions of the photograph and the sensations it produced on you made me remember the first time I saw the picture in the news. I was watching TV a typical afternoon and, as soon as the picture was shown, I got paralysed since I had never stumbled upon a cruel evidence in which a child was the main protagonist.
ResponderBorrarApart from that, as you expressed in the entry, children are not responsible for adults' disconformities and we, as a society, need to come up with different ideas to start preventing that. Worldwide organisations need to promote diverse events that make people being aware of the unfair circumstances happening around the world. Unfortunately, it is not the first kid who dies because of war, yet it is the first kid who makes people being conscious not everybody lives in a complete social welfare. In contrast, some parts of the world are still suffering the consequences of improper political decisions.