Human smugglers only hope for many Syrians,
Displaced Syrians are everywhere in Istanbul. They beg on street corners for money, they ask café diners for food. Here, Syrians begin again with nothing or they bide their time until they can flee to Europe, chasing dreams of a new life. ISTANBUL— In the Aksaray neighbourhood of Istanbul, in one of the countless Turkish coffee shops crammed into one of the countless winding streets, you can meet with Abo Khalil and buy your new identity.
For the right price, Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans can leave their true papers behind and become Spanish, Greek or even Canadian.
I met with Khalil in the basement of a smoky café. His dark brown eyes twinkled as he explained his profession and how western governments could easily put him out of business, if they cared to. Khalil started human smuggling 14 years ago, moving Iraqis from Turkey into Europe.
He began our meeting by voicing his negative opinion of western governments. The West, he says, has stood by complicit and watched as Syrians have engaged in a bloody civil war that has left more than 150,000 dead and displaced millions. Another 180,000 are missing inside Syrian prisons.
If America and Canada won’t help stop the conflict, at least they could open their borders to Syrians and offer them all asylum, not just the educated ones, he argues.
“Your governments don’t care. You could put me out of business by taking in Syrian refugees, but you don’t,” Khalil says, taking a drag on his cigarette.
When it comes to other wars, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, the West only intervenes when it suits their own agenda, he says.
“Your governments — America and Canada — your leaders, they are warlords. They operate like the mafia, but with permission,” says Khalil, a Syrian.
“For us, the States and Canada are cold. They are forgotten lands.”
Italy’s Migration Policy Centre estimates nine million Syrians, out of a pre-war population of 20 million, have fled their homes since the outbreak of civil war in 2011. While millions are displaced inside Syria, close to 2.5 million have gone to five countries — Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, the centre says.
Canada has accepted 512 Syrians from when the conflict began until the end of 2012, according to United Nations data.
Many arrive in other countries ille- gally, without proper papers, making it difficult to determine who is where. However, the International Crisis Group believes between 500,000 and 1 million Syrians live in Turkish cities and towns — on top of the 220,000 living in refugee camps along the southern border.
“Your governments don’t care. You could put me out of business by taking in Syrian refugees, but you don’t.” KHALIL HUMAN SMUGGLER
Many of them seek Khalil’s services to get to Europe. They are desperate and destitute. “Most of them are poor and how do they manage to go to the EU? They sell everything they own to get enough money for the trip. They . . . are looking for safety,” he says. “The main factor for them is the cost. The closer the destination, the cheaper it is,” adds Khalil.
If you are rich, it is a different story. Wealthy Syrians are seen throughout Istanbul, driving luxury cars. BMWs with Syrian plates are common. Turks who own properties in southern border towns have jacked up rents — some as high as 300 per cent. If you are rich and have European contacts, Khalil continues, you just open a bank account in France, get a hotel reservation and a flight and go. Once in Europe, they’ll need sponsors, he explains, but if they have the money, they’ll find the sponsors. “There are many Syrians who can afford it.” Khalil laughs, then says, “There are a lot of people who are feeling sympathy to the Syrians. They come to Turkey from the West and they offer their passports. Then, they go to the consulate and say they have lost their passport.” Khalil leans across the table and says that he could have a Syrian woman living in Canada with a valid passport within three days — before a new passport even is issued here in Turkey to replace the one that was “lost.” A Canadian passport can fetch up to $10,000. If Canada, the U.S. and Europe were smart, they would issue visas to Syrians and put the smugglers out of business, he says. The Syrians could take all their money with them, begin a new life and contribute. “Now, they pay us and they reach Canada penniless. They are a load on the Canadian government,” adds Khalil, who sees himself as more of a facilitator than a smuggler, doing his part to help his countrymen.
“I actually wish this would happen to make it easier on the poor. The Syrians would have money in their pockets. They could spend it when they get to the country.”
“That would affect my job but I am thinking as a human being. People are dying in Syria and nothing is happening,” he says. “The governments don’t care, but if the people of the world could talk, they would see and have the sense.”
After taking a sip of tea, he tells a story.
A few weeks ago, another group of smugglers operated in Istanbul. They took money from Syrians, pledging their safe passage to Europe, and instead kidnapped them, he says.
Khalil went after the errant smugglers and caught them, releasing the Syrians. He went to the Turkish police, he says, but was thrown out. “They said if we record this then you will be convicted. You’ll be convicted along with the kidnappers. They said it wasn’t my job to arrest people. Now, I’m under threat and the government won’t do anything,” he says.
“When Robin Hood existed, he was considered a criminal but for the people, he was a hero.”