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The federal government will reveals its plans Tuesday to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees by Dec. 31.
That is good news for one Syrian living and working in Regina is who is heartbroken by the headlines about her homeland.
Sarah Abbas and her husband came from Syria a decade ago. Her two children were born here.
She has returned to Syria just once since war broke out and describes a sadness in people’s eyes. That is why she thinks so many there want to call Canada home.
“It is safety, starting a new life, starting fresh,” she said. “When you are in the dark and you see just a light, Canada is the light for them, they are reaching for the light.”
Abbas believes it is hard for Canadians to understand the horrors and vulnerabilities that Syrians are living with – not just from ISIS, but the economic sanctions placed on the country.
“You’re not sure if you will wake up or not, whether you child will wake or not. Whether you will find him or not.”
Having lived here for so long and been welcomed so openly by Canadians, Abbas is saddened by what she describes as recent racist comments.
“It hurts in the heart, it hurts you deep inside when you hear people talking about Syrians as a nightmare or whatever,” she said. “It was so disappointing.”
