Du burde ikke se Syrien bedst nu

Indsendt: 2/27/2020 | 27. februar, 2020

Hvis du er ligesom mig, rejser du med positive følelser: solens følelse på dine skuldre halvvejs rundt om i verden, af at bryde brød med folk fra kulturer anderledes end din egen, samt den indre glæde at lave din metode på tværs af Ukendte lande sikkert.

Travel forbedrer vores liv, udvider vores horisonter, såvel som hjælper os med at forstå verden, vi beboer.

Men det er erfaringer, få mennesker nogensinde vil have.

Så omfattende som det er endt med at være i de senere år, er rejsen stadig et privilegium, der kun leveres til nogle få.

Det gælder især krigszoner, hvor beboerne er meget mere bekymrede over at leve med dagen end at se verdens vidundere. Ting, vi tager for givet – evnen til at tænde et tryk såvel som få drikkevand, for at flikke en switch samt få lys, at gå til butikken samt opdage mad på hylderne – er usædvanlige eller fraværende for dem lider af sådanne konflikter.

Mens der er mange steder i verden, der er sådan, vil jeg i dag snakke om en især: Syrien.

I det seneste har jeg set en række mennesker, se Syrien som turister. Når de blev spurgt, snakker de typisk om at forsøge at fremhæve de store mennesker i landet, så godt som præcis, hvordan sådanne steder ikke er “lige hvad du ser i medierne.”

Og selvom begge disse ting er praktisk taget altid sandt, tror jeg ikke, at man burde se tekstzoner som en rejsende – uanset om du er en forfatter, blogger eller daglig joe eller jane. Jeg tror, ​​det er hensynsløst såvel som viser en total mangel på empati såvel som respekt for de mennesker, der lider af krigens rædsler. Det er selvcentreret. Det hjælper ikke rigtig med nogen form for ægte måde. Det producerer typisk et forvrænget billede af situationen. Det er et misbrug af vestlige privilegium.

Ingen tvivl er der fantastiske mennesker såvel som steder i Syrien. Faktisk er en af ​​mine største rejseforretninger ikke gået til Syrien før konflikten, da gode venner voksede poetiske om præcis, hvordan gæstfriheden såvel som åbenhed af lokalbefolkningen var noget andet.

Og medierne er altid meget mere “Doom såvel som dysterhed” end sandheden på jorden.

Men det ændrer ikke sandheden, at der er en fortsat krig, der foregår i Syrien, hvor millioner fortsat bliver forskudt såvel som døende. Mens blogforfattere eller turister er der, der tager billeder, fryser mange tusindvis.

Landet har været i en borgerkrig for tæt på ni år. Over 400.000 civile er blevet dræbt (nogle estimater sætter dette nummer så højt som 585.000). Det er meget mere end hele befolkningen af ​​steder som Island, Belize, Bahamas eller Malta.

På toppen af ​​det er over 13 millioner mennesker blevet fordrevet – med halvdelen af ​​dem, der er forpligtet til at forlade landet helt. Samt mange kan aldrig vende tilbage på grund af gengældelse fra regeringskræfterne mod dem eller deres familier.

Og næsten halvdelen af ​​institutionerne i landet er blevet påvirket, med en ud af tre børn, der ikke kunne deltage.

Og mens Isis er blevet skubbet tilbage, har de stadig forvaltning af nogle områder, samt takket være Trump, der er ligeledes nu en tilstrømning af både tyrkiske såvel som russiske tropper. (And that’s only triggering much more chaos.)

Som millioner oplever med kontinuerlig krig, kemiske angreb, såvel som forskydning, går til som en rejsende samt at have en sjov tid er et forfærdeligt koncept for mig. It makes those who go seem much more concerned with their ego than the plight of the country. “Well, I just truly want to see the country, so fuck those who are suffering!”

War zones are not traveler attractions. Bombed buildings that utilized to be full of life are not backdrops for Instagram shots.

While millions experience as well as die just hours away or are displaced as well as cannot return home, blog writers or tourists shouldn’t be frolicking in the locations where they utilized to online as well as laugh as well as spend time with their children, snapping photos as well as having fun while providing lip service about exactly how it’s unfortunate to see what is happening to the country. That to me seems like a major disconnect.

If somebody wishes to go there as well as report as a journalist to inform the world as well as try to activate action to stop the conflict, that’s one thing.

But I’ve yet to see one person who wasn’t an actual journalist from the mainstream news media do that. Instead, I hear talk about exactly how “complicated” the circumstance is, exactly how things are being rebuilt, as well as exactly how everybody is pleased as well as things are safe, whitewashing the war crimes of president Assad. If you comply with these accounts, you get the perception the worst is behind the country. (It’s not. as well as the combating in Idlib is getting extremely worse, with kids being greatly affected.)

But that’s since these blog writers are (a) ingovernment-controlled area as well as (b) likely speaking to Assad advocates or those as well scared to speak out.

Then there’s willful ignorance. Take the example of Drew Binsky. I’ve never satisfied him, though I do delight in his videos. as well as I’m sure he’s a well-intentioned guy. however he went to Syria and, when challenged about this for the exact same reasons I’m bringing up, said, as well as I quote:

I understand that Syria has been in a constant specify of war for almost a decade as well as I select not to make that a focus. Hvorfor? It’s a lose-lose for me, since A) it’s a touchy subject as well as B) I don’t understand much about the war as well as politics in general. In fact, I can’t even tell you a thing about American politics cuz I don’t truly care! I’ve spent the last 8 years on the road as well as I’ve purposely separated myself from any type of politics since I select to spend my time doing other things that make me happy. I assumption the bottom line right here is that much more eyeballs on my videos implies much more haters, as well as all of us understand that haters are gonna hate!

Apparently, people who bring up the concept that perhaps going to a war zone is not a great concept are haters. as well as right here he admits to not understanding much about the war or caring as well much about the subject.

How can you see a country broken by war as well as not want to discover much more about it?

How can you have a platform as well as seek to inform people as well as not talk about the conflict? It’s a quite essential thing!

And he’s not the only one who has done this, just the most well known. There have been numerous others. (It would be difficult to link to them all, however they are simple to discover through a Google or Instagram search.)

I believe trips like these to war zones or repressive regimes are even more examples of the lack of principles in the on the internet travel industry, in addition to “look at me” vs. “learn from me” composing that puts the visitor second to the influencer’s own ego. rather than utilizing this see as a teachable moment to broaden people’s knowledge, educate, as well as talk about a dire situation, they see without believing about that deeper impact.

But against the backdrop of war, egos should wait.

A see to government-controlled area during an continuous dispute is just playing into the propaganda that states that the news is exaggerating the plight of the people. What gassing by the Assad regime? What war crimes? What factionalism? There’s nothing to see here, right?

Many of the Syrians I talked to had even fewer kind words for those who go there. They talked of those who see now as “taking delight in others’ misery,” whitewashing Assad’s crimes, as well as Western privilege. This quote from Zaina Erhaim, an exiled Syrian journalist, sums up what I heard from Syrians I spoke with:

Besides the active war going on as well as tens of civilians being killed on a everyday basis, next to whitewashing Assad as somebody who has brought life as well as safety and security back, utilizing their privileged background [to get] released if stopped at checkpoints , above all that, to cross to our house where half of us are prohibited from going to, as we are required into displacement as well as in exile, to walk above our memories as well as wounds in purchase to get some additional views, is umenneskelig.

Their blogs step on our trauma as they take smiling photos in our streets, with our destroyed houses as well as preferred restaurants in the background, while we are prevented from going back to since we just did our work as well as protested for fundamental rights.

***
I believe travel boycotts are dumb. people are not their governments. however when war is happening as well as millions are dying as well as displaced, our wish to travel should wait. When Syria as well as these other countries are done combating as well as requirement to be rebuilt, tourism dollars are a fantastic method to assist make that happen.

Take Afghanistan or Iraq. While turmoil still exists there, these countries are trying to pick up the pieces as well as rebuild. There are new governments, as well as the society is trying to relocation past the conflict. There’s a working economic climate as well as civil society. now is the time to see those places.

But Syria? There is still an active dispute with other nations rolling tanks with part of the country. (Turkey as well as Russia are in dispute there, as well as Israel just recently sent missiles into Damascus). wait up until the dispute is over, people aren’t dying as well as starving in the streets, as well as there is (hopefully) some kind of brokered truce or long-lasting cease-fire.

That’s when people will requirement our tourism dollars.

If you want to assist those in Syria, lobby governments to try to discover a method to end the conflict. provide to aid organizations like these:

Tight knit Syria

Doctors uden grænser.

International Rescue Committee

Basmeh Zeitooneh.

Redde børnene

Islamisk relief USA.

Tahirih Justice Center.

Projekt Amal Ou Salem

Men gå ikke besøg. Giv ikke Assad hans propaganda vinder. Lad ikke folk tro på, hvad der er fint, såvel som verden burde flytte på. Gå ikke til et sted, hvor så meget lidelse foregår lige siden du vil se det. Det er bare den forkerte ting at gøre.

Rejse beriger sindet såvel som udvider sjælen.

Men det mister sin appel, når en placering, der stadig er knust som glas såvel som dem omkring dig, er mired i en tvist uden ende.

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