When Alan Kurdi’s little body washed up on a beach in Turkey, forcing the world to understand the ache of Syria’s refugees, the 2-year-old boy was just one member of a family on the run, scattered by almost 5 years of time of time of upheaval.
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One Palestinian witness, Suhail Hamed, 39, said the police opened fire when the vehicle was 150 metres (yards) away from them. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the two Palestinians were relatives, one aged 17 and the other, 23.
Images of his lifeless body, face-down in the sand, sparked outcry and led millions around the world to demand countries provide a safe haven for refugees fleeing violence, such as that generated by the four-year Syrian civil war.
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There were tears and cheers of “Thank you Canada” as the uncle, aunt and five cousins of the Syrian toddler whose photo galvanized the world arrived at Vancouver airport at around noon on Monday.
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Speaking through his sister, who translated from Arabic, Mohammed Kurdi also thanked Canadians and their government for making his dreams come true.
She lives in British Columbia and sponsored the family’s relocation to Canada. After a few minutes, the newly arrived family started chanting: “Thank you, Canada”.
The boy’s father Abdullah Kurdi said after the tragedy that the family was trying to get to Canada to join his sister Tima.
Mohammad Kurdi will be joining his sister at her Port Coquitlam hair salon on Coast Meridian Road, where he’ll work as a barber.
Kurdi said her message to the refugees of the world is that “there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel”.
Tima and Mohammed’s three-year-old nephew, Alan Kurdi, drowned along with his five-year-old brother and their mother while crossing the waters between Turkey and Greece in September.
Mohammed has been working in Germany for the last half-year, while the rest of his family lived in Turkey.
Ms Kurdi said that after losing his wife and children, Alan’s father had devoted his life to helping other refugees.
“Even though the tragedy was very painful for us, it’s opened the doors for others – that’s what counts”, she said of Alan Kurdi’s death.
Trudeau’s Liberal government has pledged to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February.
“I’m happy! Very happy!” he said.
The family said that while they are happy to be in Canada and grateful for the country’s generosity, they are still grieving for their dead relatives and all the Syrian refugees who were not able to escape.
An official with Citizenship and Immigration Canada invited Tima Kurdi to re-apply for Mohammed and his family in mid-October, as the government was no longer asking for difficult-to-obtain United Nations documents.
The family will stay in the Coquitlam home where Tima Kurdi lives with her husband and children.
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“We’re going to make it. We’re going to work hard together”, she says, eyes flashing.
