Dear Editor,
The Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) has an area on its website entitled "The People Who Came" which chronicles the arrival of our "Out of Many One People".
In recording our Lebanese/Syrian heritage the JNHT states: "In the last decade of the nineteenth century, immigrants from the Middle East began arriving in Jamaica. The majority came from Lebanon, the others were from Damascus in Syria... Despite being a small percentage of the Jamaican population, this group has played a significant role in the commercial and industrial development of the economy."
It is true the Syrian/Lebanese community in Jamaica is tiny, yet has a disproportionately huge impact on this country, employing thousands, engaging in every area of public life, despite the fact that many of the early immigrants here arrived with nothing except the shirt on their backs.
It is true the Syrian/Lebanese community in Jamaica is tiny, yet has a disproportionately huge impact on this country, employing thousands, engaging in every area of public life, despite the fact that many of the early immigrants here arrived with nothing except the shirt on their backs.
It is therefore unacceptable and disappointing that the Government of Jamaica has not condemned in the strongest language in the ongoing bloodshed and continued slathering of thousands of Syrians by the al-Assad regime, but most importantly where is the voice of the local Syrian/Lebanese community here in Jamaica?
The carnage in Syria continues unabated with no resolution in sight. The charade continues despite the outward movements by the regime, the opposition and the international community. The divergence between international positions on Syria is increasing, as was demonstrated by the recent vote in the UK Parliament and the meeting between the US and Russia.
Already a quarter of Syria's population has fled to camps in neighbouring countries, or left their homes to find a precarious haven in supposedly safe parts of their own country and countries as far as right here in Jamaica. There are even reports that a Syrian couple was seeking asylum in Jamaica having been denied entry into the country.
Indeed this crisis presents a daunting humanitarian problem, with so many lives destroyed or damaged, and a looming political crisis and uncertainty around the US-Russian agreement. Some would have us believe Jamaica is a Christian country, how would Christians and non-Christians feel if we deported this couple back to Syria only to hear they were murdered? Now is the time for Jamaica to play its part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race. I urge the Refugee Committee to be on the right side of history and grant the Syrian couple asylum in Jamaica. The stark political reality in Syria is that despite the rhetoric from the United States and others, the policy is that it is better to stay with the evil you know.
Andrew King
Give Syrian couple asylum
-->
The Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) has an area on its website entitled "The People Who Came" which chronicles the arrival of our "Out of Many One People".
In recording our Lebanese/Syrian heritage the JNHT states: "In the last decade of the nineteenth century, immigrants from the Middle East began arriving in Jamaica. The majority came from Lebanon, the others were from Damascus in Syria... Despite being a small percentage of the Jamaican population, this group has played a significant role in the commercial and industrial development of the economy."
It is true the Syrian/Lebanese community in Jamaica is tiny, yet has a disproportionately huge impact on this country, employing thousands, engaging in every area of public life, despite the fact that many of the early immigrants here arrived with nothing except the shirt on their backs.
It is true the Syrian/Lebanese community in Jamaica is tiny, yet has a disproportionately huge impact on this country, employing thousands, engaging in every area of public life, despite the fact that many of the early immigrants here arrived with nothing except the shirt on their backs.
It is therefore unacceptable and disappointing that the Government of Jamaica has not condemned in the strongest language in the ongoing bloodshed and continued slathering of thousands of Syrians by the al-Assad regime, but most importantly where is the voice of the local Syrian/Lebanese community here in Jamaica?
The carnage in Syria continues unabated with no resolution in sight. The charade continues despite the outward movements by the regime, the opposition and the international community. The divergence between international positions on Syria is increasing, as was demonstrated by the recent vote in the UK Parliament and the meeting between the US and Russia.
Already a quarter of Syria's population has fled to camps in neighbouring countries, or left their homes to find a precarious haven in supposedly safe parts of their own country and countries as far as right here in Jamaica. There are even reports that a Syrian couple was seeking asylum in Jamaica having been denied entry into the country.
Indeed this crisis presents a daunting humanitarian problem, with so many lives destroyed or damaged, and a looming political crisis and uncertainty around the US-Russian agreement. Some would have us believe Jamaica is a Christian country, how would Christians and non-Christians feel if we deported this couple back to Syria only to hear they were murdered? Now is the time for Jamaica to play its part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race. I urge the Refugee Committee to be on the right side of history and grant the Syrian couple asylum in Jamaica. The stark political reality in Syria is that despite the rhetoric from the United States and others, the policy is that it is better to stay with the evil you know.
Andrew King
Give Syrian couple asylum
-->