Epigraph:
And what is the matter with you that you struggle not in the cause of Allah and of the weak — men, women and children — who say, ‘Our Lord, take us out of this town, whose people are oppressors, and make for us some friend from Thyself, and make for us from Thyself some helper?’ (Al Quran 4:76)
You may or may not have seen this image on Facebook or Twitter in recent days, by freelance photographer Daniel Etter for the New York Times.
It depicts a Syrian refugee from Deir Ezzor, in tears while holding his son and daughter after arriving on the island of Kos in Greece, on 15 August.
He and his family had travelled on a flimsy inflatable boat carrying around 15 men, women and children.
Speaking to Spiegel Online, in a translation provided by our sister site The Independent, Mr Etter said:
After more than two hours of driving the boat had lost air, water had leaked into it, the refugees were soaked when they arrived at the shore. They were then completely relieved to have arrived safely.
In that moment it all came at them together, the joy of having done it; the love for their family; the grief over what had happened.
The image has provoked an emotional reaction from thousands of people online and social media users are sharing the picture to counter people’s perceptions of migrants.
The UN reports that the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece is accelerating dramatically, having passed the 160,000 mark for the year.
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Europe, Highlight