A Journey of Enduring and Resilience: The Story of Syrian refugee Dr. Ahmad Terkawi

The Observatory on Contemporary Crises is dedicated to exploring international crises of our time, among which refugee crises are a pivotal area of focus. It is crucial, however, not to overlook the deeply human and humanitarian dimensions of these crises. To highlight these aspects, we are publishing this interview with a Syrian refugee who endured severe hardships to ensure the safety of his family. His story sheds light on the personal and often painful realities that lie behind the headlines, providing valuable insights into the struggles and resilience of those directly affected.

Ahmad Terkawi’s life was once filled with dreams of becoming the most prominent and successful pharmacist in Syria, but when the war and violence erupted in the country, he was forced into a desperate escape along with his family, leaving behind everything he knew and had.

We talked to Dr. Ahmad as he shared with us his perilous journey from Syria to Sweden, crossing seas and borders with his wife, baby boy, and toddler. Despite facing unimaginable difficulties, Ahmad founded the Organization for Migrants’ Safety to advocate for the rights of displaced people around the world.

Can you tell us about who you are and your experience before moving to Sweden?

My name is Ahmad Terkawi, and I come from Syria. I am a pharmacist and I had my own pharmacy in Syria. In 2012, a year after the Arab Spring unfolded, and as the situation was becoming more and more threatening in Syria, I was forced to flee to Jordan. There, I worked for , the UNHCR, and the Syrian Women’s Association. I worked as a medical coordinator on the Syrian Injured Therapy Project in all of Jordan and as manager on the psychosocial support project at the Zaatari Refugee Camp (this camp was opened in 2012 to host Syrian refugees, and it still today has over 80,000 refugees).

What circumstances prompted your decision to leave Syria?

It was normal life. Each day, I woke up, drove my wife to the hospital where she works as a radiologist, and then I drove to the pharmacy that I owned. We had a lot of dreams and development ideas in mind. Personally, I was one of the most recognized and trusted pharmacists in my hometown, and my aim was to become the most recognized, trusted and best pharmacist in the entire country.

The 18th March 2011 was a very special day for us: it was the day in which we said NO to the dictatorship. The revolution had started. The answer from the regime was to fire bullets at the protesters and revolutionaries. During the first days of protests, a lot of people were injured, because of bullet wounds, beatings, and tear gas. They were taken to the national hospital, where my wife worked as a doctor. The first evening after I came back home from work, I remember how she kept crying, without saying a word. Next morning, she looked me in my eyes and said: “Don’t send any injured to the national hospital, the regime kills them as soon as they are admitted.” One thing that is important to understand is that, as a medical professional, I need to remain neutral in situations of war, this is even what International Humanitarian Law states. That said, it was not possible anymore to work by in my home country. The Syrian regime killed people up to places that were supposed to be safe spots, such as hospitals. Therefore, I was forced to bypass what conventional procedures state. The blood bank was under the control of the regime, so if anyone needed blood, we couldn’t assist them and transfuse blood. I still remember how I had sent one of my friends to bring a blood bag for us, and just for that, the regime’s forces killed him. The situation made me take the risk to start transfusing blood by old methods, operating from a normal human to an injured human directly. It sounds like a fatal way of assisting, but by acting like that, I managed to save a lot of people. After that, I created blood bags in order for me to reduce the lethal risks carried by direct transfusions. Then, after the uprising and the protest had calmed down, my pharmacy became the main place used for medical preparation.

What happened next?

One day, my phone rang, and I saw it was an unknown caller. I answered and I heard a man saying: “we know what you have done, and what you are doing right now, know this now: we will kill your children and rape your wife… you have a very beautiful wife and my soldiers are waiting for her…”. And he hung up. At that moment, I knew that there was only one thing left to do: to get my wife and son and to flee out of the capital. And it had to be right then. So, on the same day, I managed to find a way to escape. The day after, we got out of the city. I was then informed that my pharmacy had been bombed.

When I fled from Syria to Jordan, things were very difficult to arrange. I paid back then 5,000 euros to a general in the Syrian army to get him to remove my name from the checklist on the Syrian border for just one hour. In these situations, you end up just thinking of your family. My thoughts were focused on my wife, and my one-year-old child. When you find yourself in such contexts, you end up losing everything: your dreams, your job, your money, your house, and, unfortunately, though most importantly, safety and trust in others. In Jordan, I started from scratch and I worked hard to get a good job and a high position. We even had a new child born. But one day, as I had a meeting in Turkey, I was informed that I was not allowed to move back to Jordan. I found myself losing my job once again and forced to move to Turkey.

Could you share insights into your journey to Sweden, including the challenges you encountered?

The situation that we encountered ourselves in was tough in Turkey, so I finally decided to move to Europe. There was no legal way to proceed, because I had a Syrian passport, which impeded me to get a visa for any country. Therefore, I decided to get in touch with smugglers and I paid them more than 7,500 euros. We crossed the sea crossing from Turkey to Greece, and when we finally saw an island connected to Greece, we were so happy: this would be the beginning of our new life! Unfortunately, all of this quickly changed. As we were arriving, two of the smugglers grabbed my 1-year-old and my 5-year-old children and threw them off the boat, in the middle of the sea, in the middle of the night. I didn’t have time to think. I just jumped after them into the cold water and darkness in the hope to be able to save them.

The second I hit the water, everything felt empty. It felt as if they had killed humanity; they destroyed all the lovely dreams, any vision that we had in that moment. When I surfaced, I felt my wife’s presence near me, and we immediately started to look out for our children. Our elder one was quickly found, but what about my 1-year-old baby? We panicked as it became clearer that we could not find our youngest child. Worst-case scenarios unfolded, and I pushed them away. I needed to find him. On the third time diving down, I found him. Unconscious. After a short swim into the shore, I pulled up my lifeless son on the beach and started to resuscitate him, screaming, and shouting for him to wake up, I went crazy to get some sign of life from him. I was thinking that I didn’t cross the dangers to end up losing him. It was a dark and cold night; I will never forget it.

You ended up settling in Sweden. What have been the most formidable challenges you have faced, and how have you navigated these obstacles?

When I arrived to Sweden, I knew that the biggest challenge would the language. And then came the other things: how to get work as a pharmacist in Sweden, how to integrate to society, etc. As soon as I arrived there, I started to learn the very complex and hard Swedish language by using my lovely hobby, soccer, and by coaching a Swedish soccer team for 15-year-old boys. During that time, I had the honor of starting a human organization called Organization for Migrant Safety, and – probably the most important thing – to take care of my family. I ended up having Swedish friends, and I started to learn about their culture, the way I shared things about our culture in Syria. Within one year, I became proficient in Swedish and knowledgeable about the local culture. That allowed me to make more friends, to really feel that I was part of the Swedish society.

As someone who has personally experienced the refugee journey, what hopes do you hold for the future, both for yourself and for other Syrian refugees?

Well, as we talk, there are bombs dropped in my home country, there are bombs dropped in Ukraine, there are also bombs dropped in Gaza. Wherever there is a bomb dropped, children, women, old men and women are killed. At the top of the pyramid, there is a dictator, a killer, a murderer. I hope that finally we take our responsibility, as humans, to allow humanity to prevail. We need to do it now.

Transitioning to your advocacy work, could you discuss the various initiatives and organizations that you have collaborated with to champion migrants’ rights and safety?

As I mentioned before, I have worked for the Qatari Red Crescent, for the UNHCR, and for the Syrian Women Association. I also worked as a medical coordinator in Jordan, and as manager on the psychosocial support project in the Zaatari Refugee Camp. In Sweden, I founded the Maritime Organization for Following Up and Rescue. Between November 2015 and April 2016, we were the twelve volunteers that used mobile phones to help guiding 45,000 refugees across the eastern Mediterranean. In August 2019, I founded the Migrant Safety Organization, a fusion between three existing organizations. Our organization continues its work today, and we are currently preparing a new project which we hope will help people around the world.

What is it that motivated you to become a vocal advocate for migrants’ rights, and how did you embark on this path?

When the smugglers threw my children off the boat in the middle of the sea, in the middle of the night, no one could help me. So, I decided that I would work hard to be able to assist anyone who needs help. The fearful eyes of my children, when the smugglers threw them, motivated me and made me take the decision to found the Migrant Safety Organization.

Throughout your advocacy, your personal experience put apart, is there a particular story or situation that profoundly impacted you or stands out as a poignant example of the challenges and triumphs faced by migrants?

Yes. There is a Syrian man who sold his kidney to get money to pay it to the smuggler. But he then died on his way to Europe, leaving his two girls and his wife behind him alone in Syria…

This interview was conducted by Cyrine Bettaieb, originally from Tunisia, she is a graduate of Political Science and International Studies from Saint Louis University Madrid with an interest in MENA politics and migration. This interview was led while she was employed at a humanitarian NGO in France.

To quote this article or video, please use the following reference: Bettaieb (2024), “A Journey of Enduring and Resilience: The Story of Syrian refugee Dr. Ahmad Terkawi,” https://crisesobservatory.es/a-journey-of-enduring-and-resilience-the-story-of-syrian-refugee-dr-ahmad-terkawi/(opens in a new tab)

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