Waiting for Peace in Syria, Policy Changes in the U.S.
Zaher with daughters, Siba, 10 and Haneen, 13, who spoke to a large audience at our Listen event about overcoming their fears of not knowing English when going to school, “It was really hard, but I got through it,” said Siba.
In search of safety amidst a civil war that erupted across Syria in 2012, Zaher found danger at every turn.
“We could not find any safe places; some were under attack from the air, other places had shooting everywhere. I could get arrested or killed for no reason at all,” said Zaher.
Zaher, his wife, and their baby girl moved to Jordan to find a place of respite while waiting for safety and order to return to Syria. But as is the case for many who flee violence and persecution, a resolution is never promised, and one’s land could be plagued by bloodshed for a lifetime.
Zaher and his wife welcomed a second daughter in Jordan, while Zaher worked as a furniture reupholsterer, but their life was hard. The infrastructure and weak economy in Jordan weren’t able to support the influx of nearly a million refugees from Syria.
It was a disaster for the Jordanian people and the Syrian people.”
Zaher’s family applied for refugee status, and after multiple interviews with the United Nations (UNHCR), they were accepted in 2016 to be resettled in the United States.
“We felt so good and finally started to plan for our future.” That is until their case hit a major roadblock.
My case stopped in 2017 because of the previous president.”
At that time refugees from Syria and other predominantly Muslim countries weren’t allowed to be resettled in America due to President Trump’s ethnic-specific immigration bans. 
The family waited on pins and needles for four years and were relieved to get the green light to travel to Minnesota in December of 2021.
Arrive Ministries staff and a team of volunteers from Berean Baptist Church accompanied the family in their first year in Minnesota.
“Moving to the United States from countries with different systems and cultures, as a refugee, you can feel lost. It was so helpful to have (them) take our hands along the way,” said Zaher.
We appreciate what this country has given us, and we hope to help other people who are suffering from difficult circumstances to start their lives here.”
The first life they welcomed to the U.S. was in 2023 with the birth of their son, born a happy, healthy U.S. citizen.
