Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919.

Eating and greeting

Toledo welcomes Syrian refugees with potluck

Courtesy of Oroshay Kaiwan

Toledo volunteers and Muslim Student Association students pose for a photo at the Syrian Refugee Welcome Potluck. The event raised over $2,500 to benefit the new Toledo Syrian community members.

Sydney Brasic, Staff Reporter

image_pdfimage_print

“These people are terrorists, they’re going to come into our community and infiltrate our communities.”

These are the comments many Muslim-Americans encounter every day, according to Hedyeh Elahinia, a first-year biology major and member of the UT Muslim Student Association.

“There’s a lot of really scary words being thrown out by demagogues and people that want to stir up fear in the American community, and the main purpose of this event was to put a face to the name,” Elahinia said.

The refugees coming to the U.S. — those trying to escape a home torn apart by civil war — are sometimes painted as dangerous or scary, which causes fear and anxiety for some Americans, according to Elahinia.

This is why local Toledoans welcomed ten Syrian refugee families at a potluck dinner on Friday, Feb. 26 at the Al-Medinah Center in West Toledo.

Elahinia, also an event coordinator for the potluck, said it is important to hold events like this to “make people understand that Muslim-Americans are just people, and they’re just trying to provide a living for their families.”

As a group that seeks to combat issues around Muslim relations, UT MSA sponsored the event to play a part in their goals. They collaborated with Us Together — a non-profit organization aimed to help refugees resettle in new places, like Toledo — to raise money for the refugees who are settling in the Toledo area.

According to the potluck event Facebook page, the $15 entry fee covered entry into the event and the money raised will go toward helping the Toledo Syrian community via Us Together.

Guests giving donations through Us Together had the option to designate their donation to go to a specific cause, such as buying school books, or going towards care items for Syrian children. One contributor donated $500 just for the children, Elahinia said. She said the event raised over $2,500 for the familes and for Us Together.

The evening consisted of a brief introduction by the coordinators of the event, Elahinia and Fatma Ismail, along with sponsors such as Welcome Toledo-Lucas County and members of the Al-Medinah Center. From there, attendees were free to enjoy the wide array of food, prepared and brought in by guests. There was everything from traditional baklava, to pizza, to rice and potatoes, among other foods.

Throughout the night, people were given the opportunity to sit down with the Syrian refugee families and talk. Many of the refugee families spoke little to no English, but still wished to interact and thank guests, so volunteer translators sat down and provided the ability to speak with the families.

“I become friends with this little girl during the dinner and all I did was give her a piece of cake and chat with her for barely five minutes,” said Oroshay Kaiwan, a community member and attendee.

Kaiwan said the little girl introduced her to her mother, and in the span of the event, connected with her and the family, speaking with what little English the child knew.

“I really felt like the couple minutes we spent together definitely made a difference in her life,” Kaiwan said.

Salma Barudil, a steering committee member for Welcome TLC, wrote in an email that it was “so amazing to see people from every background coming together to enjoy food, to welcome the refugees and to support such a great cause.”

As a Syrian-American herself, Barudil said it is extremely important for refugees and immigrants to be treated well and welcomed into the community.

Over 80 people were in attendance in the lecture hall at the Al-Medinah Community Center, a small building established in 2012 and designed to hold community events, such as the Refugee Potluck, but also spiritual, sports and educational events.

Kaiwan said despite her worries that attendance wouldn’t be great, or food wouldn’t be brought, the room was packed and there was an abundance of food; the community not only showed up to greet the refugees, but also welcomed them with warmth.

“By welcoming the refugees with open arms and offering them a lovely environment, we are helping alleviate the hardships in their life,” Kaiwan said. “We are telling them that they are not alone and that we will help make their future better. That’s what makes a stronger community.”

Print Friendly

Leave a Comment