Throughout history, the word refugee has been associated with the term refuge, which is a safe shelter that a person resides in search of protection. Today, a refugee is defined as a person who has been forced to leave his home country due to war, violence, or fear of prosecution as a result of certain ideas and beliefs, race, religion, sectarianism, nationality, or political opinion. The above definition was what I found on the internet. But, what the internet does not mention is that a refugee is someone who struggles every day to find something to eat, to find somewhere safe to stay, to...

On March 20th 2020, in an unprecedented move to stem the spread of coronavirus, schools closed in the UK. With thousands of students given short notice to say goodbye to those they have shared memorable years of their education with, the Government’s move sparked a period of immense uncertainty for Britain’s Youth. Not only did it highlight the very real danger that COVID 19 posed to our society, but it also plunged millions of students into an uncertain situation that they could not have envisaged. Almost instantaneously, plans to take exams, say goodbye to either primary school, secondary...

Happy, innocent, and carefree, and like all children of their age, the children of the middle east and north Africa (MENA) region were full of dreams, hopes, and expectations that were all buried with the beginning of the war. Now we know that war is one of the worst tragedies that can affect humans but sad enough, war has become an inevitable part of many children especially those living in the MENA region. Why does this mainly happens to countries in the MENA region? Why does it mostly target the Muslim communities? Is it because those countries are rich in petroleum? Well, that may be one...

This is Omran, a 5 years old Syrian child exposed to war. A war we all knew but never thought of at all. Being exposed to all the bloodshed, destruction and violence, Omran sat in silence. A silence that reflected the ignorance of humans. Humans who have turned to be far more oppressive, far more destructive and far more brutal than any bomb, gun or weapon. Omran is just one of the suffering victims of the savagery of the Syrian war but, this is not the story of Omran alone. This is the story of every child exposed to war. Be it from Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, or Afghanistan. This is the story...

In the past days, George Floyd has dominated the news. I do not think that I need to go on about who George Floyd was because, regardless of his identity, what matters is that George Floyd was a son George Floyd was a brother George Floyd was a husband George Floyd was a father And more than anything, George Floyd was like me and you, a man hoping for a decent life for him and his family. I do not know the man to judge or take sides but one thing I am sure of is that no one deserves to be treated in the same manner. No one deserves to die in such a horrible way. We currently live in the 21st...

To first understand why I am defending altruism in these interesting times, I must first define it! Altruism is a psychological concept which refers to behaviour that is entirely selfless and typically exhibited in a situation where one’s actions benefit another individual at a cost to oneself. If you’ve been clapping at 8 pm every evening, I’m sure you now realise what benevolent people I’m referring to. Indeed are national mask-wearing heroes! In these interesting times, altruistic acts can be seen in every NHS hospital, GP practice and I believe it is also very important to recognise the...

With every turn in the calendar’s page and every tick of the clock, life imparts us with innumerable beautiful memories; first love, the first baby born, first salary, time spent with good friends, and a plethora of other memories. But, just like how we experience beautiful moments, we also experience moments of sadness and grief due to the loss of loved ones, retirement, and health issues. This feeling of sadness is normal and usually remits over time. However, when a person experiences sadness that lasts for two or more constitutive weeks without a possible trigger then, according to the...

Globally, About 108 million people have been killed in the wars of the 20th century, About 79.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes, About 26 million people are refugees, People still die due to hunger and starvation in war-affected countries, Many children are still deprived of education due to the wars in their countries. Today, we celebrate human rights when sadly, in many countries, human rights are merely a term. Here, I must use my region, the middle east and north Africa (MENA) as an example. In many of the countries of my region: - Human life is the least that matters....