Syrian native Razan Ibraheem receiving Irish citizenship recently

A SYRIAN woman who was delighted to recently receive Irish citizenship has described the power of small communities nationwide to extend a warm welcome to refugees arriving from her war-torn country.

Razan Ibraheem, who is originally from Latakia, Al Ladhiqiyah, Syria, but currently lives and works in Dublin, was speaking in advance of the expected resettlement of refugee families in County Wexford.

While she initially came to Ireland in 2011 to study for a master’s degree, war escalated in her native land soon after and she found herself unable to return.

The passionate and personable woman works as a journalist with a social media news agency in the capital, yet has also enjoyed exploring her adopted country and visiting communities right across it.

With a perhaps unparalleled insight into the strife from which arriving refugees have emerged, she has taken a keen interest in their integration in this country.

While the Irish population’s knowledge about the Syrian crisis has advanced in recent times, Ms. Ibraheem outlined, it is her view that “there is no real will on the part of the Government to do anything.”

However, she admitted, “no matter how much we do… it is still incomparable to the scale of the crisis.”

About twenty refugee families, most of which are expected to be from Syria, are due to be resettled in County Wexford by the early summer.

Read more in the Wexford Echo.