Når man elsker Danmark mere end danskerne When you love Denmark more than the Danes

Når man elsker Danmarkmere end danskerne

Jeg elsker folk her på Ærø! Det kan jeg sige. De er hjælpsomme. Du kan bare lave et opslag på facebook, så er de klar.

Det er en glædens dag hos familien AlFakih. Ahmad sidder i sofaen med sin yngste søn på 11, en søn har trukket sig tilbage på sit værelse og de to ældste piger hænger på sofaen. Ahmads kone Manar går til og fra køkkenet og finder kage, kaffe og små fine sesamsmåkager.

Ahmad har nemlig bestået sin medborgerskabsprøve og det var det sidste, han manglede, for at kunne søge permanent opholdstilladelse i det land, som han elsker mere end sit hjemland. Ahmad kom til Danmark fra Syrien for snart 7 år siden. Han og familien havde pakket deres tøj og var rejst til Libanon. De troede, de kunne komme tilbage, men det blev aldrig muligt. Ahmad tog videre for at skabe en bedre fremtid for familien. Manar og børnene blev genforenet med Ahmad på Ærø for snart 6 år siden.

Ahmad var rosengartner i Syrien og da han kom til Ærø, bredte rygtet sig hurtigt på øen. En rosengartner! Siden har han startet sin egen virksomhed, Ahmads Rengørings- og Haveservice, og har nu 5 ansatte. ”Det er nemt, når man selv kan bestemme”, siger han. I Syrien havde han også en mobiltelefonbutik; i det hele taget havde familien alt i Syrien: Et stabilt liv med hus, smuk have, gartneri, butik og en ny stor bil. Alt efterlod de. ”Regimet tog vores land og ødelagde det. De ødelagde roserne. Der var kun den bare jord tilbage. Jeg har mistet alt.”

When you love Denmark more than the Danes

It a joyful day at the AlFakihs. Ahmad is sitting in the couch with his youngest son, another son has withdrawn to his room, and the two older girls are standing by the couch. Ahmad’s wife Manar appears from the kitchen carrying homemade cake, coffee and the delicious small cookies with sesame used for Ramadan.

Ahmad passed his citizenship test, which was the last requirement in his application for permanent residence permit in the country he loves more than his own. Ahmad arrived in Denmark from Syria almost 7 years ago. He and his family packed only their clothes and left for Libanon. They were sure they could go back to Syria, but they never returned. Ahmad continued his journey to try to create a better future for the family. Manar and the children were reunited with Ahmad on Ærø one year later.

Ahmad was a rose gardener in Syria and the rumor spread quickly on the island. A rose gardener! Soon he started his own business on Ærø, Ahmad’s Cleaning and Gardening, and now he has 5 employees. “It is just easier, when you make the decisions on your own!” he says. In Syria he owned a cell phone shop in addition to the rose nursery. In general, the family had everything they needed in Syria, a safe and stable life with a nice house, a beautiful garden, plant nursery, shop and a new car. They left and lost everything. ”The regime took our land and ruined it. They left only the bare ground. I lost everything!”

Ahmad har nu politisk asyl i Danmark og kan ikke vende tilbage til Syrien. Da han kom til Danmark, blev han spurgt, hvor han gerne ville placeres og han bad om Aalborg, fordi det var en større by med muligheder. Han blev sendt til Ærø og hans bekendte var chokerede. ”De sagde: ÆRØ! Der er ingen mennesker, der er ikke noget arbejde! Men jeg ved, at hvis Gud vælger noget for mig, så er det det bedste. Og nu tænker jeg, at vi er heldige.”

Ærø minder meget om den landsby Ahmad kommer fra i nærheden af Damaskus. Der var 7000 indbyggere og folk kendte hinanden. Men alt forsvandt og familien måtte starte fra bunden. Ahmad kom til Ærø i februar, hvor der var mennesketomme gader og han var alene hele tiden. Men det ændrede sig. ”Jeg elsker folk her på Ærø! Det kan jeg sige. De er hjælpsomme. Du kan bare lave et opslag på Facebook, så er de klar. Jeg har venner, der vil hjælpe med alt.” Og Ahmad er omgivet af mange venner, både ældre ægtepar og jævnaldrende venner, også nogle af de andre syrere, der kom til Ærø.

For fire år siden var der en artikel i avisen om familien og Ahmads virksomhed. Da kom der en mand fra København og bankede på med udklippet fra avisen. Ahmad kendte ham ikke – men manden kendte Ahmad. Samme artikel viste også, at Ahmads drøm havde været mulig. Da han lige var kommet til Ærø, spurgte en af hans venner, hvad han drømte om, og Ahmad svarede, at han ville starte virksomhed. Hans ven grinede af ham. Men da han så artiklen i avisen, måtte han indrømme, at Ahmad var lykkedes med sin drøm. ”Man skal altid have et mål”, tilføjer Ahmad.

Ahmad has obtained political asylum in Denmark, and he cannot return to Syria. When he came to Denmark, he was asked where he would like to live and he answered Aalborg, because that is a big city with possibilities. He was sent to Ærø and his friends and acquaintances were shocked: “They said: ÆRØ! There are no people! No work! But I know, that when God makes a choice for me, it will be for the best. Now I find we have been lucky.”

Ærø is quite similar to the village near Damascus, where Ahmad lived. It had 7000 inhabitants and people knew one another. But everything disappeared and the family had to start all over again. Ahmad came to Ærø in February; the streets were empty, and he was alone most of the time. But it changed. “I love people on Ærø! I really mean that! They are helpful. You just make a post on Facebook, and they are ready to help you. I have friends who will do everything for me.” And Ahmad really is surrounded by friends, peers as well as older couples from Ærø, and also some of the other refugees from Syria.

Four years ago a newspaper brought an article about Ahmad and his family and business. An elderly man from Copenhagen knocked on his door and showed him the newspaper. Ahmad did not know him, but the man knew Ahmad. The article showed that Ahmad had made his dream come true. When he just arrived on Ærø one of his friends asked him what he dreamt of; and when Ahmad answered that he would start a business, his friend laughed. But when he saw the article in the newspaper, he had to admit that Ahmad had succeeded. “You have to have a goal!”

Iværksættere på Ærø

Ærø scorer højt, når det handler om iværksætteri. Vi ikke bare elsker iværksættere, vi hjælper dem også, og det lige fra de spæde ideer opstår til træerne vokser ind i himlen.

Kontakt Ærø Turist & Erhvervskontor

Entrepreneurship on Ærø

Ærø has a high degree of entrepreneurship. Not only do we love entrepreneurs, we also provide assistance and advice for businesses to bloom and grow.

Contact Ærø Turist & Erhvervskontor

I love people on Ærø! I really mean that! They are helpful. You just make a post on Facebook, and they are ready to help you

Et mål for ham var også at købe et hus. Han havde arbejdet i haven ved et lille hus i Rise og kendte både ejeren og hendes voksne børn. Da huset blev ledigt, blev der afholdt loppemarked og det blev bemærket, at Ahmad ikke kiggede på tingene – men på huset. ”Så tog jeg hjem til min kone og sagde: Jeg har fundet et hus til os!” Manar griner: ”Jeg sagde, at jeg gerne lige ville se det først!” Da hun havde set det, var hendes eneste krav, at køkkenet skulle renoveres og nu bor familien i den lille landsby lige midt på øen. Ahmad har gennemrenoveret hele huset og i haven står roser smukt i lange rækker og krukker langs havegangen.

One of his goals was to buy a house. He had worked in the garden by a small house in the village Rise and he knew both the owner and her grown up children. When the house became available, there was a garage sale, and it was noticed that Ahmad did not look at the stuff for sale – but at the house. “I went home to my wife and said: I found us a house!” Manar laughs: ”I told him that I wanted to see it first!” When she had seen it, her only requirement was that the kitchen needed to be fixed. Now the family lives at the small village in the center of the island. Ahmad renovated everything and in the garden the roses are blooming in long rows around the house and towards the entrance.