Nov. 5, 2016
Vol. 237
by Theodore Pigott, special correspondent
The White Helmets Who Save Syrians For the last five years or so, a terrible civil war has been raging in Syria, a small country in the Middle East. The conflict began in 2011 during the so-called Arab Spring, and it became violent when the government of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad began to crack down on protestors who were demanding the removal of al-Assad. It has since come to involve several factions, with many of these groups receiving both official and unofficial support and aid from several foreign nations, including the United States of America and Russia. Sadly, the Syrian people have had to endure years of fighting, not to mention almost daily bombings, and images of shell-shocked Syrian survivors have filled social media sites. As a result, many Syrians have chosen to leave their country and become refugees, with thousands making the risky journey to Europe and Canada. However, a few brave Syrians have chosen to stay behind and help those who are still trying to live in this war-torn country. These courageous people are members of the Syrian Civil Defense, although they are better known as the “White Helmets” because of the safety hats they wear during their rescue work. The White Helmets are an all-volunteer organization, and the group’s members come from all walks of life. The group is not political at all, and it does its best to save people on all sides of the conflict, providing medical assistance to anyone in need. In fact, the group’s motto is “To save a life is to save all of humanity.” Their work is certainly dangerous. It has been estimated that 130 out of the 3,000 White Helmet members have been killed over the years. Most recently, in August of 2016, Khaled Omar, a 31-year-old member of the White Helmets who became famous when a video of him saving a “miracle baby” went viral in 2014, was killed by shrapnel in Aleppo. At the same time, however, it has also been estimated that the White Helmets have been responsible for saving more than 56,000 people in Syria, despite having to brave bombings and even sniper fire to do their work. Perhaps this is why they have been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize this year. In the nomination, the White Helmets were praised for their work: “Unpaid and unarmed, the White Helmets rush into bomb sites to rescue fellow Syrians from 1