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Story June 7, 2016

Greece: Ramadan for Refugees

Country:

Greece

Author:

Jodi Hilton
Grantee

Jamila, an asylum-seeker from Iran and mother of four, is now staying with her children and grandchildren at the City Plaza Hotel in Athens, home to 300-plus immigrants, many of whom were staying in camps before the hotel was established as an alternative. Image by Jodi Hilton. Greece, 2016.

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The Syrian refugee crisis is changing both refugee communities and their host countries.

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Sitting next to her family’s tent, Farida from Afghanistan reads a tiny Koran in the hours before the iftar meal, when Muslims break the daytime fast. During the month of Ramadan, most Muslims forego food and water during daylight hours and feast at nightfall. Image by Jodi Hilton. Greece, 2016.

Stephanie Pope (l.) from Echo 100, a volunteer organization that helps refugees and Suleyman Jnid, a refugee from Damascus, pack 150 bags full of dates. Muslims traditionally begin the iftar with a glass of water and a date. Image by Jodi Hilton. Greece, 2016.

Two boys from Syria help unload boxes donated by the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, which unexpectedly sent a delegation to the Ritsona camp bearing more than 100 kilos of dried dates. Image by Jodi Hilton. Greece, 2016.

Hassan Rasul, the father of four young boys, dances to music coming from a nearby tent with his son Rasul. Image by Jodi Hilton. Greece, 2016.

A woman reaches for a Koran inside an abandoned building that has been converted into a makeshift mosque. Image by Jodi Hilton. Greece, 2016.

A Syrian Kurdish family sits down for an iftar meal of home-cooked rice to accompany the packaged soup, salad and eggplant they receive from the Greeks at Ritsona Camp. Image by Jodi Hilton. Greece, 2016.

At 'the warehouse,' volunteers hand out food. Ramadan specialties including ayran (a yogurt drink), dates and pomegranate juice were distributed in addition to the normal meal. Image by Jodi Hilton. Greece, 2016.

Lacking a proper kitchen, Naja Huru from Qamishlo, Syria, cooks a pot of rice over a wood fire to accompany bland daily rations for the family of nine. Image by Jodi Hilton. Greece, 2016.

As night falls, a man prays outside his tent at Ritsona camp. Image by Jodi Hilton. Greece, 2016.

The month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan began this week. In a camp of about 800, refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan celebrate with what little they have. Jodi Hilton reports from the Ritsona Camp outside Athens.

WHERE WE REPORT

Greece: Ramadan for Refugees

Project

Surviving Fortress Europe

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