KUALA LUMPUR: Father of four Khaled Ali says his heart breaks every time his children ask him if they would be getting new clothes and toys for Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year.
“My children have asked me many times if they will get new clothes, toys, sweets and other things for Raya.
“I do not know how to answer these questions. I cannot even think about Hari Raya. It is the furthest thing from my mind now,” he said at a flat in Bukit Jalil, where the family has been staying for the past week with the help of an NGO.
The 40-year-old Syrian and his family had been squatting at a narrow hidden walkway at the transit lounge of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for two weeks.
They were rescued after The Star highlighted their plight last month and were given special permission by the Immigration Department to enter Malaysia because they had lost their passports to a man in Abu Dhabi.
Khaled had been cheated of US$9,500 (RM28,500) by the man who promised to get them Swedish passports once they landed at KLIA.
The stranded family has been told it would take six months to get replacement passports from the Syrian Embassy and are currently still awaiting assistance from the United Nations.
Khaled said his biggest concern now was the health of his 11-year old son Hasan Ali.
The boy has been admitted at the Serdang Hospital for two weeks after he suffered from fits.
Khaled, who had been a school teacher in Syria, said his son’s condition was getting worse and the boy could no longer walk, talk or even eat on his own.
“The doctors said they do not know how to help him anymore.
“All I want is to see him walk, talk run and play, just like he used to,” he said.
His children have been away from school ever since the family escaped from war-torn Syria over a year ago.
His wife Rwaida Shahada, 36, recalled happier days with her family when they used to spend Hari Raya visiting relatives and friends back home in Syria.
“The children would play at the playground near the house and we would have good food to eat. Then it became so dangerous that there were gunman hiding in schools. We had no choice but to escape,” she said.
Rwaida said her wish for Hari Raya was for her children to be able to return to school and for her husband to be able to work again.
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