Omar Ibrahem Jabr

I live in Denmark, but Syria is still in my heart. In March 2011, I wrote for the first time on Facebook about the abuses taking place in Syria. Today I still report on the war. Many people send videos and pictures to me. I often say that when there are 100 homicides in Syria, only 10 of them are recorded on video and only one ends up on social media. Many are afraid the videos can be traced back to them. At first, the Syrian police did not know what Facebook was. They could do a body search on people and search for Facebook in their pockets, but now they know what it is.

In the past, I thought that what I posted on Facebook would change something, but now I'm not so sure anymore, but my big desire is that the war stops and that Syria gets a new president and that they have democracy. Before I came to Denmark I knew about democracy, but now that I live here, I also experience how democracy works. You can also read a cookbook, but it is only when you cook that you really learn how to do it.

In Syria I worked as a chef. Here in Denmark I have worked for two years at a café, and I have also had a Syrian restaurant with a friend at Odense Bazar, but I no longer have that. However, I still cook a lot of food. My kids love to barbecue, but last year we weren’t allowed to because it was so dry, so I hope we can barbecue again this year.

Omar Ibrahem Jabr / 34 / male / married / children / does 9th grade at VUC / from Syria / came to Denmark in 2014 / asylum in 2015