Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old boy who drowned while escaping war-torn Syria with his family, has captured (and broken) hearts around the world after photos of his tiny, lifeless body washed up on the shore of a Turkish beach beamed across the world, prompting a widespread outcry: whatever we’re doing to help solve the humanitarian crisis, we need to do more.
Aylan’s older brother and mother also drowned while crossing from Turkey to Greece; his father, Abdullah Kurdi, has been offered asylum in Canada, their intended destination, but has refused.
Today, The Sydney Morning Herald published an obituary for Aylan. It reads as follows:
“Aylan”
“You did not deserve to drown in the coldness of water and in the coldness of human indifference.”
“You were not a Migrant. You were not a Refugee. You were a 3yr old little boy wanting to play safely, away from the threats of violence and war.”
“In Heaven, you will be nursed by those who held you, by those who kissed you and by those who risked everything in the hope of you reaching the shores of safety.”
“Rest In Peace Aylan Kurdi. May God forgive us for failing you.”
RIP.
Picture: AP / SMH.
