Luma Mufleh: Don't feel sorry for refugees -- believe in them
لوما مفلح: بدل الشعور بالشفقة على اللاجئين، آمن بهم.
Luma Mufleh does something revolutionary: she coaches soccer. A Jordanian immigrant and Muslim of Syrian descent, Mufleh is determined to empower refugee children everywhere. Full bio
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to one of my classrooms
تجاه أحد الفصول التي أدرسها
مثل التي جعلتنا نشاهدها على الرمل؟
you made us watch on grit?
this really awesome thing with robots?"
are really important and smart."
هؤلاء الأشخاص مهمون جداً وأذكياء."
You hate public speaking."
أنت تكرهين الخطابة العامة."
that I speak about your journeys,
أن أتحدث عنا، عن رحلاتكم،
school that I founded
المهاجرين التي أسستها
words of encouragement.
who have been forcibly displaced
of war or persecution.
11 million, are from Syria.
في معكسرات المهاجرين،
as humane under anyone's definition.
كإنسانية بأي شكل من الأشكال.
in the degradation of humans.
of refugees since World War II.
منذ الحرب العالمية الثانية.
is so important to me.
لماذا هذا الأمر مهم بالنسبة لي.
of my life working with refugees.
من حياتي أعمل مع المهاجرين.
during the first Assad regime.
في العام 1964 إبان حكم الأسد الأول.
when she packed up a suitcase,
الثالث عندما حزمت حقيبتها،
and drove to neighboring Jordan,
وذهبت إلى الأردن المجاورة،
for her and her family.
not believing it was that bad.
معتقداً أن الوضع ليس بهذا السوء.
after his brothers were tortured
by the government.
starting from scratch
wealthy Jordanian citizens.
أردنيين أثرياء مستقلين بذاتهم.
for us to know our history
to visit my first refugee camp.
كي أزور معسكر اللاجئين الأول لي.
it was so important to her
holding her hand,
with the women in the camp.
and firmly said, "Go.
وقالت لي بحزم، "اذهبي.
to learn from others."
شيئاً لتتعلميه منهم."
my grandmother.
with the kids in the camp.
الكرة مع الأطفال في المعسكر.
what a great time I had
وأنا أخبرها عن الوقت الرائع الذي قضيته
using the word's different meaning,
مستخدمةً معنى مختلفاً للكلمة،
believe in them."
of origin for the United States
الأصلي إلى الولايات المتحدة
and was granted political asylum,
السياسي بعد أن تقدمت بطلب له،
in some countries for being gay.
في حقك حكم الإعدام كونك مثلي الجنس.
I've ever had to make,
between home and survival,
بين الوطن والنجاة،
becomes very loaded.
at a refugee camp in Greece
في معسكر لللاجئين في اليونان
she realized she had to flee Aleppo.
حين توجب عليها الهرب من حلب.
and there was nothing.
no schools. Everything was gone.
أو مدارس. ذهب كل شيء.
and watching people die.
أن الأوضاع سوف تتحسن،
but when I looked outside,
بالتحديد عندما نظرت خارجاً،
my three young children would die.
فقد يموت أطفالي الثلاثة.
not because we wanted to.
وليس لأننا أردنا ذلك.
that you belong
أنك تنتمي إلى مكان ما
because of fear or persecution,
بسبب الخوف أو الاضطهاد،
is completely destroyed.
فيها أصبحت محطمة بالكامل.
to put into words today.
to find a place to call home.
أن أجد مكاناً أدعوه الوطن.
والذين شعروا بالشفقة علي
for my new interview.
العمل الجديدة.
more isolated and incapable.
من العزلة وعدم القدرة.
at my lowest and gave me a job,
التي آوتني ووفرت لي عملاً،
in the mountains of North Carolina.
في جبال شمال كارولاينا.
of my privileged upbringing
to manage the restaurant.
the value of hard work.
I felt valued and embraced.
Ramadan with me.
about coming out to her --
جداً حين اعترفت لها --
ما تزال معمدانية جنوبية.
you know that I'm gay."
that I will never forget.
Just don't be a slut."
still trying to find my home.
محاولة إيجاد وطن لي.
three years later,
playing soccer outside.
اللاجئين يلعبون الكرة في الجوار.
into this apartment complex,
لهذا المجمع السكني،
outside playing soccer.
with a raggedy soccer ball
I grew up playing soccer
بها ألعب كرة القدم
with my brothers and cousins.
about letting me join it,
في السماح لي بأن ألعب معهم،
girls don't know how to play.
لا يعرف الفتيات كيف يلعبن.
ever played on a team.
but that they would love to.
and we formed our first team.
ومن ثَمَّ شكلنا أول فريق لنا.
a crash course in refugees, poverty
درساً واضحاً عن اللاجئين والفقر
Roohullah, Noorullah and Zabiullah --
روح الله ونور الله وزبي الله --
to find the field completely deserted.
لأجد الملعب خالياً تماماً.
ran out from behind a dumpster,
فهرع طفلان من وراء سلة قمامة،
لقد هوجم.
What do you mean he got beat up?"
and beat him up, Coach.
and drove over to Rooh's apartment.
to talk to him, see if he's OK."
هل هو بخير."
He's refusing to come out."
إنه يرفض الخروج."
أنا بحاجة إلى الحديث معك.
or if we need to go to the hospital."
أم نذهب إلى المستشفى."
a split lip,
to call for their mom,
to the hospital with him.
and she started screaming in Farsi.
عندما بدأت تصرخ باللغة الفارسية.
funny about this.
was a Muslim and a woman."
مسلمة وأنها امرأة."
to be either to her.
shorts-wearing, non-veiled woman,
وترتدي قميصاً وليست محجبة،
a shell of the man he once was.
هيكلاً لما كان من قبل.
age eight and 10 at the time,
to provide for their family.
في اليوم كي يساعدوا عائلتهم.
that they had been approved
حينما علموا أنه تم قبولهم
who get to do that.
الذين يحصلون على تلك الفرصة.
has had some version of this.
معهم لهم قصة شبيهة بهذه.
their fathers' fingers sliced off.
وأصابع آبائهم تُقطع.
put in his grandmother's head,
take him to be a child soldier.
بأخذه ليكون جندياً.
is hope, resilience, determination,
هو الأمل والتصميم والعزم
to rebuild their lives.
على إعادة بناء حياتهم من جديد.
after cleaning 18 hotel rooms in one day.
بعد تنظيفها ل18 غرفة فندق في يوم واحد.
of her once he graduated.
We are lucky to be here."
نحن محظوظون كوننا هنا."
an escalating anti-refugee sentiment.
رأينا مشاعر متصاعدة ضد اللاجئين.
because we do nothing to prevent it
شيئاً لمنع الأمر
from coming into our countries.
منع اللاجئين من القدوم إلى بلداننا.
not forcing them to leave their own.
عدم إجبارهم على مغادرة بلدانهم.
forced out of their homes
blame and reject them
absolutely nothing to do with,
them into our countries.
and treat them like criminals.
a couple of weeks ago.
because we are refugees,
to reassure my students
does not hate refugees.
لا يكره المهاجرين.
tried to rip off her mother's hijab
أحدهم نزع حجاب والدتها
team called her a terrorist
في الفريق الخصم بالإرهابية
where she came from.
military as an interpreter
as an American citizen.
من اللاجئين حول العالم.
more than them.
is considered something to be dirty,
تُعتبر شيئاً قذراً.
in every aspect of our lives --
who have been forced out of their homes
على مغادرة أوطانهم
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Luma Mufleh - Refugee activistLuma Mufleh does something revolutionary: she coaches soccer. A Jordanian immigrant and Muslim of Syrian descent, Mufleh is determined to empower refugee children everywhere.
Why you should listen
Luma Mufleh is the CEO and Founding Director of Fugees Family, Inc., a nonprofit organization that uses the power of soccer, education and community to empower refugee children to successfully integrate into the United States. Now, she's part principal, part tutor, the head of the first accredited private school dedicated to refugee education in the country, which encompases a summer camp and a college prep program -- and she’s building a community and support network that could be the national model the United States needs.
The Fugees' story began in 2004, when Luma took a wrong turn while driving through the town of Clarkston, Georgia and noticed a group of boys playing soccer in the street. She learned that these children were refugees from war-town countries including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Burma, Somalia and Sudan. That summer, Luma made fliers announcing tryouts for the Fugees soccer team. In the years that followed, the soccer team grew into something much larger -- a school, a tutoring program, a summer camp, a college prep program, and, most importantly, a community and support network.
A lifelong social entrepreneur, Luma has created several programs and initiatives that have gainfully employed, educated and empowered refugees and immigrants in her community and beyond, with the Fugees Academy serving as a national model for refugee education. While only 20 percent of refugee students graduate from high school in Georgia's DeKalb County, the Fugees Academy has a 90 percent graduation rate. These types of results helped earn Luma the 2016 Cournelle Award for Social Entrepreneurship from the Manhattan Institute.
A Jordanian immigrant and Muslim of Syrian descent, Luma received her U.S. citizenship in 2011. Her story -- and the story of the Fugees -- illustrates both the American dream and the very real challenges of integration and discrimination that so many face today. Luma received her B.A. in Anthropology from Smith College and recently completed the Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Luma Mufleh | Speaker | TED.com