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‘Want to be his brother’: 6-year-old American wishes to adopt Syrian boy
A 6-year-old American boy’s letter to Barack Obama, President of the United States, asking to host a young Syrian refugee has gone viral.
A 6-year-old American boy’s letter to Barack Obama, President of the United States, asking to host a young Syrian boy has gone viral.
On Thursday, Obama shared the video of 6-year-old Alex from Scarsdale in New York, reciting the letter, on his Facebook page. It has garnered 14 million views since then.
Alex’s letter referred to Omran Daqneesh, a 5-year-old Syrian child who was filmed sitting dazed and covered in soot and blood after being pulled from the rubble of his home in Aleppo, Syria, last month.
In his letter, Alex said he wants Omran to come live with him and his younger sister Catherine and that they would “all play together and he will be our brother.”
Alex went on to say that he would introduce Omran to a friend at school who is also from Syria.
The video gives the viewers a tour of Alex’s home as he reads about sharing his toys with Omran, inviting him to birthday parties and hoping he will “teach us another language”.
Omran was rescued with his three siblings and his parents after an airstrike. His eldest brother died in the hospital due to injuries.
Obama, in his speech on refugees on Tuesday, said: “We can all learn from Alex.”
“The humanity that a young child can display who hasn’t learned to be cynical, or suspicious, or fearful of other people because of how they look or where they’re from or how they pray,” said Obama.
Obama has the habit of reading 10 letters from Americans every day, chosen by his staff from the thousands sent over phone, Facebook and e-mail.
