Spotlight: Germany, dreamland for Syrian asylum seekers

Seeking refuge in Germany has become the dream of many Syrian refuge seekers who have grown fed up with the country's long-running crisis that is getting worse with every passing day.

Seeking humanitarian asylum in Europe, particularly Germany, has become the talk of the vast majority of Syrian youth, who could no longer afford wasting their time waiting for the end of the civil war as well as their suffering in their country.

Coffee shops in the capital are still relatively crowded with young men, whose main talk is no longer about searching for a job, or even giggles about girl friends' adventures, but about their friends that have already made it to Europe or how to figure out the long and winding road to get to Germany and seek asylum, especially after the German authorities took an important decision regarding how it deals with Syrian migrants.

Instead of deporting the migrants to the first European Union country they arrived in under an old EU regulation known as the Dublin procedure, Germany will now allow Syrians to stay and apply for asylum. It means that any Syrian in any other European country can head to Germany and get asylum there.

The new facilitation in the immigration laws have opened the apatite of the Syrian asylum seekers. People see it now as a one-in-the-lifetime opportunity to secure a welfare in the Deutschland, instead of staying in Syria and witnessing the growth of violence along with the ultra-radical groups, whose mentality could take Syria back the medieval ages.

While the growth of violence is a main reason, other reasons are pushing the Syrians to flee, mainly the mandatory military service, the joblessness, and in a very rare cases, the people's dream to live in Europe.

The 27-year-old Salah has finished his law school and got engaged to the girl he loves, but now he says he has to pack his bags and head to Germany.

"I have graduated and got engaged, but now I have got to start fresh in Germany," he said, recounting that "I don't have any other choice."

Salah said his mother is so upset with his plans to travel that she's now on tranquilizers to release her stress, but she supports him anyhow, wishing that her son could find peace in a safe country.

Salah's mother is like thousands of Syrian mothers who are saying goodbyes to the apples of their eyes.

Rashid, another 29-year-old man, said he was convincing his mother to bless his trip with her prayers. He said "she doesn't want to be apart from me and at the same time she doesn't want me to stay here."

"I have graduated five years ago and couldn't find a proper job. I am still taking allowance from my parents, something I can no longer tolerate," he said.

The economics graduate said he and his friends are planning now their trip to Germany, wanting to take advantage of the summertime, when taking the sea trip could be far more dangerous in autumn than now.

To reach Europe, they need to first get to Turkey, which could be done by two ways; either by driving to Beirut, Lebanon's capital, and take a flight to Istanbul, or by land through Syrian cities.

Most Syrians, who can afford the flight, take a plane to Turkey, which is considered the assembly point for Syrians heading to Europe.

Those who take the land road, which is risky, are largely people who cannot afford the flights, or draft dodgers who cannot legally cross the official borders, or lastly they are Palestinian refugees in Syria, who are denied the Turkish visas and cannot enter Turkey legally.

Those less lucky people need to find a smuggler who can drive them from the capital Damascus by bus to the nearest point of the Turkish borders.

Those smugglers used to take roughly 200 U.S. dollars to get the asylum seekers from Damascus to one of the illegal border points between Syria's northern province of Aleppo and Turkey. But after the latest security measures by the Turkish border guards and the intensification of the Syrian military checkpoints well as the devaluation of the Syrian currency have pushed the smugglers to up their fees to around 650 dollars.

After reaching to Aleppo, the smuggler takes the people to hilltop on the borders and all people have to do is to climb and pray that they don't get discovered by any of the Turkish patrols, Rashid said.

Once arrived, the asylum seekers head to the Turkish coastal city of Izmir, which is the assembly point for Syrians before taking the sea trip to Greece, their first European stop on the way to Germany.

In Izmir, Syrians either search for a smuggler that can transport them by sea to any of the Greek islands, or they can split in groups and buy rubber boats, locally known as "Balm" and a GPS device to guide them.

A group of young people who have finalized their plans said a smuggler takes around 1,400 dollars to take them from Turkey to a Greek island.

After reaching any of the Greek islands, the asylum seekers surrender themselves to the police stations and they get later transported by sea to the capital Athens before taking the road through European cities, namely Macedonia, Serbia, and Hungary before finally reaching Germany. They say the entire trip from Izmir to Germany coasts 2,400 dollars.

Those who have reached Germany have created Facebook pages, offering tips and answers for the fresh asylum seekers who are willing to take the trip.

Such pages have become rampant on the social network sites, such as a page called "Karajat al-Mshantatine" the Arabic for the "Bus Stop of the Homeless."

This page has over 87,000 followers and one can find answers to any question, about the best route to take or a good smuggler that can get people to safety.

Even people who get lost on the road ask questions online and ask for help. The page's admins even have rules to those joining the page, the latest of which was the prohibition of posting any political or sectarian comments, saying the Syrians have suffered enough from such topics. They said the main aim of the page is helping those who are interested in traveling only.

Aside from the pages that offer guidance and help, there are many pages that has been created with the aim of offering online courses in German language for those planning to head to Germany. Even the language centers in Damascus are now full with people who want to learn German, whose number has way exceeded that of English learners.

Rashid is determined to take the trip, despite all the news about the incidents and the death of refugees who lost their lives on the way. "I am going to have to try. I will get there or die trying."

He said he cannot skip the opportunity after Germany eased up its immigration measures for Syrians.

Large number of Syrians on Facebook and Twitter are now sharing images of Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, with letters of appreciation for hosting the Syrians and easing the measures for their asylum.

Even some activists have hailed the German stance that supports the refugees, and lamented the way some Arab countries have treated the Syrian refugees, whose number is increasing as the crisis drags on. Enditem