Elite Daily

November’s terrorist attacks in Paris precipitated an ugly cycle that’s become the norm in recent American history.

Fear and xenophobia led to the rise of opportunists willing to perpetuate each for personal gain.

The current targets: Syrian refugees.

The current beneficiary: There’s the temptation to say Donald Trump, but he's hardly singular. After all, 31 governors opposed allowing refugees into their states.

Ironically, we started filming our take on the Syrian refugee crisis a month earlier. Our subject, Sana Mustafa, was an activist in the Arab Spring and now represents one of fewer than 3,000 Syrian refugees in the US. Having arrived penniless in 2013, she earned a full scholarship to Bard College where she speaks out on behalf of fellow refugees in her spare time.

Her resume alone seemed to provide a strong counterargument to a then-popular suggestion that refugees, if admitted en masse, would leech off American society. Moreover, her story itself, while providing a chilling overview of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the inner workings of the Arab Spring, brought with it unexpected familiarities.

Poughkeepsie, New York reminded Sana of her hometown in Syria.

She learned English by watching "Grey’s Anatomy" and "Friends." Her parents raised her to appreciate Syrian culture, though they encouraged variety, especially in terms of political perspectives. She had a pulse on the injustices perpetuated by the government and was inspired to put beliefs into actions.

Thus, in 2011, with the Syrian uprising against the authoritarian regime of Assad, it was inevitable Sana and her entire family would join the revolution. Perhaps just as inevitable was Assad’s response to the revolution: arrests, torture, barrel bombs and, notably, the use of chemical weapons.

Sana was imprisoned. So was her older sister. Both were held temporarily, but the family would experience far worse. In July 2013, Sana’s father was abducted with no trace of his whereabouts.

Their safety jeopardized, her mother and two sisters fled to neighboring Turkey, leaving their belongings, friends and extended family behind. Sana -- who was traveling to the United States for what was supposed to be a few weeks -- suddenly found herself without a home and was granted political asylum.

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Producer: Shawn Hazelett
Creative Direction & Editing: Evan D. Newman
Cinematography: MF Thomas & Kevin Losani
Additional Camera: Sammy Dane
Motion Graphics: Oliver Dudman, Sergio Calderon & Grace Ferrara
Assistant Editor: Grace Ferrara
Translation: Salah Anwar
Post-Production Sound Mixer: Kevin Losani
Senior Producer, Insights: Kevin Losani
Executive Producer, Elite Daily: Tyler Gildin
Special Thanks to Luis Navia

Music Courtesy of Extreme Music:

"Spintrigue"
Written by Dirty Dick and Carrie Harry

“Bleeding Light”
Written by Adam Peters

“Grazing Hell”
Written by Adam Peters

“Rubble and Dust”
Written by James Hannigan

“Middle East Peace”
Written by Adam Peters

“Forgotten Manor”
Written by Geoff Zanelli and Phill Boucher

"Simsimiyya Tambura"
Written by Zakaria Ibrahim

“Tambura”
Written by Zakaria Ibrahim

“A Hole In The Sun”
Written by Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix

“Enigma”
Written by Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix

“The Fire In Her Eyes”
Written by Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix and Michal Cielecki

“Swan Lake - Scene”
Written by Peter Il’Yich Tchaikovsky

“Beat of the Heart”
Written by Napawita Lonewolf

“Human Sacrifice”
Written by Doyle McCormick, Billy Joe Grace and Samuel James

“Prelude No. 15 in D Flat Major - Sostenuto ‘Raindrop’”
Written by Frederic Chopin

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