Man at the Airport: How Social Media Saved My Life - Paperback

by Hassan Al Kontar (Author), Nuseir Yassin (Foreword by)

When revolution and war came to Syria in 2011, Hassan Al Kontar was living and working in the UAE. His refusal to return to Syria for compulsory military service was a decision that changed the course of his life. With an expired passport and work visa, Al Kontar was forced to live for years as a homeless "illegal" before being deported to Malaysia in 2017. There, unable to obtain a visa for any other country, he was stranded in the arrivals zone at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Exiled by war and trapped by geopolitics, Al Kontar turned to social media, using honesty and humour to tell his story to the world. His tweets, posts and videos went viral, leading to mainstream media celebrity and, ultimately, escape from his airport prison.

Man at the Airport explores what it means to be a Syrian, an "illegal" and a refugee. More broadly, it examines the power of social media to amplify individual voices and facilitate political dissent.

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When revolution and war came to Syria in 2011, Hassan Al Kontar was living and working in the UAE. His refusal to return to Syria for compulsory military service was a decision that changed the course of his life. With an expired passport and work visa, Al Kontar was forced to live for years as a homeless "illegal" before being deported to Malaysia in 2017. There, unable to obtain a visa for any other country, he was stranded in the arrivals zone at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Exiled by war and trapped by geopolitics, Al Kontar turned to social media, using honesty and humour to tell his story to the world. His tweets, posts and videos went viral, leading to mainstream media celebrity and, ultimately, escape from his airport prison.

Author Biography

Hassan Al Kontar was raised in a prosperous Syrian home, the middle child of a mechanical engineer and nurse. He was working in the UAE when his work permit expired and civil war broke out in his home country. A conscientious objector by faith and temperament, he opted for a hand-to-mouth existence in the shadows until he was arrested and deported. Now a Canadian citizen, based in Vancouver, he advocates for refugees around the world.