Mideast trip for MPs with group Canadian Muslim Vote a chance to hear real life stories from refugees

Umair Ashraf, the executive director of the charityCanadian Muslim Vote, organized a trip to the Middle East with several members of parliament, as well as other organizations in search of insight into the lives of Palestinian refugees in the region.

Canadian Muslim Vote is a nonpartisan group that aims to enhance political engagement of the Islamic community across the country.

Ashraf, who lives in Cambridge, Ont., hoped the MPs would witness first hand the issues in the region to help them make more informed policy decisionsand be able to use the experience when having conversations with colleaguesin the House of Commonsand at committee meetings.

"In the age of misinformation, a lot of stuff that you're getting is either from second-hand sourcesor from on-the-ground, but it's very different to go and be able to see for yourself, and then come back and report on that," Ashraf said.

"I think for us that was a key component of being able to bring forth stuff that we saw ourselvesand to be able to speak to that. I think that really broadened the conversation but also allowed for us to showcase a narrative that isn't there, and I think that was very important for us."

LISTEN|Umair Ashraf of Cambridge, Ont., talks about trip to Mideast:

The Morning Edition - K-W6:25Cambridge's Umair Ashraf organized a trip for MPs to the Middle East to offer insight into the lives of Palestinian refugees

Umair Ashraf of Cambridge wanted MPs to have insight into the lives of Palestinian refugees. Earlier this month he organized a trip to the Middle East. In total, three NDP MPs and two Liberal MPs joined him and other organizations too.

The 'humanitarian side'

Ashraf said the trip was, in part, about understanding the political situation of the region, but "predominantly it was understanding [the] humanitarian side of it as much as possible to get the real life stories of how people were being affected in different ways."

The trip began in Jordan, then continued to East Jerusalem and concluded in the West Bank, visiting Palestinian refugees who had been displaced prior to the recent Israel-Hamas conflict.

Ashraf recountedone conversation with a young teen he met with muscular dystrophy whose family has lived in a Jordanian refugee camp for generations. He had dreams of being a computer programmer, but Ashraf said that education isn't as accessible for people there.

"I think for me just understanding that there's so much that we still need to learn, especially about refugees," Ashraf said of his experience in Jordan. "How each person is a story: They have a past, they have a present, they a future, they have dreams."

There's another young man he met at a refugee camp in Bethlehem who'd spent his life thereand never hadthe opportunity to visit his ancestral village, which was seven kilometers away.

"Every number has a story beside it," Ashraf said. "It's not justthis many people displaced it's each number has a story, and that story is just so powerful to sit and listen to."

'We have a lot of work to do'

Canadian Muslim Vote reached out to all majorpolitical parties regarding the trip, however Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May and MP Mike Morricereached out to CBC to say they hadn't been invited on the trip.

Two LiberalMPsandthree NDP MPs attended, including London, Ont., NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen.

"We have a lot of work to do," Mathyssensaid of lessons she took away from the trip. "We've failed such a large number of people."

Mathyssen was inspired to go on the tripbecause of the number of Palestinian-Canadians and Muslims in her riding. She said some who havefamilies in conflict zones "are just in so much pain."

"People who we met with who have known so much violence and poverty and devastation the kids especially once they found out that we were safe, because often to them strangers are not safe, but once they found out they were safe, they came and they gave us huge hugs," Mathyssen said.

She described the trip as "life changing" and the peoplewhoshe met as unforgettable.