- Title: California Syrians praise Trump after Syria strikes
- Date: 8th April 2017
- Summary: ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (APRIL 7, 2017) (REUTERS) STREET SCENE / STRIPMALL WITH ARABIC RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS IN ANAHEIM SYRIAN FLAG MIDDLE EASTERN STORE SELLING HEADSCARVES AND WOMEN'S CLOTHING SIGN FOR SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS IN ARABIC ENTRANCE TO SYRIAN RESTAURANT 'ALEPPO'S KITCHEN"/OWNER AND HIS SON SITTING AT TABLE WITH THEIR FRIENDS OWNER OF "ALEPPO'S KITCHEN" NIDAL HAJOMAR AND HIS SON, SAMMY HAJOMAR, SEATED AT TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN RESTAURANT OWNER NIDAL HAJOMAR, 58, FROM THE SYRIAN TOWN OF JABLEH, SAYING: "Somebody needs to help Syria. If America didn't help Syria to end the war, then things are going to stay exactly as they are. Syrians are dying left and right and sadly nobody cares about them. But at the same time, we love all Syrians no matter who they are or what sect or religion and we hope that our President Trump in America will help the Syrians and help solve the problems in Syria." VARIOUS OF RESTAURANT CUSTOMERS EATING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN RESTAURANT OWNER NIDAL HAJOMAR, 58, FROM THE SYRIAN TOWN OF JABLEH, SAYING: "He spoke about refugees but me personally; I don't want (Syrian) refugees to come to America. I want to help the refugees stay in Syria and solve the problems in Syria. If they come here what's the benefit? I'm with him (Trump). Why should the refugees come here? What we want from him (Trump) is for him to help Syrians and the Syrian people who are being killed left and right. And we don't need more refugees; we need to help people stay in their country." OWNER OF "ALEPPO'S KITCHEN" NIDAL HAJOMAR AND HIS SON, SAMMY HAJOMAR, SEATED AT TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAMMY HAJOMAR, SON OF SYRIAN RESTAURANT OWNER, SAYING: "In my view, the U.S. bombing in Syria was a good thing because it's the first time there has been a direct response against Bashar al-Assad and his collaborators in order to defend the Syrian people and this acts as a warning against the Assad government so that they won't do anything like this ever again." SAMMY HAJOMAR WITH STANDING RESTAURANT CHATTING WITH FRIENDS AND STAFF CLOSE-UP OF SAMMY HAJOMAR WEARING T-SHIRT WITH REFUGEE WRITTEN ON IT EXTERIOR OF ISLAMIC CENTER WITH WORSHIPPERS COMING OUT AFTER FRIDAY PRAYERS MEN AND WOMEN SITTING OUTSIDE AFTER PRAYERS FAMILY SITTING OUTSIDE WITH CHILD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 78-YEAR-OLD PALESTINIAN MAN WHO HAS LIVED IN DAMASCUS, SYRIA FOR 40 YEARS. HE ASKED NOT TO BE NAMED IN THE STORY FOR SAFETY REASONS, SAYING: "What did those kids do? Did you see them on television? Did you see what happened to them? God strengthen Trump, may God strengthen him so that he can follow through on this operation to get rid of this criminal (Bashar al-Assad). VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING OUTSIDE AFTER FRIDAY PRAYERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 78-YEAR-OLD PALESTINIAN MAN WHO HAS LIVED IN DAMASCUS, SYRIA FOR 40 YEARS. HE ASKED NOT TO BE NAMED IN THE STORY FOR SAFETY REASONS, SAYING: "He talked about this in the beginning and you know every president says things in order to be elected. Now we are very happy because of him, we are very happy because of Trump, because of the President Trump. He proved that he is a man, a strong man." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING OUTSIDE AFTER FRIDAY PRAYERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ISAM ISSA, A 40-YEAR-OLD REAL ESTATE AGENT WHO WAS RAISED IN THE SYRIAN CAPITAL DAMASCUS, SAYING: "We hope that it is not only to show off muscles or for political goals between America and Russia or other interventions from outside on Syria. We hope that the aim behind the strike is for a human goal or for the sake to help the oppressed and innocent people who are killed every day, not a strike that is aimed against the chemical because innocent people are killed daily," PEOPLE AND CARS OUTSIDE ISLAMIC CENTER AFTER PRAYERS
- Embargoed: 22nd April 2017 01:31
- Keywords: Syria Aleppo's Kitchen reactions California
- Location: ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City: ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA0016BEKQBR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Syrian-American community in Anaheim, California on Friday (April 7) heaped praise on Donald Trump a day after the U.S. president launched cruise missile strikes on a Syrian airbase.
At Aleppo's Kitchen restaurant, 58-year-old owner Nidal Hajomar, said Trump was right to launch military action against his homeland.
"If America didn't help Syria to end the war then things are going to stay exactly as they are. Syrians are dying left and right and sadly nobody cares about them," said Hajomar, who named his restaurant after his wife's home city of Aleppo.
Hajomar said he agreed with Trump for wanting to ban Syrian refugees from the United States.
A day after the strikes, Russia warned that the U.S. cruise missile strikes could have "extremely serious" consequences, as Trump's first major foray into a foreign conflict opened up a rift between Moscow and Washington.
"We hope it's not just him flexing his muscles or that it was done only for political reasons between America and Russia or other foreign influence in Russia. We hope that the strike was done for humanitarian reasons or to help those who are in danger and the innocent who die every day. I hope it's not only because of chemical weapons because people die in Syria every day," said Isam Issa, a 40-year-old real estate agent who was raised in the Syrian capital Damascus. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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