6-year-old writes letter to Obama offering home for Syrian boy
NEW YORK -- It was the image that captivated the world, becoming the face of the war in Syria -- a 5-year-old boy, covered in soot and blood -- staring blankly ahead in the back of an ambulance.
The gripping image of Omran Daqneesh resonated with many, including another little boy, living oceans away.
Growing up in a seemingly different world, a child just a year older than Omran wrote a letter to President Obama offering his home to the Syrian boy.
“We will give him a family and he will be our brother,” Alex wrote in the letter.
On Thursday, President Obama posted a video of six-year-old Alex from Scarsdale, New York, reciting his letter.
“Dear President Obama, remember the boy who was picked up by the ambulance in Syria?” Alex asked in the video. “Can you please pick him up and bring him to our home?”
Alex said he has a friend at school from Syria, and “we can all play together.”
The video has now gone viral, with more than nine million views on Facebook.
“Alex told me that he wanted Omran to come live with him and his family. He wanted to share his bike, and teach him how to ride. He said his little sister would collect butterflies for him,” Mr. Obama wrote on Facebook.
While at a United Nations summit on refugees this week, President Obama also shared Alex’s words.
“He teaches us a lot,” Mr. Obama said. “The humanity a young child can display, who hasn’t learned to be cynical, or suspicious, or fearful of other people, because of where they’re from or how they look or how they pray. We can all learn from Alex.”