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Blog → April 24, 2017

Top of Mind: Live in America for Refugees with Dr. Abdul Nasser Kaadan

Radio Interview Dr Kaadan

Dr. Abdul Nasser Kaadan, Orthopedic Surgeon and a Syrian Visiting International Professor currently teaching at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, was a guest on Brigham Young University’s news and public affairs radio program titled “Top of Mind with Julie Rose.” The interview aired on April 21, 2017.

Host Julie Rose introduced her interview with Dr. Kaadan by saying,

“We’re hearing stories about what it’s like to be an immigrant in the United States: the challenge of finding work, even when immigrants are highly educated and respected in their own countries. This scenario applies to many Syrian refugees whose country had one of the best systems of higher education in the Middle East, before it became embroiled in war and chaos”

You can listen to a podcast of the radio interview online.

Radio Interview Dr Kaadan
Dr. Abdul Nasser Kaadan and radio host Julie Rose pose for a photo in the production studio of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah (USA) before his radio interview on April 4, 2017. TSOS president Trisha Leimer, who was present during the interview, can be partially seen in the back corner.
What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2024, more than 123.2 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, persecution, or human rights abuses.

An increase of 7.2 million over 2023, that’s more than 19,619 people every day — roughly one person every 4.4 seconds.

They arrive in refugee camps and other countries, like the US, seeking the one thing they’ve lost: safety.

Fleeing political imprisonment, ethnic violence, religious persecution, gang threats, or war crimes, they come with what little they managed to carry:

Legal papers – if they’re lucky.

A single backpack.

Sometimes a child’s hand in theirs.

They also carry the weight of what they left behind: fractured families, homes they’ll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

They carry loss most of us can’t imagine – but also the truth of what they’ve endured.

At TSOS, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares their experience of forced displacement, they reclaim their voice. And when we amplify that voice – through film, photography, writing, and advocacy – the world listens. Hearts soften. Communities open. Policy begins to shift.

That shift matters. Because when neighbors understand instead of fear…

when lawmakers see people, not politics…

when a teacher knows what her student has survived…

Rebuilding life from the ashes becomes possible.

We’re fighting an uphill battle. In today’s political climate, refugee stories are often twisted or ignored. They’re reduced to statistics, portrayed as national threats, or used to score political points.

The truth – the human, nuanced truth – gets lost, and when it does, we lose compassion.

We are here to share their truth anyway.

At TSOS, we don’t answer to headlines or algorithms. We are guided by a simple conviction: every person deserves to be seen, heard, and welcomed.

Our work is powered by the people we meet — refugees and asylum seekers rebuilding after loss, allies offering sanctuary, and communities daring to extend belonging.

Your support helps us share their stories — and ensure they’re heard where they matter most.

“What ultimately persuaded the judge wasn’t a legal argument. It was her story.”

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, TSOS

Will you help us keep telling the truth?

No donation is too small — and it only takes a minute of your time.

Why give monthly?

We value every gift, but recurring contributions allow us to plan ahead and invest more deeply in:

  • New refugee storytelling and advocacy projects
  • Resources to train and equip forcibly displaced people to share their own stories
  • Public education that challenges fear with empathy
  • Local efforts that help communities welcome and integrate newcomers

As our thank-you, monthly supporters receive fewer fundraising messages — and more stories of the impact they’re making possible.

You don’t have to be displaced to stand with those who are.

Can you give today — and help carry these stories forward?

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