The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The road to war-torn Syria, on the other hand, is paved with a Nas Daily video.

Syrian man deported

A Syrian man, Hassan al-Kontar, 36, is being deported back to his home country after he had been stuck for close to six months at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA2) since March 7, 2018.

He was arrested by Malaysian authorities on Oct. 1.

Attracted attention

Hassan had posted multiple videos of his life stuck in transit, which attracted the attention of international media and human rights groups.

However, his biggest piece of publicity came in the form of an almost-five-minute short video by vlogger Nuseir Yassin, a.k.a. Nas Daily.

The Sept. 4 video focused on the man's reasons for fleeing Syria, and how he ended up in the Malaysian airport.

The video took aim at his poor living conditions within the KL airport.

Backlash swift

Following news that Hassan is being arrested and deported from Malaysia, reactions have been mixed.

Humanitarian groups globally have slammed the deportation, as it is tantamount to a death sentence for Hassan, who previously said he avoided going back to Syria as the conflict has continued to play out.

Hassan had previously stated his position for fleeing Syria, as he does not want to be recruited to fight in his war-torn country's army, and is at imminent risk of getting killed if he were to return.

Malaysians have reacted to the news more coolly, stating their position that Hassan's plight had been wrought by his own complaints and media blitz, especially following his appearance in the Nas Daily video.

What Nas Daily video said

Malaysian Immigration Department police chief Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said Hassan was being deported as the Syrian had been a constant source of embarrassment and humiliation for Malaysia.

For example, the Nas Daily video characterised Hassan's stay in the airport as some sort of imprisonment.

This is despite the fact that the airport has sheltered Hassan without asking for payment, but he was still shown complaining about eating the same food for three square meals a day.

Hassan also complained he had been showering with cold water in the airport's toilet, with no access to a warm bath, or clean bed.

What Malaysians are rebutting

Malaysians, in turn, have been vocal in hitting back at Hassan's characterisation of his plight.

https://www.facebook.com/mymgag/posts/2245192952219785

For example, Malaysians have pointed out that the food Hassan gets each day were supplied as a donation from AirAsia staff.

The food he consumes might not have much variety, but it contained essential nutrition, such as chicken served with rice.

It was also revealed that the Home Ministry was at one point considering giving Hassan a special pass that will allow him to stay in Malaysia -- provided he passed the stringent security clearance protocol, which could take months.

By voicing their rebuttal, Malaysians made it known that Hassan was not only ungrateful, but he had sought to be uncompromising in his stance of wanting to travel to Canada to reunite with his family and be accepted as a political asylum seeker there.

More than meets the eye

Even as Malaysians have the last word for now on this issue, it appears the matter is much more nuanced than their counterarguments suggest too.

This is because Hassan's objection to accepting Malaysia's offer of a special pass is due to his belief that his plight will only be mired in more difficulty later on -- even as it might be swept aside for now.

Malaysia's offer to Hassan is one with no guarantee or option for citizenship.

The programme to assist Syrian refugees is akin to a rehabilitation programme, but it would at the same time, render the Syrians who take it up as stateless.

Hassan’s Syrian passport expires in November 2018.

If he accepts a temporary solution, but isn’t given residency in a country with local integration or permanent resettlement for asylum seekers, then he will not be improving his life for the long-term, he said previously.

[related_story]

In conclusion: Bet you wouldn't have known any of this information just by watching a short Nas Daily video.

And perhaps, neither would any of these recent events happen to Hassan had he not appear in the Nas Daily video.

The road back to war-torn Syria hell is indeed paved with a Nas Daily video with good intentions.

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