Name: Aiham
Date of birth: 04 March 1988
Country of birth: Syria
Nationality: stateless

Aiham was born and raised in Syria. His grandfather fled there from Palestine (now Israel) in 1948, one of many Palestinians who built up a new life in Syria. Though permitted to live and work there, they do not qualify to vote or for Syrian nationality or a passport. When war broke out in Syria in 2011, Aiham fled using forged documents. The Netherlands gave him a temporary residence permit for five years – not because he is stateless, but because of the war. But even when the war in Syria finally ends, Aiham won’t be able to go back.