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• Comment: requires more content, what is it that makes him notable? Theroadislong (talk) 18:25, 2 December 2021 (UTC)
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Tauqir Sharif, also known as Tox, is a British aid worker who is currently in Syria. He is one of the best known foreign aid workers in Syria.

Background

Early life

Sharif is from Walthamstow in London. He graduated from Nottingham University and worked as a gas engineer before leaving the UK.

Gaza flotilla

Sharif was one of the participants in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla of 2010, specifically on board the MV Mavi Marmara He was a member of a charity whose aims were to bring humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza, Viva Palestina, which was founded by British MP George Galloway. Sharif was one of 29 Britons who was held in Israel following the Gaza flotilla raid and was given consular assistance while in Israeli custody. He was released after two days with minor injuries. One of his close friends, Ibrahim Bilgen was shot four times in the head. After coming back to England he said he was having flashbacks having seen dead bodies and badly injured people, but also spoke of his desire to train as a paramedic and return to Gaza and other places such as Sudan and Haiti. He also spoke of his disappointment that the aid did not reach Gaza, saying that it was the sole purpose of the trip. The United Nations interviewed Sharif in their investigation of the raid. He also gave talks around the UK about his experiences on the Gaza flotilla.

Road to Hope

Sharif was one of seven British aid workers on the Road to Hope humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza who were kidnapped in November 2010 by the owner of M.V. Strofades IV, a ferry chartered to transport them to Al Arish in Egypt. The captain claimed that he had set sail to prevent around 150 activists from boarding, because he was afraid that they would divert the ship to Gaza. Ten aid workers had already boarded the ship, including the seven Britons. Sharif alerted the Guardian by text message that the ship had been seized in Derna Port, Libya. The ship finally docked in Piraeus port, Greece where British consular assistance provided them with papers while they waiting to get their passports returned to them from Libya.

Humanitarian aid work in Syria

In 2012, Sharif went to Syria to help in delivering an aid convoy, having planned to be there for a few weeks. Since then has been doing humanitarian aid work there, for which he has received glowing mainstream press coverage. He lives in Atmeh with his wife and their four children where he provides aid for internally displaced people in IDP camps in Atmeh, and particularly for women and children, two groups which have been otherwise left without support. Sharif has visited Syrian Civil Defence facilities and delivered aid to their volunteers. One SCD worker said of Sharif that his successes in running aid initiatives are on a par with the top aid agencies in the area. Sharif's aid organisation, Live Update's from Syria, employs up to 170 people. He also drives an ambulance and has participated in helping to rescue the victims of airstrikes from the rubble.

Sharif and his wife Raquel Hayden Best have worked on a project to build a school for women and children as well as with a number of other charities. They have received regular donations from the UK. Sharif stores aid supplies such as food supplies and supplies for mothers and children in his own warehouse in Syria.

In March 2015, following an airstrike close to their family home, Al Jazeera reported on Sharif's frustration at delays in obtaining a UK passport for his baby daughter who was born in Turkey in 2013. Shortly after the birth of his daughter he had submitted document to the British passport office, and for eight months he received no response to emails and phone calls. Eventually, he was then told that his signature was 'outside the box', and that he needed to start the process from scratch. Sharif said he had always prepared his family for the fact they may have to leave at some point due to the dangers they were living in.

In 2016 the BBC published video footage of Sharif working in the rebel held areas of Idlib province, in which he was assisting internally displaced people, who had just arrived from Aleppo. Sharif also filmed 24 hours inside a hospital in Aleppo for ITV. The video footage illustrated the difficulties of running a hospital on the frontline of the war, with a shortage of supplies and equipment. ITV published footage of Sharif distributing food aid and delivering medical supplies to a hospital in Aleppo which was shown on News at Ten. Clarissa Ward interviewed Sharif about the difficulties of bringing aid to Aleppo in an interview published on CNN live. In a video interview with CNN Sharif described the difficulties of bringing aid to Syria.

Citizenship deprivation

The British Home Office removed Sharif's British citizenship in 2017, on the grounds of 'secret intelligence'.

Detention and imprisonment by HTS

Sharif was detained by the Salafist jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on 22 June 2020 from his family home. He was released on bail in July, having spent over 3 weeks in detention. He subsequently re-arrested, and released again in November 2020. Sharif maintains that he was tortured while being held by HTS.

Personal life

Sharif is married to Racquell Hayden-Best. They have four children. They live in Atmeh.

References

1. "'Captive' aid workers arrive in Greece after ship trip". BBC News. 2010-11-12. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
2. "Syria war: British Muslims on the front line". Channel 4 News. 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
3. "Leaving Walthamstow behind to start a family in war-torn Syria". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
4. "WALTHAM FOREST: Flotilla survivor 'set to return home'". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
5. "WALTHAM FOREST: Two men caught up in Gaza flotilla raid". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
6. "Gaza flotilla: Israel holds 29 Britons at Be'er Sheva".
7. ^ "CHINGFORD: Flotilla survivor returns home". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
8. "CHINGFORD: Flotilla survivor returns home". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
9. ^ "CHINGFORD: Kidnapped aid workers reach Greece". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
10. "'Captive' aid workers arrive in Greece after ship trip". BBC News. 2010-11-12. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
11. "BBC News - British aid workers held on ship in Libyan sea". 2010-11-11. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
12. ^ "Syria war: British Muslims on the front line". Channel 4 News. 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
13. "Leaving Walthamstow behind to start a family in war-torn Syria". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
14. "Aided White Helmets but no hero's welcome: UK pulls Syria worker's citizenship, cites Al-Qaeda links". RT International. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
15. Ibrahim, Arwa. "British aid worker in Syria released on bail after HTS abduction". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
16. "'White Helmets' volunteers speak up for aid worker stripped of UK citizenship". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
17. Hooper, Simon. "UK's Syrian aid worker". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
18. Gadher, Dipesh. "Home Office makes child of Syria aid couple 'stateless'". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
19. Template:استشهاد
20. "British aid worker's 24 hours on Syria frontline". ITV News. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
21. Template:استشهاد
22. Template:استشهاد
23. "Syria Feature: British Aid Worker Breaks the Aleppo "Siege"". EA WorldView. 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
24. Template:استشهاد
25. Template:استشهاد
26. "British-born aid worker in Syria says citizenship loss 'unfair'". BBC News. 2019-03-04. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
27. ^ Ibrahim, Arwa. "British aid worker in Syria released on bail after HTS abduction". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
28. "Tauqir Sharif: British-born aid worker faces trial by Syria jihadists". BBC News. 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
29. "British aid worker Tauqir Sharif rearrested by HTS in Syria's Idlib". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
30. Staff, The New Arab (2020-11-25). "British aid worker Tauqir 'Tox' Sharif held by HTS in Syria, released". Retrieved 2021-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
31. "Tauqir Sharif: Detained aid worker describes torture by HTS". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2021-12-02.

External links

• Tauqir Sharif on Twitter

Category:Living people Category:British expatriates in Syria Category:People from London Category:Stateless people Category:People deprived of British citizenship Category:British aid workers

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