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Farzin Yousefian And Samantha Jackson Cancel Their Dream Wedding, Give All Money To Support Syrian Immigrant Family Instead

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 12:09 PST, Nov 20, 2015

Farzin Yousefian and Samantha Jackson had their dream wedding all planned out, but one heartbreaking picture changed that.

The Canadian couple was watching the news when they saw the now-iconic picture of Alyan Kurdi, a young Syrian child who drowned while his family was trying to escape their war-torn country for Turkey.

Jackson and Yousefian decided then to use their wedding as a way to help the others who are desperate to escape ISIS, which has taken over much of the country. They decided to cancel the big ceremony they had planned and instead have a civil ceremony, asking their guests to support a Syrian family’s request to live in Canada.

“We could not stop thinking about the difficult decisions that many Syrian families are forced to make… [we] immediately began redrawing our plans with the hope of helping a Syrian family start a new life in Toronto,” Farzin Yousefian told the BBC about the couple’s decision to cancel their wedding.

Canada has stepped up to support the immigrants fleeing ISIS. Government officials are working on a plan to re-settle 25,000 immigrants by the end of the year, and are expecting to finalize those plans within the next week.

Health Minister Jane Philpott, who is leading efforts to come up with re-settlement plans, said officials are balancing the needs of the immigrants with keeping the Canadian people safe.

“As you can imagine, it’s a daunting task and a complicated task,” she said (via the CBC). “And so there are a number of details that we’ve tried to sort out to ensure that when these refugees arrive in Canada, their transition to Canada will be as smooth as possible, will be as seamless as possible and that they will be well integrated into Canadian communities.”

The influx of immigrants has led to more controversy in the United States, especially in the wake of terrorist attacks like the one last week in Paris. Many politicians have spoken out against plans to take in immigrants, including presidential candidate Donald Trump who has vowed to send the immigrants back if he were elected president.

Many Canadians share reservations as well. An Angus Reid Institute poll taken three days after the Paris terrorist attack found that 54 percent either moderately or strongly oppose Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to bring over 25,000 immigrants by the end of the year. The plan was supported by 42 percent of respondents.

But Canadians officials appear much more dedicated to taking in the immigrants, with Immigration Minister John McCallum saying the country will follow through with their promise to help the thousands fleeing ISIS.

“We are determined to bring refugees here quickly, but we are also determined to do it right in terms of security and in terms of health,” he said.

“This is the right thing to do,” he said, “It is the Canadian way.”

The guests who were supposed to watch Samantha Jackson and Farzin Yousefian at their wedding apparently feel the same way. The couple raised more than $22,000 and hope to raise another $5,000 to sponsor a family of four.

“Our decision is a reflection of the very values that Canadians hold so dear,” Frazin Yousefian said after discussing the wedding cancellation. “We are certain that our initiative will inspire others, just as the acts of others have inspired us… We are truly privileged to have had the opportunity to use our wedding for a greater cause than our own.”

[Image via Shutterstock]

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