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Talking Refugees, Immigration, and Being Stateless with Hassan Al Kontar

The man who was stranded at a Malaysian airport for 7 months.

June 14, 2024

Hassan Al Kontar was a former Syrian refugee who had exiled from his home country after refusing to join the military in 2011. He made international headlines in 2018 after chronicling his experience being stuck in Kuala Lumpur International airport for seven months after his passport was revoked and he was left stateless.

Also known as “The Man at the Airport” - of which his self-written book is titled - Dylan sat down with Hassan to discuss his life, his journey as a refugee, and his experience being stranded at the airport and his subsequent time in jail. They also discuss the current state of global immigration and some of the prevailing cultural attitudes towards refugees in general.