Syria

This Syrian Refugee Arrived Without Speaking a Word of German. Now He's a Mayor.

Ryyan Alshebl says his victory was far from "a matter of course"

Turkish backed Syrian rebels enter the own of Saraqeb, in Idlib province, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020.
AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed

Ryyan Alshebl fled Syria’s civil war for Germany without knowing a word of German. Eight years on, he’s not only fluent but also the recently elected mayor of Ostelsheim, a small town in the southwest.

“German society is ready to break new ground,” Alshebl, 29, told NBC News in a phone call this month.

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But his victory was far from “a matter of course” in the town of about 2,500 people. The country struggles with small, but regular neo-Nazi gatherings as well as a surge in popularity of the Alternative for Germany party and other far-right political groups. 

Read more at NBCNews.com.

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