Bana al-Abed has a message for Donald Trump

Bana al-Abed has a message for Donald Trump

Aleppo's "Anne Frank" has delivered a powerful message to US President Donald Trump against his controversial "Muslim travel ban", urging him to have mercy on Syrian refugees.

2 min read
02 February, 2017
For her 330,000 online followers, Bana became a symbol of the tragedy in Syria [Twitter]

Aleppo's "Anne Frank" has delivered a powerful message to US President Donald Trump against his controversial "Muslim travel ban".

Bana al-Abed, whose Twitter account gave a tragic description of the bombing and siege of Aleppo, posted a short video on Wednesday, urging Trump to have mercy on Syrian refugees.

"Hello Mr Trump, have you ever had no food, no water for 24 hours? Just think of the refugees and the children of Syria," the seven-year-old asked the divisive US leader.

Earlier she responded to tweet by Trump, in which he claimed that his travel ban was aimed at keeping "bad people" out of the US.

"Am I a terrorist?" Bana asked.

Trump's controversial executive order bars refugee arrivals for at least 120 days and suspends visas from seven Muslim-majority countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - for 90 days.

The ban has sparked global mass protests and was swiftly condemned by the United Nations and countries including Germany and France.

Last month, Bana, whose mother Fatemah runs her account, posted an open letter to Trump, pleading with him to help the children of Syria

"I am part of the Syrian children who suffered from the Syrian war," said Bana, who was evacuated from Aleppo to Turkey in December.

"Right now in Turkey, I can go out and enjoy. I can go to school although I didn't yet. That is why peace is important for everyone including you," she added.

Last week, US actress Lindsay Lohan met the girl blogger at the presidential palace in Ankara.

For her 330,000 online followers, Bana became a symbol of the tragedy in Syria. Her mother sent out poignant tweets on her behalf about the destruction of their city and the struggles of daily life.

Assad loyalists and online trolls have slammed her and her mother's messages as propaganda, and pro-regime critics have even alleged the account was fake.