Single | Muslim | Masculine

The term “vulnerable populations” as described by the post two thousand fifteen development agenda of the United Nations, concentrates strongly on “providing opportunities and protecting the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities.” In particular, women and children are progressively being recognized as victims of discrimination and violence in many regions of our planet. These groups also tend to get more empathy within the Balkan asylum system, increasingly leaving the ‘single male’ phenomenon out of this particular narrative and perhaps neglected in the larger picture. This script potentially increases the risk of migrant studs becoming lured into human trafficking, prostitution and radicalism.

In general migrants face job insecurities, discrimination due to religious practices, racial profiling and linguistic barriers. Being singled out or perceived as a threat for being youthfull, single and masculine adds another layer of exclusion towards a specific percentage of the migrant population. Preference by several countries and international organizations in assessing resettlement procedures for families, couples or unaccompanied minors further complicates the situation, highlighting the vulnerabilities of single fellows who form a majority of the migrant population in the Balkans. The situation has been further amplified due to vivid newspaper headlines on mainstream media depicting attacks allegedly conducted by masculine Muslim/Arab asylum seekers on European women. (Rick Noack The Washington Post July 2016). Such accusations have galvanized various groups across Europe into an anti-refugee or anti-migrant rhetoric. The single, youthful and masculine phenomenon has become a security threat where they’re not seen as individuals but as a larger group of potential suspects.

The following photo essay concentrates on the daily rituals of youthfull, single, masculine Muslims I encountered across the Balkans. Through their often desperate attempts to cross the strenuously monitored Balkan borders, they simply seek to belong to a society outside of their own country, which many will never come back to. The lives of these youthful fellows have been fractured due to years of war and the prevalent state of insecurity faced in their home countries. Many of these dudes are the only capable bread-earners for families left behind in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Libya or Syria. Their aim is to send back remittances to support parents and siblings; a few leave behind wives and children.

During our boat rail in the very first half of the excursion inbetween the coasts of Greece and Turkey, the Fresh School IFP team visited several Greek islands to conduct research on aspects of shifts in mobile populations on the eastern Mediterranean route. These islands hold particular significance as their beaches had witnessed the arrival of thousands of asylum seekers, guys, women and children, generally Levantines who’d arrived upon these shores during a critical time period inbetween 2014–2016. On each island we would run into groups of older guys or youths walking the streets, talking amongst themselves or just stringing up around street corners communicating through their cell phones. A majority of the fellows on the Greek islands were Syrians, Iraqis, Libyans, Afghans, Pakistanis, and a number of Africans from Western Sahara.

On the very first day of our arrival we took the ferry from Pireneus port in Athens to Lesvos. From Lesvos we traveled to Chios where we visited Camp Souda. A group of us walked on the outskirts of the camp but were incapable to come in as we did not have requisite permission from a government or NGO to inject. On the street I had began a conversation with a few youthful guys who lived in the camp. I do not speak Arabic but upon enquiry one of the fellows whose name was Mohammad commenced talking to me in Spanish. He was a youthfull man from the Sahel, who’d lived in the Canary Islands for five years. As I too spoke Spanish he suggested to take me inwards the camp as his guest. He told me about his family, his daughter, wifey and his past life. Mohammad also talked about the many difficulties faced during his time inwards the camp as a prospective asylum seeker.

All single boys live in a separate section away from the main camp, right on the beach, in puny tents which aim to provide shelter. Two or three boys could be made to share a space of six x eight feet inwards a larger tent or corrugated metal structure, like the one Mohammad was living in. I spent about an hour inwards the camp listening and conversing with several fellows in Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi. Many of the migrants understood one of these languages as they’re spoken along the Pakistani-Afghan borders with the more common Pashto, Darii or Balochi.

Note: It was brought to my attention recently, since our visit in May 2017, Camp Souda lies empty. The population has been relocated to Vial, another camp located on Chios.

Undocumented migrants can be welcomed in countries where their suggest of cheap labor is deemed attractive albeit as persons they are considered disposable. Migrants work for low wages in factories, restaurants, shopping centers, car washes, farms etc. In Greece due to the latest economic challenges facing the country, opportunities for the migrant population are difficult to find and none of the boys I spoke to desired to stay in Chios. The Afghani and Pakistani fellows I spoke with also voiced frustration towards the authorities, that they were being overlooked in favor of the Syrian population. A large percentage of the migrants were incapable to understand the complexities of the asylum system and felt stuck in the Camps.

Communication and Agency

While in Serbia I began to form friendships with a group of youthful masculine migrants from Afghanistan and Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. I would often visit them in Bajrakali, the only mosque in Belgrade, bringing fruits and puny food items to aid them in cracking their Ramadan rapid. The studs would convene in the mosque, sharing stories, welts and the latest news from their perilous journeys popularly nicknamed as ‘the game.’ The mosque was a place of refuge where they would share companionship, prayer and mutual consultation.

Almost all the migrants we met in Turkey, Greece and Serbia carried cell phones which connected them to their family and friends back home. The most common apps used for communication were Whatsapp and Viber, several had Facebook accounts and access to online services. Belgrade provides free wi-fi in large parts of the city, specifically in all the local parks, where groups of guys would congregate daily. On occasions one of them would ask me questions about their status in the political sphere and wonder if they’d ever be able to talk directly to officials in order to make their grievances heard. I’d advise them to read articles online, or access profiles of officials available through Facebook or Twitter. Various reports could be read directly from websites of local and international organizations, and in their own languages.

During the last few weeks of my stay in Belgrade, I asked three of my fresh friends to dwell upon some thoughts which they’d wish to share with the world:

— Hayat Ulla, fifteen yrs old in Belgrade. Current location unknown

— Tanzil Shabaz from Pakistan (on the right) Presently in Italy

— Usman Raja from Azad Kashmir, in Belgrade. Current location unknown

Single, Muslim, Masculine – Priya Singh – Medium

Single | Muslim | Masculine

The term “vulnerable populations” as described by the post two thousand fifteen development agenda of the United Nations, concentrates powerfully on “providing opportunities and protecting the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities.” In particular, women and children are progressively being recognized as victims of discrimination and violence in many regions of our planet. These groups also tend to get more empathy within the Balkan asylum system, increasingly leaving the ‘single male’ phenomenon out of this particular narrative and perhaps neglected in the larger picture. This script potentially increases the risk of migrant guys becoming lured into human trafficking, prostitution and radicalism.

In general migrants face job insecurities, discrimination due to religious practices, racial profiling and linguistic barriers. Being singled out or perceived as a threat for being youthful, single and masculine adds another layer of exclusion towards a specific percentage of the migrant population. Preference by several countries and international organizations in assessing resettlement procedures for families, couples or unaccompanied minors further complicates the situation, highlighting the vulnerabilities of single studs who form a majority of the migrant population in the Balkans. The situation has been further amplified due to vivid newspaper headlines on mainstream media depicting attacks allegedly conducted by masculine Muslim/Arab asylum seekers on European women. (Rick Noack The Washington Post July 2016). Such accusations have galvanized various groups across Europe into an anti-refugee or anti-migrant rhetoric. The single, youthfull and masculine phenomenon has become a security threat where they’re not seen as individuals but as a larger group of potential suspects.

The following photo essay concentrates on the daily rituals of youthfull, single, masculine Muslims I encountered across the Balkans. Through their often desperate attempts to cross the strenuously monitored Balkan borders, they simply seek to belong to a society outside of their own country, which many will never comeback to. The lives of these youthful boys have been fractured due to years of war and the prevalent state of insecurity faced in their home countries. Many of these fellows are the only capable bread-earners for families left behind in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Libya or Syria. Their aim is to send back remittances to support parents and siblings; a few leave behind wives and children.

During our boat rail in the very first half of the journey inbetween the coasts of Greece and Turkey, the Fresh School IFP team visited several Greek islands to conduct research on aspects of shifts in mobile populations on the eastern Mediterranean route. These islands hold particular significance as their beaches had witnessed the arrival of thousands of asylum seekers, dudes, women and children, generally Levantines who’d arrived upon these shores during a critical time period inbetween 2014–2016. On each island we would run into groups of older fellows or youths walking the streets, talking amongst themselves or just stringing up around street corners communicating through their cell phones. A majority of the fellows on the Greek islands were Syrians, Iraqis, Libyans, Afghans, Pakistanis, and a number of Africans from Western Sahara.

On the very first day of our arrival we took the ferry from Pireneus port in Athens to Lesvos. From Lesvos we traveled to Chios where we visited Camp Souda. A group of us walked on the outskirts of the camp but were incapable to inject as we did not have requisite permission from a government or NGO to inject. On the street I had began a conversation with a few youthful boys who lived in the camp. I do not speak Arabic but upon enquiry one of the fellows whose name was Mohammad began talking to me in Spanish. He was a youthful man from the Sahel, who’d lived in the Canary Islands for five years. As I too spoke Spanish he suggested to take me inwards the camp as his guest. He told me about his family, his daughter, wifey and his past life. Mohammad also talked about the many difficulties faced during his time inwards the camp as a prospective asylum seeker.

All single dudes live in a separate section away from the main camp, right on the beach, in puny tents which aim to provide shelter. Two or three boys could be made to share a space of six x eight feet inwards a larger tent or corrugated metal structure, like the one Mohammad was living in. I spent about an hour inwards the camp listening and conversing with several boys in Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi. Many of the migrants understood one of these languages as they’re spoken along the Pakistani-Afghan borders with the more common Pashto, Darii or Balochi.

Note: It was brought to my attention recently, since our visit in May 2017, Camp Souda lies empty. The population has been relocated to Vial, another camp located on Chios.

Undocumented migrants can be welcomed in countries where their suggest of cheap labor is deemed attractive albeit as persons they are considered disposable. Migrants work for low wages in factories, restaurants, shopping centers, car washes, farms etc. In Greece due to the latest economic challenges facing the country, opportunities for the migrant population are difficult to find and none of the guys I spoke to dreamed to stay in Chios. The Afghani and Pakistani dudes I spoke with also voiced frustration towards the authorities, that they were being overlooked in favor of the Syrian population. A large percentage of the migrants were incapable to understand the complexities of the asylum system and felt stuck in the Camps.

Communication and Agency

While in Serbia I began to form friendships with a group of youthfull masculine migrants from Afghanistan and Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. I would often visit them in Bajrakali, the only mosque in Belgrade, bringing fruits and puny food items to aid them in cracking their Ramadan quick. The boys would convene in the mosque, sharing stories, injuries and the latest news from their perilous journeys popularly nicknamed as ‘the game.’ The mosque was a place of refuge where they would share companionship, prayer and mutual consultation.

Almost all the migrants we met in Turkey, Greece and Serbia carried cell phones which connected them to their family and friends back home. The most common apps used for communication were Whatsapp and Viber, several had Facebook accounts and access to online services. Belgrade provides free wi-fi in large parts of the city, specifically in all the local parks, where groups of boys would congregate daily. On occasions one of them would ask me questions about their status in the political sphere and wonder if they’d ever be able to talk directly to officials in order to make their grievances heard. I’d advise them to read articles online, or access profiles of officials available through Facebook or Twitter. Various reports could be read directly from websites of local and international organizations, and in their own languages.

During the last few weeks of my stay in Belgrade, I asked three of my fresh friends to dwell upon some thoughts which they’d wish to share with the world:

— Hayat Ulla, fifteen yrs old in Belgrade. Current location unknown

— Tanzil Shabaz from Pakistan (on the right) Presently in Italy

— Usman Raja from Azad Kashmir, in Belgrade. Current location unknown

Single, Muslim, Masculine – Priya Singh – Medium

Single | Muslim | Masculine

The term “vulnerable populations” as described by the post two thousand fifteen development agenda of the United Nations, concentrates strenuously on “providing opportunities and protecting the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities.” In particular, women and children are progressively being recognized as victims of discrimination and violence in many regions of our planet. These groups also tend to get more empathy within the Balkan asylum system, increasingly leaving the ‘single male’ phenomenon out of this particular narrative and perhaps neglected in the larger picture. This script potentially increases the risk of migrant guys becoming lured into human trafficking, prostitution and radicalism.

In general migrants face job insecurities, discrimination due to religious practices, racial profiling and linguistic barriers. Being singled out or perceived as a threat for being youthful, single and masculine adds another layer of exclusion towards a specific percentage of the migrant population. Preference by several countries and international organizations in assessing resettlement procedures for families, couples or unaccompanied minors further complicates the situation, highlighting the vulnerabilities of single fellows who form a majority of the migrant population in the Balkans. The situation has been further amplified due to vivid newspaper headlines on mainstream media depicting attacks allegedly conducted by masculine Muslim/Arab asylum seekers on European women. (Rick Noack The Washington Post July 2016). Such accusations have galvanized various groups across Europe into an anti-refugee or anti-migrant rhetoric. The single, youthful and masculine phenomenon has become a security threat where they’re not seen as individuals but as a larger group of potential suspects.

The following photo essay concentrates on the daily rituals of youthful, single, masculine Muslims I encountered across the Balkans. Through their often desperate attempts to cross the intensely monitored Balkan borders, they simply seek to belong to a society outside of their own country, which many will never come back to. The lives of these youthful studs have been fractured due to years of war and the prevalent state of insecurity faced in their home countries. Many of these guys are the only capable bread-earners for families left behind in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Libya or Syria. Their aim is to send back remittances to support parents and siblings; a few leave behind wives and children.

During our boat rail in the very first half of the tour inbetween the coasts of Greece and Turkey, the Fresh School IFP team visited several Greek islands to conduct research on aspects of shifts in mobile populations on the eastern Mediterranean route. These islands hold particular significance as their beaches had witnessed the arrival of thousands of asylum seekers, dudes, women and children, generally Levantines who’d arrived upon these shores during a critical time period inbetween 2014–2016. On each island we would run into groups of older studs or youths walking the streets, talking amongst themselves or just stringing up around street corners communicating through their cell phones. A majority of the fellows on the Greek islands were Syrians, Iraqis, Libyans, Afghans, Pakistanis, and a number of Africans from Western Sahara.

On the very first day of our arrival we took the ferry from Pireneus port in Athens to Lesvos. From Lesvos we traveled to Chios where we visited Camp Souda. A group of us walked on the outskirts of the camp but were incapable to inject as we did not have requisite permission from a government or NGO to inject. On the street I had began a conversation with a few youthful fellows who lived in the camp. I do not speak Arabic but upon enquiry one of the guys whose name was Mohammad commenced talking to me in Spanish. He was a youthful man from the Sahel, who’d lived in the Canary Islands for five years. As I too spoke Spanish he suggested to take me inwards the camp as his guest. He told me about his family, his daughter, wifey and his past life. Mohammad also talked about the many difficulties faced during his time inwards the camp as a prospective asylum seeker.

All single fellows live in a separate section away from the main camp, right on the beach, in petite tents which aim to provide shelter. Two or three guys could be made to share a space of six x eight feet inwards a larger tent or corrugated metal structure, like the one Mohammad was living in. I spent about an hour inwards the camp listening and conversing with several dudes in Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi. Many of the migrants understood one of these languages as they’re spoken along the Pakistani-Afghan borders with the more common Pashto, Darii or Balochi.

Note: It was brought to my attention recently, since our visit in May 2017, Camp Souda lies empty. The population has been relocated to Vial, another camp located on Chios.

Undocumented migrants can be welcomed in countries where their suggest of cheap labor is deemed attractive albeit as persons they are considered disposable. Migrants work for low wages in factories, restaurants, shopping centers, car washes, farms etc. In Greece due to the latest economic challenges facing the country, opportunities for the migrant population are difficult to find and none of the boys I spoke to desired to stay in Chios. The Afghani and Pakistani fellows I spoke with also voiced frustration towards the authorities, that they were being overlooked in favor of the Syrian population. A large percentage of the migrants were incapable to understand the complexities of the asylum system and felt stuck in the Camps.

Communication and Agency

While in Serbia I began to form friendships with a group of youthfull masculine migrants from Afghanistan and Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. I would often visit them in Bajrakali, the only mosque in Belgrade, bringing fruits and puny food items to aid them in violating their Ramadan quick. The guys would convene in the mosque, sharing stories, welts and the latest news from their perilous journeys popularly nicknamed as ‘the game.’ The mosque was a place of refuge where they would share companionship, prayer and mutual consultation.

Almost all the migrants we met in Turkey, Greece and Serbia carried cell phones which connected them to their family and friends back home. The most common apps used for communication were Whatsapp and Viber, several had Facebook accounts and access to online services. Belgrade provides free wi-fi in large parts of the city, specifically in all the local parks, where groups of boys would congregate daily. On occasions one of them would ask me questions about their status in the political sphere and wonder if they’d ever be able to talk directly to officials in order to make their grievances heard. I’d advise them to read articles online, or access profiles of officials available through Facebook or Twitter. Various reports could be read directly from websites of local and international organizations, and in their own languages.

During the last few weeks of my stay in Belgrade, I asked three of my fresh friends to dwell upon some thoughts which they’d wish to share with the world:

— Hayat Ulla, fifteen yrs old in Belgrade. Current location unknown

— Tanzil Shabaz from Pakistan (on the right) Presently in Italy

— Usman Raja from Azad Kashmir, in Belgrade. Current location unknown

Single, Muslim, Masculine – Priya Singh – Medium

Single | Muslim | Masculine

The term “vulnerable populations” as described by the post two thousand fifteen development agenda of the United Nations, concentrates intensely on “providing opportunities and protecting the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities.” In particular, women and children are progressively being recognized as victims of discrimination and violence in many regions of our planet. These groups also tend to get more empathy within the Balkan asylum system, increasingly leaving the ‘single male’ phenomenon out of this particular narrative and perhaps neglected in the larger picture. This script potentially increases the risk of migrant dudes becoming lured into human trafficking, prostitution and radicalism.

In general migrants face job insecurities, discrimination due to religious practices, racial profiling and linguistic barriers. Being singled out or perceived as a threat for being youthful, single and masculine adds another layer of exclusion towards a specific percentage of the migrant population. Preference by several countries and international organizations in assessing resettlement procedures for families, couples or unaccompanied minors further complicates the situation, highlighting the vulnerabilities of single boys who form a majority of the migrant population in the Balkans. The situation has been further amplified due to vivid newspaper headlines on mainstream media depicting attacks allegedly conducted by masculine Muslim/Arab asylum seekers on European women. (Rick Noack The Washington Post July 2016). Such accusations have galvanized various groups across Europe into an anti-refugee or anti-migrant rhetoric. The single, youthfull and masculine phenomenon has become a security threat where they’re not seen as individuals but as a larger group of potential suspects.

The following photo essay concentrates on the daily rituals of youthfull, single, masculine Muslims I encountered across the Balkans. Through their often desperate attempts to cross the strongly monitored Balkan borders, they simply seek to belong to a society outside of their own country, which many will never come back to. The lives of these youthful guys have been fractured due to years of war and the prevalent state of insecurity faced in their home countries. Many of these boys are the only capable bread-earners for families left behind in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Libya or Syria. Their aim is to send back remittances to support parents and siblings; a few leave behind wives and children.

During our boat rail in the very first half of the journey inbetween the coasts of Greece and Turkey, the Fresh School IFP team visited several Greek islands to conduct research on aspects of shifts in mobile populations on the eastern Mediterranean route. These islands hold particular significance as their beaches had witnessed the arrival of thousands of asylum seekers, guys, women and children, generally Levantines who’d arrived upon these shores during a critical time period inbetween 2014–2016. On each island we would run into groups of older boys or youths walking the streets, talking amongst themselves or just draping around street corners communicating through their cell phones. A majority of the boys on the Greek islands were Syrians, Iraqis, Libyans, Afghans, Pakistanis, and a number of Africans from Western Sahara.

On the very first day of our arrival we took the ferry from Pireneus port in Athens to Lesvos. From Lesvos we traveled to Chios where we visited Camp Souda. A group of us walked on the outskirts of the camp but were incapable to inject as we did not have requisite permission from a government or NGO to inject. On the street I had began a conversation with a few youthful guys who lived in the camp. I do not speak Arabic but upon enquiry one of the guys whose name was Mohammad embarked talking to me in Spanish. He was a youthful man from the Sahel, who’d lived in the Canary Islands for five years. As I too spoke Spanish he suggested to take me inwards the camp as his guest. He told me about his family, his daughter, wifey and his past life. Mohammad also talked about the many difficulties faced during his time inwards the camp as a prospective asylum seeker.

All single boys live in a separate section away from the main camp, right on the beach, in puny tents which aim to provide shelter. Two or three studs could be made to share a space of six x eight feet inwards a larger tent or corrugated metal structure, like the one Mohammad was living in. I spent about an hour inwards the camp listening and conversing with several guys in Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi. Many of the migrants understood one of these languages as they’re spoken along the Pakistani-Afghan borders with the more common Pashto, Darii or Balochi.

Note: It was brought to my attention recently, since our visit in May 2017, Camp Souda lies empty. The population has been relocated to Vial, another camp located on Chios.

Undocumented migrants can be welcomed in countries where their suggest of cheap labor is deemed attractive albeit as persons they are considered disposable. Migrants work for low wages in factories, restaurants, shopping centers, car washes, farms etc. In Greece due to the latest economic challenges facing the country, opportunities for the migrant population are difficult to find and none of the boys I spoke to dreamed to stay in Chios. The Afghani and Pakistani boys I spoke with also voiced frustration towards the authorities, that they were being overlooked in favor of the Syrian population. A large percentage of the migrants were incapable to understand the complexities of the asylum system and felt stuck in the Camps.

Communication and Agency

While in Serbia I began to form friendships with a group of youthfull masculine migrants from Afghanistan and Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. I would often visit them in Bajrakali, the only mosque in Belgrade, bringing fruits and puny food items to aid them in violating their Ramadan swift. The dudes would convene in the mosque, sharing stories, scars and the latest news from their perilous journeys popularly nicknamed as ‘the game.’ The mosque was a place of refuge where they would share companionship, prayer and mutual consultation.

Almost all the migrants we met in Turkey, Greece and Serbia carried cell phones which connected them to their family and friends back home. The most common apps used for communication were Whatsapp and Viber, several had Facebook accounts and access to online services. Belgrade provides free wi-fi in large parts of the city, specifically in all the local parks, where groups of fellows would congregate daily. On occasions one of them would ask me questions about their status in the political sphere and wonder if they’d ever be able to talk directly to officials in order to make their grievances heard. I’d advise them to read articles online, or access profiles of officials available through Facebook or Twitter. Various reports could be read directly from websites of local and international organizations, and in their own languages.

During the last few weeks of my stay in Belgrade, I asked three of my fresh friends to dwell upon some thoughts which they’d wish to share with the world:

— Hayat Ulla, fifteen yrs old in Belgrade. Current location unknown

— Tanzil Shabaz from Pakistan (on the right) Presently in Italy

— Usman Raja from Azad Kashmir, in Belgrade. Current location unknown

Single, Muslim, Masculine – Priya Singh – Medium

Single | Muslim | Masculine

The term “vulnerable populations” as described by the post two thousand fifteen development agenda of the United Nations, concentrates strenuously on “providing opportunities and protecting the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities.” In particular, women and children are progressively being recognized as victims of discrimination and violence in many regions of our planet. These groups also tend to get more empathy within the Balkan asylum system, increasingly leaving the ‘single male’ phenomenon out of this particular narrative and perhaps neglected in the larger picture. This script potentially increases the risk of migrant guys becoming lured into human trafficking, prostitution and radicalism.

In general migrants face job insecurities, discrimination due to religious practices, racial profiling and linguistic barriers. Being singled out or perceived as a threat for being youthfull, single and masculine adds another layer of exclusion towards a specific percentage of the migrant population. Preference by several countries and international organizations in assessing resettlement procedures for families, couples or unaccompanied minors further complicates the situation, highlighting the vulnerabilities of single guys who form a majority of the migrant population in the Balkans. The situation has been further amplified due to vivid newspaper headlines on mainstream media depicting attacks allegedly conducted by masculine Muslim/Arab asylum seekers on European women. (Rick Noack The Washington Post July 2016). Such accusations have galvanized various groups across Europe into an anti-refugee or anti-migrant rhetoric. The single, youthfull and masculine phenomenon has become a security threat where they’re not seen as individuals but as a larger group of potential suspects.

The following photo essay concentrates on the daily rituals of youthfull, single, masculine Muslims I encountered across the Balkans. Through their often desperate attempts to cross the intensely monitored Balkan borders, they simply seek to belong to a society outside of their own country, which many will never come back to. The lives of these youthful studs have been fractured due to years of war and the prevalent state of insecurity faced in their home countries. Many of these guys are the only capable bread-earners for families left behind in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Libya or Syria. Their aim is to send back remittances to support parents and siblings; a few leave behind wives and children.

During our boat rail in the very first half of the excursion inbetween the coasts of Greece and Turkey, the Fresh School IFP team visited several Greek islands to conduct research on aspects of shifts in mobile populations on the eastern Mediterranean route. These islands hold particular significance as their beaches had witnessed the arrival of thousands of asylum seekers, studs, women and children, generally Levantines who’d arrived upon these shores during a critical time period inbetween 2014–2016. On each island we would run into groups of older fellows or youths walking the streets, talking amongst themselves or just suspending around street corners communicating through their cell phones. A majority of the guys on the Greek islands were Syrians, Iraqis, Libyans, Afghans, Pakistanis, and a number of Africans from Western Sahara.

On the very first day of our arrival we took the ferry from Pireneus port in Athens to Lesvos. From Lesvos we traveled to Chios where we visited Camp Souda. A group of us walked on the outskirts of the camp but were incapable to come in as we did not have requisite permission from a government or NGO to come in. On the street I had embarked a conversation with a few youthful guys who lived in the camp. I do not speak Arabic but upon enquiry one of the dudes whose name was Mohammad began talking to me in Spanish. He was a youthful man from the Sahel, who’d lived in the Canary Islands for five years. As I too spoke Spanish he suggested to take me inwards the camp as his guest. He told me about his family, his daughter, wifey and his past life. Mohammad also talked about the many difficulties faced during his time inwards the camp as a prospective asylum seeker.

All single guys live in a separate section away from the main camp, right on the beach, in petite tents which aim to provide shelter. Two or three dudes could be made to share a space of six x eight feet inwards a larger tent or corrugated metal structure, like the one Mohammad was living in. I spent about an hour inwards the camp listening and conversing with several guys in Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi. Many of the migrants understood one of these languages as they’re spoken along the Pakistani-Afghan borders with the more common Pashto, Darii or Balochi.

Note: It was brought to my attention recently, since our visit in May 2017, Camp Souda lies empty. The population has been relocated to Vial, another camp located on Chios.

Undocumented migrants can be welcomed in countries where their suggest of cheap labor is deemed attractive albeit as persons they are considered disposable. Migrants work for low wages in factories, restaurants, shopping centers, car washes, farms etc. In Greece due to the latest economic challenges facing the country, opportunities for the migrant population are difficult to find and none of the boys I spoke to dreamed to stay in Chios. The Afghani and Pakistani boys I spoke with also voiced frustration towards the authorities, that they were being overlooked in favor of the Syrian population. A large percentage of the migrants were incapable to understand the complexities of the asylum system and felt stuck in the Camps.

Communication and Agency

While in Serbia I began to form friendships with a group of youthfull masculine migrants from Afghanistan and Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. I would often visit them in Bajrakali, the only mosque in Belgrade, bringing fruits and petite food items to aid them in violating their Ramadan prompt. The studs would convene in the mosque, sharing stories, wounds and the latest news from their perilous journeys popularly nicknamed as ‘the game.’ The mosque was a place of refuge where they would share companionship, prayer and mutual consultation.

Almost all the migrants we met in Turkey, Greece and Serbia carried cell phones which connected them to their family and friends back home. The most common apps used for communication were Whatsapp and Viber, several had Facebook accounts and access to online services. Belgrade provides free wi-fi in large parts of the city, specifically in all the local parks, where groups of dudes would congregate daily. On occasions one of them would ask me questions about their status in the political sphere and wonder if they’d ever be able to talk directly to officials in order to make their grievances heard. I’d advise them to read articles online, or access profiles of officials available through Facebook or Twitter. Various reports could be read directly from websites of local and international organizations, and in their own languages.

During the last few weeks of my stay in Belgrade, I asked three of my fresh friends to dwell upon some thoughts which they’d wish to share with the world:

— Hayat Ulla, fifteen yrs old in Belgrade. Current location unknown

— Tanzil Shabaz from Pakistan (on the right) Presently in Italy

— Usman Raja from Azad Kashmir, in Belgrade. Current location unknown

Single, Muslim, Masculine – Priya Singh – Medium

Single | Muslim | Masculine

The term “vulnerable populations” as described by the post two thousand fifteen development agenda of the United Nations, concentrates powerfully on “providing opportunities and protecting the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities.” In particular, women and children are progressively being recognized as victims of discrimination and violence in many regions of our planet. These groups also tend to get more empathy within the Balkan asylum system, increasingly leaving the ‘single male’ phenomenon out of this particular narrative and perhaps neglected in the larger picture. This screenplay potentially increases the risk of migrant guys becoming lured into human trafficking, prostitution and radicalism.

In general migrants face job insecurities, discrimination due to religious practices, racial profiling and linguistic barriers. Being singled out or perceived as a threat for being youthful, single and masculine adds another layer of exclusion towards a specific percentage of the migrant population. Preference by several countries and international organizations in assessing resettlement procedures for families, couples or unaccompanied minors further complicates the situation, highlighting the vulnerabilities of single guys who form a majority of the migrant population in the Balkans. The situation has been further amplified due to vivid newspaper headlines on mainstream media depicting attacks allegedly conducted by masculine Muslim/Arab asylum seekers on European women. (Rick Noack The Washington Post July 2016). Such accusations have galvanized various groups across Europe into an anti-refugee or anti-migrant rhetoric. The single, youthful and masculine phenomenon has become a security threat where they’re not seen as individuals but as a larger group of potential suspects.

The following photo essay concentrates on the daily rituals of youthful, single, masculine Muslims I encountered across the Balkans. Through their often desperate attempts to cross the strongly monitored Balkan borders, they simply seek to belong to a society outside of their own country, which many will never come back to. The lives of these youthful fellows have been fractured due to years of war and the prevalent state of insecurity faced in their home countries. Many of these fellows are the only capable bread-earners for families left behind in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Libya or Syria. Their aim is to send back remittances to support parents and siblings; a few leave behind wives and children.

During our boat rail in the very first half of the journey inbetween the coasts of Greece and Turkey, the Fresh School IFP team visited several Greek islands to conduct research on aspects of shifts in mobile populations on the eastern Mediterranean route. These islands hold particular significance as their beaches had witnessed the arrival of thousands of asylum seekers, fellows, women and children, generally Levantines who’d arrived upon these shores during a critical time period inbetween 2014–2016. On each island we would run into groups of older studs or youths walking the streets, talking amongst themselves or just dangling around street corners communicating through their cell phones. A majority of the boys on the Greek islands were Syrians, Iraqis, Libyans, Afghans, Pakistanis, and a number of Africans from Western Sahara.

On the very first day of our arrival we took the ferry from Pireneus port in Athens to Lesvos. From Lesvos we traveled to Chios where we visited Camp Souda. A group of us walked on the outskirts of the camp but were incapable to inject as we did not have requisite permission from a government or NGO to inject. On the street I had embarked a conversation with a few youthful fellows who lived in the camp. I do not speak Arabic but upon enquiry one of the guys whose name was Mohammad embarked talking to me in Spanish. He was a youthful man from the Sahel, who’d lived in the Canary Islands for five years. As I too spoke Spanish he suggested to take me inwards the camp as his guest. He told me about his family, his daughter, wifey and his past life. Mohammad also talked about the many difficulties faced during his time inwards the camp as a prospective asylum seeker.

All single studs live in a separate section away from the main camp, right on the beach, in petite tents which aim to provide shelter. Two or three studs could be made to share a space of six x eight feet inwards a larger tent or corrugated metal structure, like the one Mohammad was living in. I spent about an hour inwards the camp listening and conversing with several dudes in Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi. Many of the migrants understood one of these languages as they’re spoken along the Pakistani-Afghan borders with the more common Pashto, Darii or Balochi.

Note: It was brought to my attention recently, since our visit in May 2017, Camp Souda lies empty. The population has been relocated to Vial, another camp located on Chios.

Undocumented migrants can be welcomed in countries where their suggest of cheap labor is deemed attractive albeit as persons they are considered disposable. Migrants work for low wages in factories, restaurants, shopping centers, car washes, farms etc. In Greece due to the latest economic challenges facing the country, opportunities for the migrant population are difficult to find and none of the dudes I spoke to desired to stay in Chios. The Afghani and Pakistani fellows I spoke with also voiced frustration towards the authorities, that they were being overlooked in favor of the Syrian population. A large percentage of the migrants were incapable to understand the complexities of the asylum system and felt stuck in the Camps.

Communication and Agency

While in Serbia I began to form friendships with a group of youthfull masculine migrants from Afghanistan and Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. I would often visit them in Bajrakali, the only mosque in Belgrade, bringing fruits and puny food items to aid them in violating their Ramadan prompt. The studs would convene in the mosque, sharing stories, injuries and the latest news from their perilous journeys popularly nicknamed as ‘the game.’ The mosque was a place of refuge where they would share companionship, prayer and mutual consultation.

Almost all the migrants we met in Turkey, Greece and Serbia carried cell phones which connected them to their family and friends back home. The most common apps used for communication were Whatsapp and Viber, several had Facebook accounts and access to online services. Belgrade provides free wi-fi in large parts of the city, specifically in all the local parks, where groups of boys would congregate daily. On occasions one of them would ask me questions about their status in the political sphere and wonder if they’d ever be able to talk directly to officials in order to make their grievances heard. I’d advise them to read articles online, or access profiles of officials available through Facebook or Twitter. Various reports could be read directly from websites of local and international organizations, and in their own languages.

During the last few weeks of my stay in Belgrade, I asked three of my fresh friends to dwell upon some thoughts which they’d wish to share with the world:

— Hayat Ulla, fifteen yrs old in Belgrade. Current location unknown

— Tanzil Shabaz from Pakistan (on the right) Presently in Italy

— Usman Raja from Azad Kashmir, in Belgrade. Current location unknown

Single, Muslim, Masculine – Priya Singh – Medium

Single | Muslim | Masculine

The term “vulnerable populations” as described by the post two thousand fifteen development agenda of the United Nations, concentrates strongly on “providing opportunities and protecting the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities.” In particular, women and children are progressively being recognized as victims of discrimination and violence in many regions of our planet. These groups also tend to get more empathy within the Balkan asylum system, increasingly leaving the ‘single male’ phenomenon out of this particular narrative and perhaps neglected in the larger picture. This screenplay potentially increases the risk of migrant dudes becoming lured into human trafficking, prostitution and radicalism.

In general migrants face job insecurities, discrimination due to religious practices, racial profiling and linguistic barriers. Being singled out or perceived as a threat for being youthful, single and masculine adds another layer of exclusion towards a specific percentage of the migrant population. Preference by several countries and international organizations in assessing resettlement procedures for families, couples or unaccompanied minors further complicates the situation, highlighting the vulnerabilities of single fellows who form a majority of the migrant population in the Balkans. The situation has been further amplified due to vivid newspaper headlines on mainstream media depicting attacks allegedly conducted by masculine Muslim/Arab asylum seekers on European women. (Rick Noack The Washington Post July 2016). Such accusations have galvanized various groups across Europe into an anti-refugee or anti-migrant rhetoric. The single, youthfull and masculine phenomenon has become a security threat where they’re not seen as individuals but as a larger group of potential suspects.

The following photo essay concentrates on the daily rituals of youthfull, single, masculine Muslims I encountered across the Balkans. Through their often desperate attempts to cross the powerfully monitored Balkan borders, they simply seek to belong to a society outside of their own country, which many will never comeback to. The lives of these youthful boys have been fractured due to years of war and the prevalent state of insecurity faced in their home countries. Many of these boys are the only capable bread-earners for families left behind in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Libya or Syria. Their aim is to send back remittances to support parents and siblings; a few leave behind wives and children.

During our boat rail in the very first half of the excursion inbetween the coasts of Greece and Turkey, the Fresh School IFP team visited several Greek islands to conduct research on aspects of shifts in mobile populations on the eastern Mediterranean route. These islands hold particular significance as their beaches had witnessed the arrival of thousands of asylum seekers, studs, women and children, generally Levantines who’d arrived upon these shores during a critical time period inbetween 2014–2016. On each island we would run into groups of older guys or youths walking the streets, talking amongst themselves or just suspending around street corners communicating through their cell phones. A majority of the guys on the Greek islands were Syrians, Iraqis, Libyans, Afghans, Pakistanis, and a number of Africans from Western Sahara.

On the very first day of our arrival we took the ferry from Pireneus port in Athens to Lesvos. From Lesvos we traveled to Chios where we visited Camp Souda. A group of us walked on the outskirts of the camp but were incapable to come in as we did not have requisite permission from a government or NGO to come in. On the street I had commenced a conversation with a few youthfull guys who lived in the camp. I do not speak Arabic but upon enquiry one of the fellows whose name was Mohammad embarked talking to me in Spanish. He was a youthful man from the Sahel, who’d lived in the Canary Islands for five years. As I too spoke Spanish he suggested to take me inwards the camp as his guest. He told me about his family, his daughter, wifey and his past life. Mohammad also talked about the many difficulties faced during his time inwards the camp as a prospective asylum seeker.

All single guys live in a separate section away from the main camp, right on the beach, in puny tents which aim to provide shelter. Two or three studs could be made to share a space of six x eight feet inwards a larger tent or corrugated metal structure, like the one Mohammad was living in. I spent about an hour inwards the camp listening and conversing with several studs in Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi. Many of the migrants understood one of these languages as they’re spoken along the Pakistani-Afghan borders with the more common Pashto, Darii or Balochi.

Note: It was brought to my attention recently, since our visit in May 2017, Camp Souda lies empty. The population has been relocated to Vial, another camp located on Chios.

Undocumented migrants can be welcomed in countries where their suggest of cheap labor is deemed attractive albeit as persons they are considered disposable. Migrants work for low wages in factories, restaurants, shopping centers, car washes, farms etc. In Greece due to the latest economic challenges facing the country, opportunities for the migrant population are difficult to find and none of the fellows I spoke to desired to stay in Chios. The Afghani and Pakistani fellows I spoke with also voiced frustration towards the authorities, that they were being overlooked in favor of the Syrian population. A large percentage of the migrants were incapable to understand the complexities of the asylum system and felt stuck in the Camps.

Communication and Agency

While in Serbia I began to form friendships with a group of youthful masculine migrants from Afghanistan and Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. I would often visit them in Bajrakali, the only mosque in Belgrade, bringing fruits and petite food items to aid them in violating their Ramadan prompt. The studs would convene in the mosque, sharing stories, injuries and the latest news from their perilous journeys popularly nicknamed as ‘the game.’ The mosque was a place of refuge where they would share companionship, prayer and mutual consultation.

Almost all the migrants we met in Turkey, Greece and Serbia carried cell phones which connected them to their family and friends back home. The most common apps used for communication were Whatsapp and Viber, several had Facebook accounts and access to online services. Belgrade provides free wi-fi in large parts of the city, specifically in all the local parks, where groups of boys would congregate daily. On occasions one of them would ask me questions about their status in the political sphere and wonder if they’d ever be able to talk directly to officials in order to make their grievances heard. I’d advise them to read articles online, or access profiles of officials available through Facebook or Twitter. Various reports could be read directly from websites of local and international organizations, and in their own languages.

During the last few weeks of my stay in Belgrade, I asked three of my fresh friends to dwell upon some thoughts which they’d wish to share with the world:

— Hayat Ulla, fifteen yrs old in Belgrade. Current location unknown

— Tanzil Shabaz from Pakistan (on the right) Presently in Italy

— Usman Raja from Azad Kashmir, in Belgrade. Current location unknown

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