Meet Ali Kassem, the 16-year-old Syrian refugee turned unlikely surfer – video

Syrian refugee Ali Kassem, 16, is now a firm part of the surf scene in Jiyeh, Lebanon. Josh Wood for The National

Meet Ali Kassem, the 16-year-old Syrian refugee turned unlikely surfer

Meet Ali Kassem, the 16-year-old Syrian refugee turned unlikely surfer
Powered by automated translation

Ali’s family moved to Lebanon in 2011, shortly after the war broke out in Syria. This is the abridged story of how an outsider came to be accepted by the Lebanese surfing community, and how an uprooted teenager found hope for the future in the waves.

For the full story, click here.

Filming and reporting by Josh Wood