A REFUGEE has opened what is believed to be Scotland’s first Syrian barber shop just over a year after he was forced to flee the war-torn country.
Mounzer Darsani, 32, has become a business owner after he left his home near Damascus for a new life on the Isle of Bute last year.
He worked as a barber in Syria and shortly after moving to Scotland started volunteering at a local salon, where he became popular with staff and clients.
He has now set up his own establishment, The Orient Salon in Rothesay, where alongside haircuts he will offer traditional shaves, beard trimming and wax removal of ear and nose hair.
He said: “It is a dream for me to open this salon and I would like to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart for their help in this business.
“I was a barber for 16 years in Syria and I had my own salon there with the same name. We had to leave our home when it became too dangerous and I am so grateful I was able to come to Scotland.
“I volunteered in a salon for a year and had to learn English before I could set up on my own. We have been open for a couple of weeks now and it is going really well. There are a lot of Turkish barbers in Scotland so this is something different.
“My family and I love living on Bute and the people here have been so welcoming and friendly towards us.”
Mr Darsani was one of a group of 28 adults and 31 children who were relocated to the island through the UK Government’s Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme after fleeing Syria.
He and his wife and two children had left their home over fears for their safety due to the conflict and initially moved to Lebanon before being relocated to the UK in February last year.
Brendan O’Hara was the first in the queue when the shop held its grand opening earlier this month.
Mr O’Hara, who is standing for re-election as SNP MP for Argyll and Bute, said: “I was honoured to be asked to open and be the first official customer at The Orient Salon. “The business belongs to Mounzer, a Syrian refugee who came to the island just 18 months ago and who I have got to know really well, along with the others in the Syrian community. I’m delighted Mounzer has managed to set up this business so quickly, but he couldn’t have done it without the people of Bute, who have been wonderfully supportive, and staff of Argyll and Bute Council, who have made Mounzar’s transition from refugee to business owner so straightforward.”
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