Kinan Azmeh: Syrian Clarinetist Stranded in Beirut Thanks to Trump Ban
This is third in a series on musicians affected directly by President Trump’s travel ban on seven Middle Eastern countries. Read our previous pieces on Iranian born electronic artist Ash Koosha and Iraqi metal band Acrassicauda.
For the moment, Kinan Azmeh is stuck in Beirut. The Syrian clarinetist, who tours the world with Yo-Yo Ma and plays shows worldwide with his jazz quartet and other groups, flew there last Friday for a concert. That same night, President Donald Trump signed an executive order disallowing Syrians and citizens of six other countries from entering the U.S., even if they have legal visas. So while Azmeh, 40, has an EB-1 “alien with extraordinary abilities” visa and has lived in New York City for 16 years, he has no idea whether he’ll be allowed to return to his Brooklyn home. His flight, from Beirut to John F. Kennedy International Airport via Rome, is Thursday night. “If I’m denied flying, I don’t know how to get my stuff out of the U.S.,” Azmeh says from his Beirut hotel.
Azmeh, a Damascus-born graduate of New York’s Juilliard School who also holds an electrical-engineering degree, has faced discrimination in the U.S. before. After September 11th, he recalls, “You start to speak Arabic with a softer voice.” He has had a green card since 2014, and wonders if he’ll make a scheduled show this month at New York’s Cornelia Street Café.
How might the travel ban affect you?
When I landed in Beirut on Friday, I found out about all this stuff. I continue to not know what’s going to happen. I hear so many contrasting reports. I’m getting lots of feedback and advice from friends all over the place. I’m hearing people with green cards are denied boarding U.S.-bound flights, and I’m sure you’ve heard stories…