Homeland Star, Mandy Patinkin Assures Muslim Refugees Are 'Beautiful People'

Among nowadays most successful shows there is “Homeland.” This production shows us the complex and dangerous life of CIA agents. While also portraying some of the most delicate situations around the world.

One of those delicate but polemic situations of recent times has been the Syrian civil war. Causing an equal length problem, thousands of refugees that have been fleeing the conflict. Being Europe their main destiny as they hope to rebuild their life from scratch.

Into the real world.

One of the stars of Homeland 64-years-old Mandy Patinkin, who plays CIA operative Saul Berenson, decided to spent his time at Europe assisting the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on the Greek island of Lesbos helping Syrian refugees. Since Patinkin felt that being part of a fictional character in a living in a complicated world wasn’t enough.

“I needed to get back to the real world – not the fictional world that I work in.” Patinkin said after his trip with the International Rescue Committee. “I just wanted to be of some use to those people who have been living through a literal hell. This could have been my family 70 years ago escaping the Nazis.” as he comes from Lithuanian-Polish immigrants.

Raw reality.

“It was my two children that said I should use my celebrity and do whatever I can for these people,” Patinkin said. As he stood on the shores of the Greek island helping hundreds of refugees land with their families. As improvised crafted boats designed to carry 24 arrive carrying 60 persons or more. In this process, Patinkin lived very intense and human experiences.

In an occasion, he met a little boy who wants to be an artist and get to Switzerland or the U.S. to study it professionally. Also, in a time he lived a very tense moment as a father hand him a baby while helping the rest of his family that for a second Patinkin though was dead. In another instance, he gave some money to a family that had lost it all.

Mixed emotions.

The experience has changed his life forever. “I just want other people to know the kind of joy that I have in my life. I want other people to be able to have fun.” He even has stayed in touch and visit the family that he helped, as they’re now relocated in Germany.

Patinkin also talked about the politic situation that is happening in the U.S. “There has not been a single incident of terrorism in this country since 9/11 committed by a political refugee — this is a fact. People who are on the terrorist watch list in this country can buy a gun legally. These are the people we should be afraid of, not these refugees.”