'Pen seller of Beirut' may lose quarter of proceeds from viral campaign

Abdul Halim has said he 'cannot believe' what has happened to him - but he now stands to lose up to $70,000

The photograph that started the campaign (Twitter)

More than quarter of the $200,000 raised by a viral campaign for a Syrian refugee photographed selling pens on Beirut’s streets may never reach him.

Norwegian web-designer Sigur Simonarson started a crowdfunder which raised $190,059 for Abdul Halim after he was photographed carrying his daughter as he sold pens in August.

But Mr Simonarson said the local charity helping Mr Halim now say he risks losing as much as $70,000 of the total amount raised.

Crowdfunding site Indiegogo and Paypal automatically deducted fees of close to $20,000 for the campaign. Mr Simonarson said although a decision had not yet been reached, Mr Halim stands to lose a further $50,000 in Norwegian tax unless the government agrees to a waiver.

“We are working to avoid this,” he told The Times.

Mr Halim, forced to flee his home in Yarmouk by the Syrian civil war, has expressed first confusion and then gratitude for the outpouring of support.

“I feel like I am in a dream. I still cannot believe what has happened to me, that the whole world stood by me.

“I don’t know how to thank them,” he told Sky News Arabia in September.

Mr Halim arrived in Lebanon three years ago, and struggled to support his family. He sold biros to Beirut motorists in an attempt to feed and care for his two daughters, becoming known as the "Pen seller of Beirut".

As a result of the campaign, Reem, four, and 10-year-old Abdulliah have been able to attend school for the first time in three years.

Three quarters of the initial $20,000 has been sent back to Mr Halim’s family in Syria. “They didn’t help just me but also my family in Syria.”