The 11-year-old and her little sister, Jana, 9, escaped Lebanon in 2016 with their dad Malek and mum Razan, after fighting from the nearby Syrian civil war spilled over on to Lebanese soil, and eventually into their home town of Tripoli (Lebanon).
The conflict arose in mid-2011, when seven people were killed and 59 were wounded in a fight between gunmen in Tripoli.
The Syrian conflict stoked a resurgence of sectarian violence in Lebanon, and by January 2016, there had been more than 800 fatalities and almost 3000 injuries — some of them were friends and members of their extended family.
It was not until August 2017 that the last remaining fighters withdrew from Lebanon, but by that time, the Al Turks had made the move to New Zealand.
"We came to New Zealand because we came from war and my dad wanted to make our future better," Siham said.
"I was born there, but I was too young to know what was happening.
"My dad said it wasn’t safe for us, at all.
"He says some of our family and a lot of our friends were killed there."
While it was difficult for her to comprehend just how dangerous life on the streets of Tripoli would have been for her now, she had gained some idea each time her father reminded her that she would not have been able to play sport out on the streets like she does now.
"New Zealand is much safer. It has made our future better and we are learning stuff and we know how to speak English now.
"I’ve been teaching Mum and Dad how to speak English. They are good learners."
And since then, the family has grown by two, with the birth of little brothers Islam, 6, and Ameer, 6 months.
"We’re happy here," Siham said.
"I am loving school — it’s cool, it’s fun, lots of sports and stuff.
"I wouldn’t have been able to play sport back home because it would not be safe."
The Al Turks were among about 40 people who became New Zealand citizens yesterday at a ceremony in The Dunedin Centre yesterday.
Other new citizens were: Seira Malia Pelenatete Ainuu (Samoa), Janella Lagituaiva Liza Ainuu (Samoa), Kapuana Faamatala Ainuu (Samoa), Julius Kapuana Peter Ainuu (Samoa), Jacob Peter Faamatala Ainuu (Samoa), Khaled Hassoun Alhamdoush (Syria), Ajay Kumar Arya (India), Yuri Eduardo de Castro Vasconcelos (Brazil), Marc David Gonzales Dorotan (Philippines), Radhika Dua (India), Evina (Indonesia), Patrick Anthony Healy (Ireland), Janet Heptonstall (United Kingdom), Ashton Peter Heptonstall (United Kingdom), Simon Peter Heptonstall (United Kingdom), Claire Marie Hodson (United Kingdom), Steven Alexander Hodson (United Kingdom), Katherine Emma Hook (United Kingdom), Samantha Howarth (South Africa), Solomona Lameko Kosena (Samoa), Tamas Krizsan (Hungary), Manju Mathew (India), Rijoy Varghese (India), Kieran James McGovern (United Kingdom), Tsz Lok Ng (Hong Kong), Melanie Ohren (United Kingdom), Stefan Andreas Gerhard Roesch (Germany), Yew Lan Saunderson (Malaysia), Rudi Hermann Stegen (South Africa), Susan Magdalena Stegen (South Africa), Ruzel Stegen (South Africa), Heynecke Hermann Stegen (South Africa) and Natan Yehezkely (Israel).
