In September 2019 on a visit to Damascus, I interviewed Athar, a Syrian woman who has been in her church scout group since she was 15 years old. We chatted in Beit Jabri, a popular restaurant in old Damascus.
Athar explained that her scout group meets once a week for band practice and for activities for the children.
Also, at their...
Once upon a time,
There was a paradise.
It was on earth.
It was in Syria.
It was a haven for great civilisations.Â
It was a haven for Mother Nature.
It was a generous land with generous people.Â
It was an incubator of remarkable inventions.
It was the land where life was lived richly.
It was the theatre where love danced joyfully.
It was the place where million-year-old souls...
Faia and Rihan Younan were born in the village of Al-Malikiyah, Syria, and grew up in the city of Aleppo. They moved to Sweden with their parents when Faia was 11 years old.
Faia studied at Glasgow University and she moved to Beirut when she decided to become a professional singer.Â
'To Our Countries' has had nearly 7 million views.
In August 2015,...
Dar Al Salam School, a private school in central Damascus, has a co-educational primary school section and a girls high school. Its principal and the majority of its staff are women.
I heard from a friend whose niece attended the school that it has a very good reputation.
I visited the school on 23 September 2019 to meet Nisreen, or 'Teacher...
This video message to Australian members of parliament (MPs) was recorded in Madam Janset Kazan's office, Damascus, 21 September 2019. Captions were added by Sarah Nachar, and Rana Alkhayrat and Rasha Milhem translated the interview with Madam Janset.
In this country, we believe in all religions, so we took the concept of forgiveness and reconciliation from all the religions that...
SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW:
In what ways do sanctions impact on women and their families?Â
Dr Bouthaina explains that the sanctions against Syria are unilateral measures taken by the United States without UN approval or Security Council resolutions. “They were measures which were forced by the United States on Syria and forced on other countries to abide by….against any international law, any...
Interview with Lubna, recorded by Susan Dirgham in 2010
Extract:
In regard to women’s issues and the equality of the sexes, what are some of the differences of opinion in Syria?
You have a whole range of opinions. For example, men are demanding their rights, like to be equal to the women! They are saying, like, women have more rights than...
Lena is an Armenian Syrian singer, composer and musician. Described as a Syrian ambassador spreading the jasmine voice of Damascus, she has performed in Germany, England, Sweden, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Russia, as well as her home country of Syria.
She sings mainly in Arabic and Armenian, but also in Syriac, English, French and Italian.
Lena graduated from Damascus University in...
In 1992, The Washington Post published a favourable review of Dr Bouthaina Shaaban’s book, ‘Both Right and Left Handed; Arab Women Talk About Their Lives’ (first published in 1988).
Dr Bouthaina was born in the 1950s and grew up in a village in countryside Homs. When the Washington Post review was published, she had a PhD in English Literature from...
What makes you proud to be Syrian?
I’m proud to be Syrian because Syria has been always an important country since the beginning of humanity.
Syria is a secular country. Can you explain what this means to a non-Syrian?
As a Christian, I can say that in Syria I lived the same life I’m living in Italy and I had the same freedom. In...
