Beside great men

Although the engagement between former President Husni al-Za’im and his wife was traditional, the way in which her father accepted the suitor certainly was not. Husni al-Za’im’s wife Nouran, who was the first lady of Syria from April to August 1949, had a sister named Omran, who was married to a distinguished journalist named Nazir Fansa. Omran was traveling to Aleppo with her mother-in-law when they met Husni al-Za’im’s sister on the train. She walked up to Omran and asked if she were single, saying that she was searching for a bride for her brother, who was an officer in the Syrian Army, currently serving as director of Military Police in Deir ez-Zour (on the Euphrates). Omran’s mother-in-law replied, “No, she is taken, but she’s got three other beautiful sisters; all of whom are single.”

Farah Sudki

In November 1977, just as rumors emerged about Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visiting Jerusalem, the Syrian ambassador to the UN in New York, Mowaffak Allaf, urgently cabled Damascus for instructions about the official reaction he should convey.  As luck would have it, he was scheduled to be the first speaker at the General Assembly the following Monday morning.
For two days, there was no response from Damascus, and no declared position from Syrian media. At 10pm on the eve of his intervention, he looked gravely at his wife and said, “Houda, what I do tomorrow might cost me my job. Are you ready to bear the consequences with me?” She asked him what he meant, and he explained, “I can only follow my convictions and my conscience, and I must strongly condemn the Jerusalem visit. Since I still have no response and with only 12 hours left, I must start preparing my speech.” “Do it. I am with you,” she replied.

She was a young student at the Faculty of Arabic Literature at Latakia University.
He was an established poet and playwright living in Damascus.
Enchanted with the theater, Ilham Abdul-Latif participated in several theater festivals in Damascus.
At one point, the amateur cast was facing major problems in set and decoration, and Ilham had a loud argument with one of the theater administrators.
Mamduh Udwan, a rising name in Syria, showed up at the gates of the Qabbani Theater, and asked them what was happening.
Upset, and recognizing a potential supporter, Ilham replied, “Mr.
Mamduh; they are fighting us because we come from a small city called Latakia!” “Take it easy,” he said smiling.