March 2009

Dear Forward Readers, March 2009 witnessed the annual celebrations of the feminine icon (Mother’s Day and Women’s International Day), but we took a different approach to both anniversaries. Instead of writing about flowers and roses, we investigated the hidden world of abortion in Syria, with women from different walks of life deciding to undergo the procedure due to poverty, ambition or scandal. In the same issue our associate editor in chief, Ruba Saqr, writes about motherhood from the Islamic Sufi perspective, where women reign supreme, while our editor in chief, Sami Moubayed, sheds light on the new smoking habits of Syrian women. Julian Weinberg investigates the influence of mobile phones on the love lives of young Syrian women - liberating them from the tight grip of their families, while in our Homecomers section leading media lady, Hiam Hamwi, tells us her story about coming back to work in Damascus after experiencing stardom at Radio Monte Carlo. On the business front, we celebrate the appointment of our publisher, Abdulsalam Haykal, as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum this year, and publish the full text of an official letter he had sent to Barack Obama ahead of winning the US elections, dubbed “From Damascus to Obama.” Our March issue also has special features about the cinema industry in Syria since the 1920s. Nostalgic narratives of the wife of one of Syria’s leading figures, Khaldoun Maleh, veteran director and co-creator of the most-watched “Sah al-Nom,” is celebrated in a feature story about his life with his wife Majida.

Known for being soft for anything Syrian dating back to the first half of the 20th century, I was recently talked into buying an empty pack of women’s cigarettes, from the 1940s, called Khanom (a word inherited from Ottoman Turkish, which means Madam). That was when public smoking became “cool” for liberal Damascene women, a symbol of emancipation from male-dominated Syrian society.

Martin Aeschbacher, the Swiss Ambassador to Syria, was accredited to Damascus in 2007, but had first come to Syria as a student to study Arabic in 1978-1980. He divided his time between Damascus and Aleppo, never imagining—not in his wildest dreams—that he would one day return as ambassador for his country to Syria.

Although relatively widespread in Syria, abortion remains an unspoken secret, brushed under the rug by a conservative society. People prefer neither to acknowledge nor talk about it, acting as if by turning a blind eye, the debate on abortion will simply go away.

Motherhood in Sufism has a distinct set-up that varies greatly from what I like to call “TV-branded popular Islam.” In the Naqshbandi path, thriving in Damascus and the path I personally follow, motherhood overrides fatherhood; it has greater jurisdiction over siblings, futures and marriage. A mother’s role in Arab societies is usually boiled down to being the secretary of the general manager (i.e. the husband), but in Sufi tradition, she is “the” captain of the ship.

Cell phone use has gone beyond merely making calls. They now hold your music collection, photo albums, address book, calendar for birthdays and anniversaries, and through the missed call a complete language that allows friends, family and loved ones, to inform others of their whereabouts or express their emotions.

Walking through the winding streets of the Old City in Damascus, one cannot help but feel that they are at the crossroads of civilization in the world’s oldest inhabited city. The Old City, along with other historical and archeological sites spread out across the country, and the renowned friendliness of the Syrian people have the potential to make Syria a future hot spot for tourism in the Middle East.

Abdulsalam Haykal, CEO & Group Publisher of Haykal Media, publisher of Forward Magazine, sent a letter to U.S President Barack Obama a few months ago, before he had assumed office. The full text follows.

One of the main goals declared by the Syrian government, as part of the economic reform process, was the “integration in the global economy.” Surprisingly enough, this has hardly received any attention despite the fact that it holds serious implications for the structure of the Syrian economy and its position globally.

When people walk into the factory of any major corporation, they probably expect to be greeted by a company hall-of-fame: walls plastered with product logos, company awards, and employee honors. Anyone who walks into Elegance Confectionary Company will find something different. Sure, the company has a wall of fame, but instead they have exchanged awards for drawings, gold and silver print for crayon: orange, red, green, and blue, and company logos for stickers. The sense you get once you enter the company is a lively world of creativity, blasting colors and big ideas drawn by Aleppo’s little hands, Aleppo’s children.