Mohammad Ajlani: I don’t want to miss out on opportunities to be close to my people

Reading the Homecomers column, perhaps the enormity of returning back to Syria is not impressed strongly enough. For most here, it would seem that you are returning to the familiar, to a family and society that understands you and wants to help you. Most often, however, you are actually returning to the unknown, to a place where you have few professional contacts, and where you must start everything anew. It is a brave step, and Mohammad Ajlani is a brave man for taking it.

A well-known, well-respected political analyst and lecturer in France with a high media presence, Ajlani has returned to Syria with the will and desire to make a difference, to help Syrian society with all the skills at his disposal. His family worried that the adaptation process would be too taxing, and that leaving their well-established lifestyle in Paris would be too difficult a change. “Syria today is welcoming those who are trying to wake up the country,” he says. “I really see that I can make a contribution to Syrian society. My ideas on the political situation, and my love of education and sharing my knowledge can really make an impact.”
This last move might be an end to a somewhat nomadic existence. Born in Syria, he was taken at the age of 10 to live in Algeria, where he spent most of his adolescent years. At the age of 18, he once again made the trek to a different continent, to get his legal license from the University of Bordeaux. From there, it was a quick move to Paris to get his master’s, DEA and PhD in political science from Sorbonne University. “I chose law as my vocation because my family on both sides had legal legacies that I wanted to uphold,” he explains. “Political science was something I was interested in personally, on my own.”
His activities went beyond the academic, and he soon created a political presence for himself in French society. While still an undergraduate at Bordeaux, he established the Society for Solidarity with the Palestinians with his fellow students, sending them aid in the forms of money, medicine, and materials. While in Paris, he tried to rally fellow Syrians into action by forming the Society for Syrian Political Action, and the society became a hub for interaction and discourse among the expatriates. The government of France, while not outright challenging these societies, or placing obstacles in their way, wasn’t encouraging or supportive of their activities, but as an organization under the law of 1971, they had no recourse to stop the society from functioning. “I found it both odd and disconcerting that the French were not very encouraging when it came to any group outside the scope of recognized French establishments,” says Ajlani.
His presence and credibility in French society made prominent French papers and journals seek him out, and for the past 8 – 9 years, Ajlani has been covering political events and publishing the results of his research to a very widespread audience. “Most of my articles covered Syrian diplomacy,” he explains. “My last article was about Syrian Diplomacy, entitled, ‘The Keys to understanding Syrian Politics’ is about how most Syrian politicians, in fact, have a great deal of pragmatism, lean towards waiting, do not rush into things, and show no hastiness of judgment. It was a good chance to dispel many misconceptions in France on how Syrians relate with other nations.”
This sort of outlook made him invaluable to those who were trying to understand recent events in the region, especially after tensions heightened between Syria and Lebanon. “I became a regular on Ch. 24 as a political consultant on the situation,” says Ajlani. “People were trying to understand what was going on in Lebanon, its relation to Syria, and the demanded international tribunal, and wanted my opinions to clarify these issues.”
With his focus placed so directly on the region, it is not so surprising that his thoughts turned to returning to his homeland. In the end, however, it was a personal matter that brought him home. “My brother died in early 2008,” explains Ajlani. “I didn’t want to miss out on any more opportunities to be close to my people and to speak my own language.”
As of this writing, Ajlani has been back in Damascus for around three weeks, with a position as a professor of political science in the University of Kalamoun. He admits that he finds it somewhat daunting, and there are many challenges to overcome: the students, though passionate about discovery and eager to learn about the outside world, lack a certain amount of general knowledge; Syrian society is changing rapidly, perhaps too rapidly for current capacities; and education still leans towards quantity rather than means and methodologies. “Syria is trying to catch up with the outside world, but is perhaps putting too much strain on itself,” he says. “The necessary programs and protocols are not yet in place to keep things running smoothly and keep up with the pace of change.”
Still, it is these challenges that convince him that he is where he needs to be. “People should be accepting of the society they are coming back to, with both its pros and cons,” says Ajlani. “I returned to find some personal satisfaction, and to make a difference, and in Syria I know I can do both.”