Seeing Syria inside out

A short while ago, I was invited to take part in a workshop with European journalists visiting Syria as part of Syrian-European dialogue. Judging from their questions and our answers, one can find a deep gap between us, as Syrians, and them, as Europeans. On a larger scale, it is a gap between us as Arabs, and them as Westerners.

Their questions reflected a stereotype, towards me as a journalist, towards us as Syrians, and as Arabs. Their questions rotated around a common theme: is there real journalism in Syria? What are the red-lines? Can Syrian journalists write about “anything?” Is there private media in Syria? Is there a Syrian press law? Do journalists send their articles to authorities before they get published? Is there any kind of censorship in Syria? What about self-censorship? What is your relationship with the Syrian Ministry of Information?

I imagine that some of them had yet more sensitive questions, which they failed to ask. With regard to Syria, their questions focused also, on certain themes. What is the relationship between religion and the state? Is Syria similar to Iran or Saudi Arabia? What about political reforms? Economic ones? Are there Hezbollah warriors on the streets of Damascus? Where do the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad live in Syria? Why is there such a large number of bearded men, and veiled women, on the streets of Syria? Are there any Christians in Syria? What about legislation; does it have secular or religious foundations? The questions climaxed with the expected: what is the limit of Syria’s “strategic alliance” with Iran?

They also did not fail to ask why we do not recognize the State of Israel, or why we don’t as Syrians make peace with Israel.These questions reflect how stereotyped Syria’s image is in the West, since answering these questions needs reference to the basics. Israel occupied Arab land since 1967. This occupation is challenged by three resistance groups, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Syria negotiated peace with Israel to restore its occupied Golan Heights. Syrian and Israeli authorities met directly, under American auspices, during the 1990s, and indirectly, under Turkish auspices, in 2008. The last talks were called off by Syria as a result of the Israeli war on Gaza in December 2008-January 2009.

More basic responses would be: Syria is a secular state, very different from the theocracy in either Saudi Arabia or Iran, in terms of environment and structure. There is an ethnic and religious mosaic in Syria, along with a high degree of co-existence, secularism, and tolerance. There is an economic reform process that is underway, which is a turning point in modern Syrian history, when compared to how things were in the past. There is certain progress in Syrian journalism.

To wrap up, one must watch Syria from inside out, and not the other way around. Those of us who live in Syria realize the degree of deep-rooted reforms that are taking place, perhaps not rapidly, yet with grand confidence in what the future holds for Syria.

The positive aspect of these questions was asked by journalists who belong to what some people call “Old Europe,” countries likeSpain, and “Young Europe” like the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Their questions reflected a sincere interest in discovering the “other,” being us, the Syrians. They showed a real desire to learn and to educate their audience through their reports.

Perhaps some of them will return to their countries and write critical articles. With no doubt, however, this will raise plenty of questions “back home.” Perhaps this will help bridge the gap and start a serious dialogue, on religion, culture, politics, and civil society, between both camps, situated along the Mediterranean. What is important is that the dialogue is two-way, vertical and not horizontal, from north to south, or from governments to the peoples.

On our part, why don’t we tell them about the stereotype that we have of them, their politics, and their societies? We should not be held hostage to stereotypes, but rather, start educating the other about us. Education, after all, is the first step towards attaining the truth. Lack of questions means that we will continue to live in our imagination, which is not always correct.