forward syria - november 2011

October/ November 20112

October/ November 2011 3

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Forward Syria, October/ November 2011

COVER STORY

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18

Syria’s sliding doors6Editorial

New Syrian Constitution with no Article 8

and more...

Maurice NseiriA brilliant Jewish craftsman from Damascus

U-turn on Syria’s import ban

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39

33

29

36

48

44Appetizers

Culture

Business

Forward Guest

Start-up

The Last Word

Face of the Future

Sam Dalla:Was the Chinese model that good?

An e-map of Syria, signed byAnas Sankar

Why your prayer matters

Joelle Chami

46 In Syria we TrustNader Kabbani:Development policies continue despite the crisis

A tribute to Steve JobsThe Homs-based Jandali family never imagined that a baby boy, born to their own Abdulfattah Jandali in 1955, would one day become an international legend. His name was Steve Jobs. Few people know that the Apple founder who died last month at the age of 56 after losing a battle with cancer, originally came from Syria. As the news of Jobs' death vibrated throughout the globe, young technology-savvy Syrians mourned his death, laying claim to a computer genius who revolutionized the world. Steve's groundbreaking creations, iPads, iPhones and Apple computers can be found all over Damascus and are especially popular with young Syrians, although because of US sanctions they cannot download any application from the iTune store. "Steve Jobs was Syrian," they proudly typed into their Facebook and Twitter pages. The story of Jobs' Syrian origins was first published in Syria through Forward Magazine back in 2007, in a story entitled, "Forgotten Syrians." We re-visit him three years later, with a special issue as tribute to Steve Jobs.


inboxSend your comments to: Fax: +963 11 222 3465, P.O.Box: 28, Damascus, Syria E-mail: [email protected]

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I read, with great interest, Sami Moubayed’s article “Why should I know the Minister’s name.” I could not agree more with what he said. “Silent and negative” is the position of the Syrian Ministry of Tourism, which is in hibernation mood. The Ministry suffers from two chronic problems, lack of management and lack of leadership, two traits that have tremendously drained the Syrian tourism sector. In circumstances like these, all ministers should form a “crisis committee” that would formulate strategy on how to face the challenges. That has not happened yet in Syria. All we are seeing is the

Ministry chasing travel agents for pricing, making restrictions on start-up companies, increasing hotel prices, and above all, encouraging passiveness among Syrian citizens and investors. The Ministry, I think, is very confused. Our ministers need to understand that they are working for the people and for the nation, rather than for their own personal interests. Only then will their performance improve, along with their ‘achievements.’ Plenty of opportunities have already been lost, and more are yet to come if the Ministry’s mentality and approach do not change immediately. Ammar Sinan – SINANCO, Damascus

The cast CEO and Publisher: Abdulsalam M. HaykalEditor-in-Chief: Sami M. MoubayedStaff Writer: Obaida Hamad Art Director: Tareq Sheikh SoulimanProduction Officer: Firas AdraPhotography: Manaf HasanCreative Advisor: Karim ShukrContributing Writers: Dina Nabhan, Stephen Starr, Mustapha al-Sayyed

Advertising, Circulation, Subscriptions byHaykal MediaChairman: Mohamed Haykal Managing Director: Ammar HaykalGroup Sales Manager: Soud AtassiCommunication Officer: Yara BarhoumCirculation Manager: Jamil AttarDistribution Supervisor: Mohamad TalebPrinting: Salhani Printing House, SyriaCorrespondents: Dubai, New York, Doha,Montreal, Washington DC, Beirut, Amman, LondonDistribution - Syria: General Establishment for Publications Distribution. Lebanon: Moyen Orient Distribution SAL

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“I dedicate Forward Magazine to my father Mohamed Haykal, whose guiding optimism has helped me see the many ways forward.” - Abdulsalam M. Haykal

Licensed in Syria by Decree 80 of August 24, 2008.

A publication of

The Tourism Ministry is confused


EditorialEditorial

By Sami Moubayed

Syria’s sliding doors

The 1998 romantic comedy Sliding Doors delves into the two parallel universes of the protagonist, if only she caught a London Underground train. Because she jumps onboard at the very last second—barely missing the sliding doors—she arrives home to catch her boyfriend in bed with somebody else. As a result, her entire universe changes completely. Had she missed the train by that same microsecond, she would have had to wait for another, and therefore, she would have arrived home late that evening. Probably then she would not have caught her boyfriend in bed. It was a second that changed her life completely, the same second it took for the two doors of the London Underground, to slide shut.

Example II often look at success stories from

Syria itself, to prove or challenge my fatalist theories. Nihad Qali was one of Syria’s finest comedians in the 20th century. While at the apex of his career in 1976, he got into a fight at a Damascus nightclub when provoked into responding to a drunken fan. As a result, that fan struck him on the head with a metal chair. Because of that, Nihad Qali’s career was cut short and he spent the remainder of his years in paralysis. What if Nihad Qali decided to ignore his drunken fan that fateful night in 1976? He probably would have gone back home safe, and went on to perform in more timeless classics on stage and in Syrian TV.

Instead, he died almost a forgotten man. Cases like these are when the twist of fate turns ugly.

Example IIThe exact opposite can be said,

however, Nihad’s stage partner Duraid Lahham, who was a high school chemistry teacher posted in the Druze Mountain in 1960. At one point, the director of the to-be-opened Syrian TV contacted him and asked if he would like to work as an actor. Duraid, aged only 26, said yes and went on to become one of the most celebrated artists of the Arab world in the 20th century. Let us imagine how his life would have been, had he stuck to his books and said no. He probably would have been an obscure chemistry teacher, living in poverty and retirement, giving private lessons to make some extra cash. Instead of spending the next 50-years correcting term papers in red, he toured all four corners of the globe, signing off autographs for millions of fans.

Example IIIWhat if President Hafez al-Assad did

not die on June 10, 2000? Well, given the momentum in the Middle East back then, during the final year of the Clinton White House, it is very possible that he might have signed peace with Israel. That peace would have defused tension in the Palestinian Territories, perhaps. That reduced tension, maybe, would have curbed the anger of Muslims and Arabs across the world. If that happened, then

perhaps—just perhaps—September 11 would not have happened in 2001.

Example IVWhat if Syrian emigrant Abdulfattah

Jandali convinced his in-laws to let him marry his American girlfriend on that fateful day in February 1955? Their newborn son, Steve Jobs, would have grown up in a completely different environment, under completely different influences. Chances are, had the family moved back to Syria, that this boy would not have gone on to become one of the founders of Apple. This issue of Forward Syria celebrates Steve Jobs, the genius whose father came from Syria.

Life is all about fate. Alternate history is a new genre that emerged 20-years ago, which asks the “what if question.” What if, let us say, Adolph Hitler won his war with Russia during World War II? The probable answer is, he might have occupied all of Europe and lived well into the late 1960s. By then, however, we would have had no Soviet Union, nor Great Britain, and no Israel. The minute he made up his mind to send troops to Russia, however, spelled out his political and military suicide. What if Saddam Hussein decided to withdraw from Kuwait before the Americans invaded in 1991?

What if the policewoman in Tunis did not slap Mohammad Bouazizi on that fateful day in December 2010? I leave it to the reader to use his/her imagination.

How fate gets in the way at critical junctures of one’s career, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Fate is taking on a strange twist in the Arab World these days.


Local News Food for Thought Say Again

Appetizers

After much ado, a Constitutional

Committee was finally created in

Syria last October, mandated to

author a new constitution for Syria.

The current constitution, penned

back in 1973, is now considered

obsolete because ofArticle 8 which

famously designates the Baath Party

as “leader of state andsociety.”

That article will have to go, experts

say, as well as 12 other articles

that speak of a socialist army and

socialist economy. Opposition

figures have been asking that the

term of the President of the Republic

bereduced to four rather than seven

years, and be confined to two terms

only. President Bashar al-Assad, it

must be noted, was re-elected for

a seven year term in 2007 and is

expected to nominate himself for a

third termin 2014. Other changes

might include empowering the

Prime Minister by making him an

appointee of whatever party wins a

majority in Parliament. Previouslyhe

had been appointed by the

President. Additionally, only a vote

of noconfidence from within the

Chamber can remove a sitting Prime

Minister. The new Constitutional

Committee is headed by veteran

judge Mazhar al-Anbari,84, a former

president of the Lawyer’s Syndicate

and former JusticeMinister. Other

members include Aziz Shukri

and Abboud Sarraj, two former

Deans of the Faculty of Law at

Damascus University, and Amal

Yazagi, the ex-Dean of the Faculty

of International Relations at the

University of Kalamoon (UOK). The

29-member committee is required

to present a new constitutional draft

by mid-February2012. The draft

will then be voted upon through a

national referendum, with a choice

of “yes-no.” This four month period

to write a constitution is considered

the longest yet in Syrian history,

where previous constitutional

assemblies took anywhere between

1-3 months to write a constitution.

Theconstitutional committee, it

must be noted, was appointed

by President Bashar al-Assad last

October, six months after his advisor

Bouthaina Shaaban promised a new

constitution for Syria.

■■

New Syrian Constitution with no Article 8 Assad appoints a 29-member Constitutional Committee,for a new constitution by next February


Say again...Say again...

Appetizers

food for thought

“Walid is no longer with us; he has moved to the other camp.” President Bashar al-Assad, commenting on Walid Jumblatt’s U-turn while receiving Lebanese guests in Damascus

“I believe that October 5, 2011, when Russia and China blocked the UN resolution, was a historic day. And I hope it will be remembered.” Bouthaina Shaaban, advisor to the Syrian President, on the Russian-Chinese veto of a UN resolution against Syria

“Burhan Ghalioun is my friend, I'm here, he is here and yes we will talk” Michel Killo, prominent opposition figure who is now in France on prospects of meeting with the Paris-based opposition leader Burhan Ghalioun

“I remember reflecting on the fact that this man, almost 40 years older than me, and I shared the same name. He had been a crack shot and told me stories about putting out cigarettes with his pistol.”King Abdullah II of Jordan in his memoirs on his first meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

"The Palestinian people do not beg the world for a state, and the state can't be created through decisions and initiatives"Ismail Haniya, the Prime Minister of the Hamas-led Gaza Strip, on Palestinian statehood

Husni Mubarak was an exceptionRegimes don’t fall in 18-days

Today, eight months down the road, hard realities have began to sink in, both with the Syrian street, and regime. One is that violence and a security clampdown will not silence the Syrian street. Reality Two is that unlike the case in Egypt and Tunis, the opposition in Syria is weak, divided, and cannot be counted upon to lead the change in Syria. In its present form and with all its petty rivalries, it simply cannot take over a transition government. Its heavyweights are all way beyond retirement age, in addition of course, to being excellent writers, ideologues, university professors—but not politicians. The opposition can roughly be divided into different camps, one being young vs. old, another being secular vs. Islamic, and third being, opposition at home vs. opposition in the Diaspora. All of them combined, it must be noted, do not control or influence the Syrian street. All of them, additionally, have been quarrelling between themselves since mid-March. The younger generation of opposition figures, aged 30-40, is more Internet-savvy, cosmopolitan, and speaks a language that is attractive to Syrian youth at home. They rely on Facebook and Twitter heavily, and are mostly based in the US and Europe. They are more radical than opposition elders, however, clearly under the spell of their co-revolutionaries in Egypt and Tunis. The secular opposition is namely composed of Communists, Marxists, ex-Baathists;

old and aging ideologues who belong to a bygone era.

Collectively the opposition repeatedly tried to create Libya-style councils abroad, but most of them ended in vain except for one that came into being last October 2011, which included both seculars like Ghalioun and conservatives like the Brotherhood. That Council has already received the implicit backing of Turkey, which hosted its launch in Istanbul. The Libyan Transition Council immediately recognized it as well, and so did a large coalition of Egyptian parties competing for upcoming Egyptian parliamentary elections. The opposition has to date refused to sit down for face-to-face talks with the regime, putting an end to violence as its prime condition. In July they boycotted a “national dialogue” conference in the suburbs of Damascus, hosted by Vice President Farouk al-Shara. Many in the opposition, however, are now saying that the regime is much stronger than they had imagined. Probably because of the swiftness of the Egyptian Revolt, they thought that a similar speedy collapse would happen in Syria. “Regimes don’t fall in 18-days” they are now saying to themselves, “Husni Mubarak was an exception!” Although the unifying theme has been “we want to bring down the regime” there are many voices today calling for changing behavior of the regime, rather than bringing it down altogether


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Appetizers

Al-Qunaytra gets its first private bankDespite all talk of a banking slump in Syria, due to US sanctions, Bank BEMO Saudi-Fransi recently opened a new branch in al-Qunaytra, the principle town in the Golan Heights. BEMO, which already operates 42 branches in different Syrian cities, is the first private bank to open in al-Qunaytra, a city that was occupied by the Israelis in 1967 and liberated in 1974. The bank’s expansion is further proof, analysts claim, that the banking scene in Syria, although suffering from sanctions, is nowhere close to collapse.

The Umayyad Mosque goes green via Grohe As part of its "Green Mosque" campaign Grohe, the world's leading premium brand for sanitary fittings, replaced 50 mixers in the Great Umayyad Mosque with self-closing taps to minimize water wastage during ablution. The new mixers were replaced in the ablution rooms and in the central courtyard area to ensure the economic, ecological and safe use of water. The “Green Mosque” initiative, launched in 2009, is part of Grohe’s global WaterCare campaign, aimed at increasing public awareness about water conservation techniques. The Great Umayyad Mosque was selected as the beneficiary of this initiative in Syria because it is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world and is considered the fourth holiest place in Islam.

Swarovski’s new Octea Lady Blue now in SyriaOne of Swarovski’s smallest watches, Octea Lady, is back on the Syrian market. It new color blue comes after a purple version was introduced in 2010. Only 32 mm in diameter, its size and form make the piece “ultra feminine.” The simplicity of the dial serves to highlight the Swarovski signature below the metallic Swan Logo Mark, which appears at 12 o’clock.

British Council launches English Challenge in the Arab WorldThe British Council has launched its English Challenge Competition, the first of its kind in the Arab world. The competition, which will run from October to December 2011, will select over 155 winners from 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Through this competition, the British Council aims to help learners of English in the region develop the autonomy they need for improving their language skills outside the classroom. Nic Humphries, Director English MENA explained the initiative saying: “Trying to improve your language skills by yourself is difficult, but there is no reason why learners can’t achieve it with some “serious fun.” Autonomous learning is an unfamiliar approach to learning, but one that is going to be increasingly important in the coming decade. It is a challenge – but one we are sure people will meet!”


Appetizers

Syrian news as it happens ׀ Forward SMS is the only English news service live to your mobile

Send “Sub” to 1844 to activate your subscription

Young Syrian singer Nassif Zaitoun joined leading Arab artists in Doha last October to perform in the charity single ‘Tomorrow-Bokra’ – a re-adaptation of Quincy Jones’ Grammy-winning single entitled ‘Tomorrow (A Better You, A Better Me)’ – one of the most popular global anthems of hope for a better future. Legendary producer Quincy Jones has collaborated with UAE social entrepreneur Badr Jafar to jointly produce the charity single. The recording process began in May in Rabat under the patronage of King Mohammed VI. Lyrics for the new song were written by Lebanese diva Majida al-Roumi and the music was made by Iraqi singer Kazim al-Saher. Syrian producer Malek al-Akkad (son of the Syrian-born Hollywood director Mustapha al-Akkad) will direct the music video of the song. Among the performers singing with Zaitoun are Marwan Khoury (Lebanon), Fahd al-Kubaisi (Qatar), Waed (Saudi

Arabia), Fayez al-Saeed (UAE), Tamer Hosny (Egypt), Sherine Abdel Wahab (Egypt), Latifa (Tunisia), Ahmad al-Jumairi (Bahrain), and Hani Mitwasi (Jordan). The new song will premiere on November 11, 2011 live around the world via MBC and online with YouTube. CNN is the Global Media Partner and Sony Music is the Record Label Partner. “This song could not have come at a better time for the Arab World,” said Badr Jafar, Executive Producer of the charity single. “Almost three decades ago Quincy Jones’ single ‘We are the World’ saw artists from across the globe inspire a generation to do something about the food crisis in Africa. Music and the arts have the ability to bring together people from across the world, inspire action and promote solidarity and this song gives voice to what the people of the Middle East region hope for – a brighter, more prosperous future.”

Young Syrians debate Article 8Young Syrians gathered in different cities last September to debate the hottest topic on the country’s agenda; amending the constitution and the future of Article 8, which designates the Baath Party as “leader of state and society.” The current constitution, authored in 1973, needs to be re-written, they argued, taking into account the views of young people. These views were strongly expressed by young participants in the National Dialogue Conference that took place at the Sahara Complex last July, and re-stressed by different youth groups last September, where the Syrian Youth Council (formerly called the Youth Committee for Volunteering) conducted 44 sessions throughout the country. Young people from different social and political backgrounds were invited to participate. These sessions took place in 22 state-owned Culture Centers across Syria, twice per day, managed by young volunteers.

Under Qunicy Jones’ supervision:Syria’s Nassif Zaitoun and Malek Mustapha al-Akkad team up

Syria’s Muhammad Agha nominated for the Arab States Knowledge Management Award

Syria’s Muhammad Agha, Director of UN Global Compact, has been selected among three nominees for the United Nations Development Programme Arab States Knowledge Management Award. The ‘Champion Award’ is given on the basis of “overall contribution to knowledge sharing” performed within his capacity as director

of UNDP’s private sector development initiative. That project aims at promoting a culture of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Syria. Other nominees include Kishan Khoday of Saudi Arabia and Mahmoud Chihaoui, Program Manager of the Africa Adaptation Program in Tunisia. It must be noted that Agha was a guest speaker at the Arabia CSR Awards in Dubai in October 2011.


Appetizers

Fine Brunch at Il CircoFine dining is never limited to one time of day. Those with exquisite tastes should and do indulge their palates with flavor sensations that don’t settle for second best at every meal. Pushing boundaries yet again, the Four Seasons Hotel Damascus has shifted its traditional Friday brunch from the internationally themed Safran to Il Circo. Imbuing the affair with an Italian air, the concept has been entirely redefined to create an entirely unique and different taste experience. “We wanted to make the brunch an intimate, family affair while also increasing awareness of Italian regional food,” says Chef Luca Moriconi, head chef of the restaurant. “We offer both the classics as well as a chance to savor the new flavors of Italy that some may had not experienced.”

With the refurbished settings displaying a multitude of local artistic pieces, the décor is a reflection of the artisanry that goes into creating the culinary masterpieces on bilateral display. Moving away from buffet-only style of most set price brunch offers, Chef Moriconi has chosen to separate the courses of the meal, placing the antipasti, cold appetizers,

cheese plates, pizza and desserts in a variety of stations at the front of the establishment, while leaving the pasta and main course a la carte. “We are committed throughout the Four Seasons to a standard of freshness that far surpasses other establishments, yet Italian food is particularly temperamental,” he explains. “Certain recipes, particularly pasta, cannot sit for even moments without changing texture or flavor. Therefore, for the most authentic presentation of our cuisine, we found it preferable to combine both service styles.”

Nearly everything served at this brunch could be considered a culinary education. With every course divided neatly between beloved classics and enticing introductions, attendees are left to explore the variety of items and settle on their favorites, new and old. Therefore, the well-known bresaola may sit alongside a plate of prawns panzanella; one family member may enjoy a deep and satisfying lasagna while another tries a dish of veal cheek ravioli with soft polenta, pecorino and asparagus; and spoons may reach over the table try out the tested and true tiramisu

and the newly introduced amaretto cake. “Even the hot appetizers I send out before I serve the pasta and main course are generally items not commonly known in Syria,” explains Chef Moriconi. “I create almost an entirely new menu every week, but it’s worth it to see people discover foods and flavors they didn’t know before among the staples to which they’ve grown accustomed.”

With a kids’ corner and a variety of child friendly authentic items, such as the pizza and the pasta; the combination menu ensuring that a good amount of the service comes to you, avoiding lines and unnecessary movement; and a variety of authentic yet familiar flavors possible through clever procurement of mostly local ingredients to create the high quality cuisine, Il Circo has gone to extra lengths to ensure that their Friday brunches remain strongly family oriented. “The reception has been remarkably positive,” says Chef Moriconi, “and I believe this comes from our strong personal commitment to making this a laid back event where families and friends can come to relax and enjoy.”


Cover storyCover story



Jobs was also an unadulterated idealist.

His now often quoted speech at Stanford University in 1995 was striking: "It was awful tasting medicine [being fired from Apple], but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it."

Mixed reactions from SyriansThe question of Steve Jobs' Syria link,

has stoked much discussion.One commentator, a former Damascus-

based English teacher from Malaysia, took to Facebook to ask "If the late Steve Jobs didn't have a Muslim connection, would the Muslims have given him the same tribute?"

On Facebook, the respected musician and composer, Malek Jandali, a second cousin by blood of Jobs, didn't comment on Jobs' Syria link, but wished peace for his soul.

"Syrians have no right ever to reclaim Steve Jobs. He doesn't accept his father to confess his Syrian origin. Stop stealing people achievements," said one commentator.

A Syrian employee at Apple Corp. said the following:

"I work at Apple. Like Steve, my father was born and raised in Syria. Like Steve, I was raised in the States. Unlike Steve, I am a Syrian. Steve did not identify with Syria, ever.

"[Sami Moubayed's article, iSad in Damascus] reminds me of one of the most unsavory traits of the Lebanese – laying claim to that which is simply not theirs. Is this Syria's future, the Lebanese model? Articles like this, the ugly sectarianism that has been brought to the fore by the 'revolution,' leads me to think so."

"As much as I wish to reclaim Steve’s Syrian root, or take part in relating to his genius, I truly don’t see any fairness to him in it," said another commentator on Facebook shortly after Jobs died. We should be proud that Syrian blood conceived Steve, but we really do not have a right in reclaiming him upon his death while he never connected himself to us during his life

However, much support for the idea that Jobs was Syrian was made on social networking websites.

"So the next time when we think of Steve … we always should give some thought to Syria."

"One of the most innovative people on the planet has Syrian roots that should be celebrated," said another.

Another observer stated that: "Syrians have the right to claim Steve as their own, regardless of how fate interfered after he was born."

Forward publisher Abdulsalam Haykal,

a World Economic Forum-recognized media and technology entrepreneur, typed in a Facebook status, "iSad" on the day of Jobs’ death.

Commenting on Steve Jobs' death, he said: “Syrians have the right to claim Steve as their own, regardless of how fate interfered after he was born. Needless to say, Steve is a legend that everyone wants a part of. He was an inspiration to entrepreneurs around the globe, and his genius changed the world for ever. But nothing could change the fact that his father came from Syria and had a pure Syrian name. In a place where family and lineage means a lot to people, the connection needs no more emphasis.”

Haykal, who is soon to launch the Steve Jobs Entrepreneurship Award, added: “Steve Jobs is a personal inspiration. I e-mailed him three years ago about the idea of two let-down young

The massive outpouring of grief that flooded international media outlets and social networking websites following the death of Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple Corp, was not unexpected. An inspiration to millions from Silicon Valley to Shanghai to the owners of Internet cafes in Damascus and Aleppo, Jobs drew the world to technology. He made it fun and slick. On top of this, he was a relentlessly competitive shrewd businessman.

1972: Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out 1984: The Mac 1985: Started a new computer firm NeXT Inc


Father of the iPod is also ArabTony Fadell is a Lebanese-American computer science engineer who wanted to invent a better MP3 player. RealNetworks and Philips turned him down, bringing the young man down Apple’s way in 2001. He started off as an independent contractor, leading a team of 30 people to develop a new MP3 player. Within eight months, Tony Fadell's team completed a prototype iPod. Apple polished the user interface adding the famous scroll wheel. The 37-year old became Senior Vice President of the iPod Division at Apple Inc in 2006. In November 2008, he stepped down from that post but remained advisor to Steve Jobs.

entrepreneurs in Syria. He e-mailed back briefly, expressing no interest, but probably with the intention of lifting up their morale, and prove my argument then to them that even Steve Jobs was reachable and they shouldn't be giving up.”

He added, “Many Syrian entrepreneurs have inspired the world with their genius and creativity. I just wish they will someday be able to make their success in Syria. I wish Syria could someday give its budding entrepreneurs the eco-system and supporting environment, and not only the genes. Our expatriates make us a truly global nation too.”

The iPodJobs and the people around him made

products that people could use easily and quickly. In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group (later renamed Pixar) from Lucasfilm's computer graphics division for the price of $10 million, $5 million of which was given to the company as capital. His foray into film-making returned vast sums of money to him. He is responsible for bringing the movies Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Antz to our screens.

But it wasn't until Apple caught hold of a greater mobility people across the world were partaking in when the company really came into its own.

The establishment of the iPod, a hand-held device where one could hold thousands of songs and audio inside a small case and go, basically, anywhere, saw Apple move ahead of all competitors.

“ One of the most innovative people on the planet, Steve Jobs has Syrian roots that ought to be celebrated.

1991: Love & Marriage 1995: Toy Story 1996: Returning to Apple 1999: OS X Server, across the nation.



iTunes has revolutionized (or murdered) the music industry, by most accounts.

But while iTunes was booming, the era also hastened the demise of traditional retail stores around the world. No longer did crazy music fans need to form a line in front of a music store to get their favorite album, then play it once they got home; they could order it from their laptop and listen instantaneously.

It also severely undermined the long-held concept of the music album. When a musician produces work he or she does not think of each song as unrelated pieces, one better or worse than the other (think about it, do you not determine whether a book is good or otherwise by one or more chapters – the entire volume is what decides this). As such when customers can buy single tracks from iTunes the overall merit of the album, and as a result, the artist, is undermined and cut up into little pieces.

By 2010, iTunes had sold ten billion songs. Now that's success in any language.

And what was Steve Jobs' annual salary as CEO of Apple? A single dollar.

On November 5, 2009, Jobs was named the CEO of the decade by Fortune Magazine. In September 2011, Jobs was ranked at number 17 on the list Forbes: The World's Most Powerful People.

Jobs is listed as either primary inventor or co-inventor in 338 United States patents or patent applications related to a range of technologies from actual computer and portable devices to user interfaces (including touch-based), speakers, keyboards, power adapters, staircases, clasps, sleeves, lanyards and packages.

On June 29, 2007, Apple entered the cellular phone business with the introduction of the iPhone. Even more so than the iPod, this was the product that brought Apple to the next level. In a short time and in a fiercely competitive laptop and PC market, Apple made the mobile world its own.

Returning to the Syria link, Harout

Ekmanian from Aleppo hits the nail squarely on the head:

"I think claiming Steve Jobs as Syrian is an outdated idea. It is an illusion to think that people will get over their national inferiority complex by claiming famous and successful people as their natives. However, Steve's story proves one thing to me, that we are all born equal, but education, opportunities and healthy life standards makes someone a valuable person, more than our genetics."

But the secret of Apple is its innovativeness, its ability to do what every other company does, but 12 months before.

Jobs' last few months were unknown to the general public, but the damage of a terminal illness was taking its toll.

Walter Isaacson, Jobs biographer, recalls finding Jobs curled up in pain in a downstairs bedroom at his home in Palo Alto, California recently. Jobs told the writer he was too weak to climb the stairs to his old room. But, Isaacson said, "his mind was still sharp and his humor vibrant."

The new book about Jobs' life is based on more than 40 interviews with him, and scores more with family members, friends, admirers, business opponents and present and former colleagues.

Simon and Schuster, the publisher, describe Jobs as "driven by demons", a man who could drive those around him to fury and despair. He famously said being fired from Apple was the best thing that ever happened him.

"How can you get fired from a company you started?" he asked metaphorically once. He was 30 years old at the time. Who reading this article would return to a job or company they had been fired from? Very few, I would wager.

"Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published," the publishers say.

Jobs' legacy will live on probably for decades. Ten years ago, when the iPod was released, one share in Apple Corp. cost $9.42. Today that same share costs in the region of $400.

But how will Apple do in the post-Jobs period? The tablet market is hotting up with Blackberry, Samsung, Google and others biting at Apple's heels. Few dare to claim they know.

And now word is out of a movie. The rights have bought by Sony Pictures but no release date has been immediately set.

Closer to home, the Steve Jobs Entrepreneurship Award has been announced for Syrians, brainchild of technology entrepreneur Abdulsalam Haykal, publisher of Forward Magazine. More details are to follow soon on this.

Regardless of the questions of whether Jobs was Syrian or not, or whether would he have been as successful had he lived in Syria, the final point of his Stanford 2005 address stands true today.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

2001: Apple's iBook laptop changed 2002: Constantly advancing the look and efficiency of MAC2001: The first iPod 2008: Macbook Air laptop


• Born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco, California. • In 1983, Jobs lured John Sculley away from Pepsi-Cola to serve as Apple's CEO, asking him, "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?" • Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Although he dropped out after only one semester, he continued auditing classes at Reed, while sleeping on the floor in friends' rooms, returning Coke bottles for food money, and getting weekly free meals at the local Hare Krishna temple. He was stone broke. • Jobs had been a dedicated vegan ever since his teenage years. He once dated the actress Diane Keaton. • He took LSD in his early years. • He almost became a monk, wanting to live in Japan. • A biography of Steve Jobs, written by the above mentioned Walter Isaacson is out October 24. Printing of the book has been rushed forward in order to lessen the time between Jobs' death and the release of the book.

• When he died Jobs was worth about $8 billion, and he always said: "I don't want to be the richest man in the country."

Quick facts

2008: Macbook Air laptop 2010: iPhone 4 2010: Walking the red carpet 2010: iPad

"It's not too much of a stretch to call Steve Jobs the father of the modern creative class" Dave Skaff

2011: Farewell Steve Jobs.

“ Nothing could change the fact that his father came from Syria and had a pure Syrian name. In a place where family means a lot to people, the connection needs no more emphasis



Jobs' mother, Joanne Schieble, was a German-American woman who had an affair with Abdulfattah Jandali in the 1950s, when they were living in Wisconsin. Her father refused to let her marry a Syrian Muslim, forcing them to give up the baby boy for adoption in San Francisco, where he was raised by Paul and Clara Jobs, an Armenian woman who after seven years of marriage was unable to conceive.

After giving up the baby, Jandali became a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. Then he moved into the hotel industry where in 1999 he became food and beverage manager at Boomtown Hotel & Casino. He kept that post until 2010, when he became vice president of the casino.

While Jandali was making a living running roulette and poker tables, Steve Jobs was leading a very different life; taking over the world was co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Apple. When he stepped down as CEO this summer, for further treatment of his pancreatic cancer, Jandali, now 80, mailed him his complete

medical history, hoping it might help his ailing son - but Jobs still refused to speak to the man who had abandoned him 56 years ago.

Eventually, Abdulfattah Jandali and his girlfriend married, giving birth to their daughter (Steve's sister) Mona Jandali, who went on to become a celebrated novelist in her own right, known by her husband's family name, Mona Simpson. Her parents divorced when she was four, and in recent years, Simpson managed to reconnect with her father and brother, but no connection was made between Steve and his father. Mona visited Syria in 2010 where she stopped in Damascus while en route to her native Homs. She met several Syrian novelists like Khaled Khalifeh, who recalled how “proud she seemingly was of her Syrian origins.”

Speaking to the London-based al-Hayat last February, Jandali said he regretted having left his homeland Syria, and recounted stories of his university days in Beirut, where he was an ardent Arab nationalist. "If I had the chance to go back in time, I wouldn't leave Syria or Lebanon at all. I would stay in my home country

my whole life. I don't say that out of emotion but out of common sense."

He added: "Of course I miss the social life and wonderful food [in Syria], but the most important thing is the outstanding cultural attributes which in general you don't find in the West."

More recently, Jandali gave an interview to London-based The Sun, where he said: "This might sound strange, though, but I am not prepared, even if either of us was on our deathbed, to pick up the phone to call him. Steve will have to do that as the Syrian pride in me does not want him ever to think I am after his fortune. I am not. I have my own money. What I don't have is my son ... and that saddens me."

He continued: "I honestly do not know, to this day, if Steve is aware of the fact that had it been my choice, I would have loved to keep him. I live in hope that before it is too late, he will reach out to me. Even to have just one coffee with him just once would make a very happy man."

Steve Jobs never replied, and two months later, he was dead.

A family dividedDuring the years of French Mandate Syria, Abdulfattah Jandali was born to a large landowning family in the midland town of Homs in 1931. Like most affluent and ambitious Syrians of his generation, he studied at the American University of Beirut before moving to the United States to complete his higher education in the 1950s.

Abdulfattah Jandali, Steve's father Mona Simpson, Steve's celebrated sister


Steve Jobs' cousin Basma Jandaly:There will be many Steves in Syria

• You are related to Malek Jandali, a famous Syrian musician who is another cousin of Steve, and you all are successful, but live abroad. Do you feel there is something in Syria that sends its best and brightest away?

Again, Malek is another cousin with whom we grew up with in Homs. It is unfortunate that these two figures have excelled and have become well-known outside of our home nation. There are members of the Jandali’s who are extremely successful, each in his/her field in Syria. However, no one in Syria has made it to become a world celebrity. If you are asking me that the environment in Syria does not help to bring up individuals as successful as Steve and Malek or any other one, I am sorry to say that this has roots.

• Do you think that it is necessary for Syrians to travel abroad in order to become successful as is the case with so many Syrians?

All of this depends a great deal on what the environment outside Syria provide for these people to excel and become internationally known figures. There are successful people in Syria of course, but reaching the top in Syria is a very tough and challenging job. The general environment, the government and the private sector all of them do not encourage intelligent or creative individuals to follow their own ideas to completion. Even the basic requirements for excellence do not exist in many parts of Syria. This is why we can easily see that the Syrian community is one of the

most successful communities once they depart Syria. This is true in the UAE and other GCC nations and in America, Canada and elsewhere.

• In what ways do you think Steve's achievements can inspire Syrians, and Arabs in general?

This is a tough question and it really depends on how you look at it. On one hand, this may inspire some Syrian and Arab young men and women to work hard and to follow Steve’s footsteps towards success and excellence. Steve at an early age was able to establish an organization that would make miracles in a short space of time. Steve managed to lead his life and even take the lead in a nation that has the strongest economy in the world.

• What do you think of the idea of Syrians trying to 'claim' Steve as one of their own? Is this fair, or right?

Although I'm related to Steve by blood and as a Syrian and national and as a relative of Steve’s biological father, I feel proud of this, but Steve was not the fruit of a Syrian environment that helped him to succeed. This is a fact that I have to admit. We can say Steve held our genetic Syrian elements.

Such Syrian brains that work and succeed outside of Syria can make great contributions to the manpower and human potential of Syria if they are well used. Their absence also represents a great loss for Syria and the future of all Syrians. The equation is very simple:

if the Syrian government tries to make things in order in Syria, all of the Syrian expatriates will return back to help and live in their homeland.

• I'm sure your uncle, Steve's biological father, Abdulfatah, is heart-broken. How do you think he would like Steve to be remembered in Syria?

Of course, after all he is a father who has lost his son at an early age. He was well aware that Steve was dying when he and I communicated a few weeks ago. The cancer had already had an impact in Steve’s body, but the legacy of Steve will remain living and inspiring for many decades to come. I do not recall anyone who died in recent history and was as well remembered and missed as much as the case of Steve. I also think that the future will work in favor of Steve and history will become just to him. As for mewmorial of Steve, I would like to talk this with uncle Abdullatif when he visits here [UAE]. I have great ideas to keep his [Steve's] memory fresh and alive in the hearts and minds of all people, and especially Syrians.

• Are there more Steve Jobs in Syria?We have always been well known

for being inventors who can make good livings even in the harshest circumstances. And I hope that the upcoming change in Syria will pave the way for many Steves to exist and survive in Syria to serve their own Syrian compatriots and not seek life outside Syria in order to excel.

■■

Syrian journalist Basma Jandaly, a senior writer for Gulf News, is a cousin of Steve Jobs. Despite all the chaos created by his death, she took a few minutes to speak to Forward Syria about the man behind Apple. Basma Jandaly, Steve's cousin


1. Create a product with soul. Jobs proved that to create a product that customers would not just use, but love, you have to marry science with art. 2. Start small but think big. “I want to put a ding in the universe,” Jobs famously said. 3. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t build the life that someone else wants you to- Jobs’ life is a lesson in making original decisions. 4. Stick to your guns. Interviewers often said that Jobs was a tough interview- he didn’t answer their questions, but rather always said exactly what he wanted to say. 5. Find real solutions to real problems. Jobs made the claim early on that 99-cent mp3s would save the music industry. Indeed – since April 2008, the Apple iTunes Store has been the number one music vendor in the US, and by October 4, 2011, the iTunes store sold its 16 billionth song.

6. Become a market leader. Own and control the technology that you create and use, to reduce the ability for others to successfully imitate to your standards. 7. Make a product that can sell itself. Apple's advertisements were famous for simply showcasing their products. They didn't work overtime to convince you- their elegant user interface did, all on its own, by being head and shoulders above the competition. 8. Don’t listen to your customers too much. Jobs was famous for his assertion that listening to customers too much is a waste of time. You have to think on their behalf but ignore their skepticism if you’re going to create something that no one has ever seen before. 9. Live every day as though you have nothing to lose. “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose,” said Jobs. “There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

10. Look for the silver lining in failure. When Jobs was fired from Apple, he said, “I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down – that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me.” But, he realized, it was the best thing that ever happened to him, because it freed him to enter one of the most creative periods of his life, he said in his Stanford commencement speech. 11. If you love what you do, you will find a way. Jobs said that when he was fired from Apple, he thought about running away from the valley. But then he realized that he loved what he did, and the events at Apple couldn’t change that. 12. Have faith in your journey. Jobs described you can’t connect all of the dots when you look forward in time, but you can, in retrospect, see the way that pieces fall into place to bring you lessons. 13. Trust your inner voice. “Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown

Tweetable Startup Tips fromSteve Jobs

25

From Nina Curley

Those of you on Twitter and want to remember Steve Jobs might want to post the following:



out your own inner voice,” he said – following his inner voice allowed Jobs to both pivot into different projects and to innovate. 14. Be a perfectionist. We’ve all heard the stories of Jobs being an unapologetic taskmaster, to the point that he alienated some co-workers. And yet, his passion created products that speak for themselves. 15. Keep your eye on the endgame. “I don't really care about being right, you know, I just care about success,” Jobs famously said, after he was fired by Apple. Borrow ideas if you have to, but focus on the implementation, and on improving rather than the politics of business. 16. Surround yourself with talent. Although Steve stands out as the leader who made Apple what it is today, it’s a myth that he alone is responsible for Apple’s success. 17. Let simplicity reign. Jobs was famous for talking about the power of saying “no” when it came to adding bells and whistles to his products. It’s been said that choosing what not to

do was more important to him than choosing what to do. 18. Create a unified team. Jobs thought that Sony, for example, had too many divisions to create a viable iPod, iPad or iPhone competitor. “It’s not synergy that makes [Apple] work,” he said, “it's that we're a unified team." 19. Teach your company your vision. Apple hired an academic from Yale Management School to create an “Apple University” inside the company, so that his knowledge could be passed on and the structure and vision of Apple could be taught to future employees. 20. Create buzz. Apple creates a lot of hype by keeping its new products a secret until the very last minute. Although the policies of its tight ship are occasionally controversial, it seems to have incidents in which employees leave prototypes in bars fueling even more speculation on the web about the next iPhone. 21. Keep a Beginner’s Mind. “There’s a phrase in Buddhism, ‘Beginner’s mind.’ It’s wonderful to have a beginner’s mind," Jobs once said. Keep a sense of

exploration and wonder in the world. 22. Be a yardstick of quality. "Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected," said Jobs. 23. Think differently. Although the Apple stores were considered a huge risk, Jobs pushed ahead with the idea, pointing out that “innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." Apple now has over 357 stores worldwide, and in 2010 the stores earned over $3.2 billion, about 13% of total Apple sales. 24. Defy expectations – visually. At his 2008 Keynote speech, Jobs showed how the MacBook air fit into a standard office envelope, creating an image that no on could forget. 25. Stay hungry. Stay foolish. This was a phrase that Jobs saw on an issue of The Whole Earth Catalogue, a magazine he loved when he was growing up. They printed it on the back cover of their final issue, he described in his in his 2005 speech at Stanford. “I have always wished that for myself," he said.

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World Entrepreneurs Business CEOs Political Leaders Innovators Trendsetters

Guest

Sam Dalla: Was the Chinese model that good?

By Hamoud Almahmoud

Most people know Sam Dallah in his capacity as professor of law, Dean of the Higher Institute of Business Administration (HIBA) and more recently, as one of the heavyweights in the newly created Constitutional Committee. Dalla is also Chairman of the Administrative Reform Committee in Syria. “Reform” is a big word, no doubt. It has been used and abused by government authorities for years, affecting its impact on day-to-day Syrians. With good intentions and a ‘bulldozer attitude’ Dalla is focused on restoring substance to a word that is vital for any sustainable civil service.

Chairman of the Administrative Reform Committee


Forward Guest

“ Article 8 of the Syrian Constitution hinders political competitiveness„

world, prime ministers are usually appointed chair of administrative reform committees, along with his deputy and a senior minister. This was the case, for example, in Morocco, Tunisia, and Jordan. In Syria, the Prime Minister and his Deputy are onboard the committee, and of course, so am I. It needs to be a committee of technocrats, rather than politicians, who have direct access to decision-makers. Another solution, of course, would be to establish a “supervising authority” that oversees the entire civil service. Currently such an authority does not exist in Syria although we have 1.2 million civil servants throughout the bureaucracy.

• You once said that there are three levels for administrative reform. 1) Separating politics from administration 2) Changing administration behavior both in the public and private sector 3) Reducing the state’s role in economic activity. Can you tell us more, and whether these levels need to be tackled simultaneously, or come as prerequisites to one another?

It is certainly better if they move together simultaneously. In Level I, administration needs to be neutralized. It cannot take sides with one party against the other. Non-interference in politics is vital. Efficiency, rather than political affiliations, needs to be the main criteria for recruitment.

In Level II, we need to introduce rivalry and competitiveness into the work environment. The private sector mentality needs to prevail in the public one. When it does, the public sector will no longer accept financial loss, as it did for many long years. The government treasury will still need to

bankroll the public sector, but when it gets into shape, it will start generating revenue, and tax money, for the state. It will then become an asset, rather than a burden, as we find today.

Loss in state-run companies that are supposed to be profitable, like public transport, for example, is unjustifiable.

• Recently, you wrote that no economic reform is possible without political reform, and vice-versa.

This is true. I believe that politics is the universal canopy under which other policies, economic or administrative, are laid. We cannot apply economic competitiveness unless we have political competitiveness as well.

• Does Article 8 of the constitution, which designates the Baath Party as leader of “state and society,” hinder political competitiveness?

Absolutely! Reshaping the social contract between people and the government needs political competitiveness.

• Some point to the Chinese model as a perfect example of how to draw a line between politics and economics. That is a system where power is monopolized by a single party, in China’s case being the Communist Party, whereas economic competition thrives.

The question we need to answer here is whether the Chinese model created development or growth? It created growth but failed to spread social development. It was a system limited to generating billionaires, based however, on a very poor distribution of wealth. This does not mean that the Chinese Model is a positive example to follow. Additionally, we cannot compare Syria to China because we don’t match the Chinese in size, money, manpower, and experiences. Having said that, I repeat that we need to take a long hard look at the Chinese model, and ask whether it truly can be considered a success story?

■■

• Today, people are divided on what kind of economy is needed for Syria; a social market one, a socialist one, a purely capitalist one, or a combination. You singled out the market economy as basis for your work, alluding of course, to privatization. Can you assure that this approach, adopted by the Syrian government five years ago, is still underway?

Officially, the state still adopts the market economy approach. I hope this remains the case because a market economy was in itself major step forward for Syria. Withdrawing it can be risky. Meanwhile, we ought to emphasize that Syria has every right to enhance the state’s role in regularization. The state needs to regulate, for example, street peddlers and chaotic shacks that are found all over sidewalks. Those sidewalks, at the end of the day, are public property and somebody needs to prevent peddlers from opening there with no license. This is where the regulatory role of the state becomes vital. If the state wants to work in industry, or service-related sectors, it can do so under principles of the private sector: quality, speed, and cost-effectiveness. As a liberal, I do not fear privatization but I don’t think it is a good solution to the problems Syria is facing because it needs highly qualified management, which is lacking. What I have advocated, rather than privatization, is PPP (Public-Private Partnership).

• As Chairman of the Administrative Reform Committee, can you tell us more about the ‘roadmap’ for reforms underway in Syria?

In all countries, there is one ultimate authority leading administrative reform. In the US, for example, administrative reform was launched and led by Vice-President Al Gore, who raised his famed slogan: “Reinventing government.” That also applies to Great Britain during the Thatcher years, when a committee was charged with leading administrative change in the UK. In similar cases in the Arab


BusinessBanking Insurance Finance Microfinance Entrepreneurship

U-turn on Syria’s import banBy Mustapha al-Sayyed

On October 14, the Syrian government halted an import ban that it had issued just 11-days earlier. The ban, which raised eyebrows in the Syrian capital and infuriated the business community of Aleppo, was one of the worst decisions taken by the cabinet of Prime Minister Adel Safar since coming to power last April.

It all started when Adib Mayyaleh, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, issued a memo recommending a ban on importation, which transformed into a decree signed off by the Safar cabinet last September. All products with a tariff that exceeds 5% will simply no longer enter the Syrian market. On Thursday, September 22 the law went into effect. That meant businessmen could no longer import cars, electronics,

clothes, foodstuff, or anything broadly classified as a “luxury item.” The reason, explained the Minister of Economy Nidal Shaar, was to “preserve” Syria’s foreign reserves, adding that the ban was “only temporary.” Previously, the government said that Syria’s reserves stand at a strong $18 billion. Clearly from the ban, however, that number was largely inflated and people wondered it were accurate.


Imports after all are paid in US dollars and Euro, and both currencies were in sharp decline at Syrian banks. Additionally, the Syrian Pound has faced strong pressure, both internally and abroad, making it lose 10% of its exchange rate to foreign currencies. US and EU sanctions have also hit the Syrian economy badly, targeting heavyweight businessmen and the oil sector. Over 90% of Syria’s oil products, after all, are sold to the EU. As if all of the above was not enough to badly shake the Syrian economy, the decision to ban imports came as a severe blow. Automatically, most imported products on the market, suddenly becoming a rare commodity, rose in price by approximately 20%. Tuna, sardines, and other canned food, for example, rose by a staggering 30-35%. Imported Chinese clothes rose by 40%. Traders reasoned that this would be their very last sale, and wanted to maximize profit from it. Many drew parallels between now and the socialist policies of the 1980s, when imports were also banned during the cabinet of Prime Minister Abdul Raouf al-Kassem.

Syria in 2011 is more exposed, more connected to the outside world, and more media savvy than Syria in the 1980s. Consumer behavior has changed since Bashar al-Assad came to power 11 years ago, and so has the tolerance of Syrian businessmen. The relative comfort and empowerment they have enjoyed for more than a decade makes it very difficult for the state to dictate ultimatums on them anymore, as it did in the 1980s. Additionally, EU and US banking restrictions now make it impossible for Syrians to receive or make transactions in hard currency. Even Lebanese banks have informed their Syrian clients that because of the sanctions, they can only make transactions related to “living expenses” and not for business profit. MasterCard, Visa, and American Express have all since stopped working in Syria. Nevertheless, businessmen stood firm, complaining, yet surviving. Now they feel that the regime is no longer on their side, adding to their misery rather than working to provide them relief from EU sanctions.

Four days after the ban was issued, the Aleppo Chamber of Commerce met with Khaled Saluta, the Assistant Minister of Economy, where its heavyweights gave him a piece of their mind. The conversation was tough, loud, and agitated, with Aleppine businessmen furious at being stood up in such a manner, despite their unwavering loyalty to the regime. The import ban, they said, “will

inflict great harm on the economy, and have grand moral and financial consequences.” With one voice, the Aleppo Chamber asked the government to revoke the ban, or temporarily freeze it for a grace period of 60-days. They also asked for the Arab Free Trade Zone to be exempted from the ban, so that imports could still be made from the Arab world, where customs are only 1%. Within a week, the Ministry came out with a list of 51 exemptions to the original ban, hoping that this would please the angry business community. Authorities said that other exemptions were on the way, stressing that the ban will not last “for more than 6-months.” The first list of exemptions included mass transportation vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, elevators, in addition to medical equipment, fish, and other meat products.

Market prices did not return to normal, however, despite the public assurances and exemption list. The Damascus merchants also went into a fit, arguing that the import ban would also encourage smuggling from neighboring countries. Meaning, Syrian and foreign currencies would also get smuggled, leading to a great loss in customs fees marked to enter the treasury, pressures of inflation on the exchange rate, and a drop in the SP’s value in the black market. Businessmen also argued that Syrian companies had paid dearly to obtain a franchise for international brands, paying millions to set up outlets while marketing products on international standards. All of those companies, designer brands like Versace, electronic brands like LG, and automobile companies like Mazda, for example, would now all have to shut down, and lay of thousands of workers. Even industry would suffer from the ban, they argued, claiming that it would lose its competitive edge in the local market and reduce itself into producing low quality products which would sell, nevertheless, because of no alternative in Syria. Protecting the national economy, they said, cannot be done through closed markets.

And the Minister said...Speaking to Forward Syria after the import ban was lifted on October 4, Economy Minister Shaar said, “The ministry has noted the negative impact of the import ban. After studying the market, we reported our findings to the Cabinet of Ministers. The decision has been annulled in response to the myriad of requests coming from all Syrians.” Objection was much higher than expected, he added, remarkably claiming that “consumption and production were both harmed by the import ban.” Shaar, who came to office just last April, added, “We decided to resort to other alternatives in order to maintain Syria’s reserves of foreign currencies. The alternative is to cut back on financing private sector imports by the Central Bank of Syria. The only products that will still be bankrolled by the Central Bank are those needed for industry, along with basic commodities for day-to-day citizens. The new decision will make foreign currencies available, which in turn, will stabilize the SP. It will also give freedom to businessmen who will maintain their imports without monopoly or price increase.” According to the Minister, businessmen will be asked to finance their imports from their own savings.”

Economy Minister Shaar

“ Consumer behavior has changed since Assad came to power 11 years ago, and so has the tolerance of Syrian businessmen.


Start-up

An e-map of Syria, signed by

Anas SankarAnas Sankar looks like just any other Arab student at Edinburgh Business School, where he is currently doing his MBA. He

is young, fresh, ambitious—and more. The 34-year old is on a role, busy establishing his own business back home in Syria,

aimed at upgrading the country’s lagging tourism industry. It all boils down to the first virtual map of Damascus, the world’s

oldest and continuously inhabited city, which Sankar co-created for his pioneer project, www.welcometosyria.net

• Promoting Syria on the Internet is not new; it started back in 1996 with a similar project launched by website designer Sahban Abd Rabbo entitled, www.visit-syria.com. Today, fifteen years later, you have come up with a similar, yet totally different concept. Tell us more.

Information technology (IT) is expanding

rapidly across the world, and is playing an

ever greater role in all industries, tourism

included. My friend and colleague Tarek

Deeb and I decided to develop a project

that would further merge and integrate

tourism and IT. As a result, we established

a website covering the country’s tourism

industry, launching it in March 2010. It

included specialized zones for specific

tourism ‘genres:’ therapeutic, religious,

historic, and natural site-seeing tourism.

The site also contained an e-map of

Damascus, the first of its kind in Syria. The

e-map was launched in November 2010.

We have plans to create fifteen e-maps for

Syria’s 14 governorates, and for the ancient

city of Palmyra. The target is to integrate

Syria into the world tourism map and to

present a good image on the world stage.

The site’s mission is to provide e-marketing

and e-advertising solutions to all parties in

the Syrian tourism and hospitality sector

by helping them reach-out, connect and

communicate with their consumers.

• What was the biggest challenge in starting up a groundbreaking site and how do sponsor and finance the project?

The major obstacle was, and remains,

bureaucracy and red-tape. For example,

in October 2010 we requested permission

from the Tourism Ministry to publish a map

of Syria. Today more than one year later, we

still have not heard from them. We wanted

to distribute this map free-of-charge, as

a handy resource for tourists. Another

obstacle was to get private or governmental

sponsorship for our project. We presented

our project to the Syrian Computer Society,

which offered us incubation services in

April 2010, within the group’s Information

and Communication Technology (ICT)

Incubator. We got free office space, and

facilities, for our work. The rest of the

money, however, came from our own

savings. We began to make some money

from online advertising and subscriptions.

Subscribers would get a ‘pin’ (or landmark)

from tourist attractions, flagged on the

website. This service allows for easy

location of our customers on the e-map.

Today, we have fewer than 100 pins online.

• Tourism doesn’t seem to be the most recommended sector in Syria these days. It has slipped from one low to another since the current crisis started last March. How has your business in e-tourism been affected by the ongoing disturbances? The tourism industry, no doubt, was

badly hit by the current crisis. Foreign

tourists almost disappeared from the

Syrian landscape, forcing the Tourism

Ministry to launch a campaign promoting

“internal tourism.” Meaning: tourism

for Syrians within Syria. As a result, we

began focusing on promoting domestic

holidays for Syrians. We allowed, for

example, customers to download, for free,

all maps, data, and information from our

site onto their mobile phones. We tried

to provide online hotel booking but this

was stopped because of the uprising.

Welcometosyira.com will be a results-driven

marketing firm and our comprehensive

range of e-advertising solutions will have

an important role to play, no matter how

harsh the prevailing market conditions.

The reduced number of tourists should

force all tourism companies to re-evaluate

their services and start looking for new and

creative ways to attract tourists.

■■


CultureExhibitions Lifestyle Fashion Music

By Stephen Starr

Maurice Nseiri is one of the many lost treasures of Damascus, now living in the Diaspora. A native of Talee al-Fidda, a mixed Muslim-Christian-Jewish quarter in the Old City, he spoke to Forward Syria from his new home in Canada about the history of Jewish metalwork and crafts that once flourished in Damascus. Nseiri shatters all misconceptions about Syrian Jews burning all bridges behind them, not wanting to look back to their countries of origins. Despite the long years, he remains proudly Syrian. Despite the nostalgia for Damascus, Nseiri is angry—to say the least—at how the craft of metal and brass work has died in the very same city where it flourished, not too far ago.

Maurice NseiriA brilliant Jewish craftsman from Damascus

Maurice Nseiri, during the good old days in Damascus


CultureCulture

Much of the literature on Syria’s Jewish community has focused on politics in the 20th century. In reality, however, there is so much to be said about the community’s contributions to Syrian society, starting with politics, where Jewish politicians were always active in Syrian parliamentary life, onto music, dance, and art in all its forms. One of the Jewish community’s unique signatures, no doubt, can be found on metalwork and craftsmanship.

The craft of copper and brass making in Damascus originally came from the Mamluk Dynasty in Egypt, he explained to Forward Syria, during the years 1250-1517. The Egyptian trade took a turn toward commercialism, however, when due to high market demand, products were made according to previously successful designs, rather than innovation. This plague, little did they know, would soon eventually reach Damascus as well. As the craft declined in Egypt, however, it flourished rather rapidly in Damascus. City notables and aristocrats developed an overnight interest in the craft, using its pieces to decorate their mansions and offices. At this time, engraved metal pieces were almost the only form of decoration one could find for his home, laying the ground for a richer and more sophisticated technique that soon emerged in Damascus. True to its origin, it was coined “Damascening,” or adding life to any metalwork through silver plates and wires.

"I credit the success of all the pieces I have both designed and produced directly to the artwork bequeathed to us from the Mamluk period. They were not just brilliant craftsmen, but masters of design as well," says Maurice Nseiri.

A simple way to distinguish a metalwork piece created by Jewish craftsmen in Damascus from any other in the region, he adds, is to “look closely at the details.” Design

and engravings, after all, were by far more detailed in the works of Syrian Jewish craftsmen. "The types of pieces produced by workers outside the Jewish community were utilitarian items for daily use like coffee pots, trays, and so forth. On the other hand, pieces produced by the Jewish community were more ornamental in nature," he says. "Another major difference is technique, where when working with brass or copper, Jewish craftsmen had to apply plenty of physical pressure on the material, to get fine detail."

Many steps are required to produce fine metalwork, explains Nseiri. Step one is produce a hand-drawing of how it should look like, using delicate Chinese ink. Second comes the engraving, using “very hard and very fine tools made out of steel.” Third, craftswomen are called in for the inlays of silver. That silver, he adds, needs to be made out of strands one millimeter thick, inlaid next to each other. The piece then goes back to another craftsman, where much of the finer engraving gets done, namely atop the silver. A mix of ingredients was needed to produce top quality artwork, adds Nseiri. Sheets of copper and brass were imported from Italy, Yugoslavia

and other countries. The silver was mostly old jewelry from Damascus itself, melted and refined into a purity level of 0.995. Any lower grade of purity, he adds, “would simply not work because it would break during the inlaying process.”

Currently the Old City of Damascus is filled with metal ornaments, selling for a variety of prices. Dangling from shop walls outside stores in Bab Sharki and elsewhere these pieces of metalwork anger Nseiri, to say the least. They lack detail, he explains, “and heart.” The Jewish community, based in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, has largely left the country—and the trade, making it difficult to supervise and control what kind of products reach end-users. Instead of copper and brass shops in the Jewish quarter of Damascus, all we can find are shabby homes, restaurants, and boutique hotels.

"The soul of any artwork is how different parts of the arrangements come together and create something that is both pleasing and attractive to the eye," believes Nseiri. The arrangement of ornamentation, the proper use of Arabic calligraphy, and the distribution of color, are all components of how attractive—

Samples of fine Damascene artwork


and expensive—a piece of art really is. The future of this truly invaluable cultural trade, a symbol of Damascene history, is in jeopardy. Demand for this kind of metalwork, he adds, is extremely low.

In early 1940s, many people both understood and respected the trade. They had the vision and decency to keep it alive in the old alleys of Damascus. One of them was notably Maurice’s father, Sion Nseiri.

"Sion had a real love and belief in this art. While most in this trade moved on to other professions, or moved out of the country, Sion always said that it would be a

great shame for the trade to die in Damascus. He fought for years to keep it alive without any help," he added nostalgically.

It was in 1965, when Maurice took over his father's workshop and adopted the same philosophy, explaining why the art form survived, rather difficultly and sluggishly, for yet another generation.

Outside Damascus, there was some production of brass and copper in cities like Aleppo and Homs. That was very different from Damascene art, he explained, somehow unhappy at the comparison. He explained that these works relied more on primitive

“ Nobody from this trade stayed behind in Syria. All of them moved to other countries, and other professions „


techniques with very little fine detail. "You can take the famous Damascus jasmine flower and plant it anywhere in the world, but it never smells as beautiful as one from the soil of Damascus," he laments.

A twist of modernity to an ancient craft

The biggest breakthrough in his work, says Maurice, happened between 1980 and 1994 when he decided to take on a new approach to the whole industry by combining ancient art with modern design. He says this revolutionized the whole profession.

"Not every home had a traditional Damascene décor” he explained excitedly. “The idea of a coffee table made with brass inlaid with silver and very traditional engraving, all of which went along with the décor of a modern home, was unheard of in Damascus. The idea for an entire door, made from brass and inlayed with silver, also did not exist.” For sharp observers, these doors can still be found at the gates of churches and synagogues in Damascus. Maurice's work is

on display at hotels around the city. In many homes of renowned families in Damascus, one can see this incorporation of modern design along with pieces of Damascene art.

When asked if he keeps in touch with those he worked with during his days in Damascus, his answer is curt.

"Sadly, nobody from this trade stayed behind in Syria. All of them moved to other countries, and other professions. Having said, those who immigrated to the US found no appreciation for this artwork. The real sad part of the story is that they did not just pack up their material belongings on the planes from Damascus; they also packed up a piece of the city’s history, culture and art. That art is now lost.”

"There are still people still working in this trade. Some of them are in Egypt, but from what I have witnessed, all they do is copy pieces from the past, while excluding the fine detail, substituting, for example, silver inlaying with aluminum. It may look the same to the untrained eye, but it makes a mockery of the real

art that was. I really do not believe there is a bright future for this profession; this is not an art you can just learn."

The reason the metalwork trade developed to the high level it had reached is because it was "bred into the soul of each individual;" it was passed on from father to son over many generations, says Maurice. "To really be able to create and understand this art you have to be raised in the old quarters of Damascus. There are stories with every design of a window, arches, ceilings, door or door handle in the Old City. There is a spirit that is Damascus that you just cannot teach; you have to live it to understand."

According to Maurice, one of the best examples in the expertise of Damascene art is Ghayas Akhras.

"I worked with him for a long time. In every piece I produced, I always tried to keep true to the legacy and heritage of real Damascene art. He insisted that all the brass work for the People’s Palace in Damascus, being the Syrian Presidential Palace, should be done by me. We worked together on designs and we were able to produce true masterpieces that were worthy of the Palace. We also worked on a number of projects together in Morocco and Saudi Arabia," says Maurice.

In Canada, Maurice finds appreciative audiences hard to come by. "Westerners do not appreciate this art. The people that really appreciate it are the Syrian people, and those from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf region, Lebanon, Algeria and Morocco," he states.

Maurice holds little hope of returning to Syria. "It is very hard to return home after so many years. Sham (as Damascus is named in Arabic) is my lover, and always will be."

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CultureCulture

“ Nseiri: Leaving Damascus was as painful as departing from one’s soul „

Nseiri's shop in Damascus back in the 1980s


Sleeping in the perfect place!The Grand Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo

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Face of the Future

Joelle ChamiWhen brains, vision, and character coalesce into one person, chances are that he/she will have a very successful career. That was exactly the case when it came to young businesswoman Joelle Chami, who although still at Stage I, strongly commands “all of the above.” Not only that, she comes from a well-seasoned business family, with her mother being a heavyweight industrialist and cosmetics manufacturer in Syria. A few years back, the young Chami launched “Sweet & Flower” boutique in the heart of the Syrian capital. Schooled at the French school then groomed at the American University of Beirut, where she studied landscape design and eco-management, Chami spoke to Forward Syria about her short—yet noteworthy—business story.

A young woman who knows where she stands and sees clearly where she is heading

Five Minutes withJoelle Chami:

What is your favorite time of the day:? It actually depends on whenever

I finish a particular event, and get

positive feedback about my work. It

is not related to a particular time of

day. At home, it’s when I find time for

myself, to sit back and relax, doing

things that I enjoy.

Roses are very symbolic and special flower that have been admired extensively for centuries. What does a rose mean to you? For me, roses have different meanings,

depending on their color. For example,

the white rose represents purity and

innocence; red means love, beauty and

passion; pink represents gratitude and

appreciation; and yellow represents

friendship, joy and happiness.

How would you describe your personality? I am a very independent person,

serious, determined, ambitious, patient

and yet easy going. What about your personal dream? My dream is to build a very good

reputation and career, and to expand

my business regionally and abroad.

Like everybody else in town, you surely must have been affected by the ongoing crisis in Syria, now entering its 8th month. Has the crisis hit the flower business as well?Well, given the current situation, work has indeed decreased significantly. From time to time, we still have small events taking place, but that is certainly not enough to allow me to achieve my goal. Additionally, introducing new items into the boutique is on-hold, for the time being, because of the crisis.

Wedding planning is a far cry from your mother’s business legacy in cosmetics. It is a similar, yet very different, career path.

I began my career working at a flower nursery, which was originally established by my father. Its main purpose was to grow and distribute cut flowers in the Syrian market. Since I was not too interested in the agricultural side of the business, I decided to introduce new design-related activities, like wedding planning. Three years later, in December 2009, I opened my own boutique and started focusing on basket arrangements. One reason behind it was to set up base inside the city because clients were having a hard time traveling 30 minutes outside of Damascus to meet at our original premises. At one point, I would meet them at cafes, which looked rather unprofessional, and send samples of my work to their homes. I chose to open “Sweet & Flower” so as not to turn off potential clients, and run the high risk of losing existing ones.

It must be difficult coming up with ideas for flower arrangements when most flower designers and shops in Syria have a very clear “copy and paste” policy. It lacks innovation but simply repeats designs that proved to be successful in the past.

I buy lots of magazines and books to see what the outside world is doing in

terms of flower design. I get inspired by the work of others, both domestically and internationally. In addition, whenever I have the chance to travel I visit flower boutiques, attend fairs, and sometimes workshops. All of them are a great source for inspiration.

Syrian society loves to decorate weddings with flowers, but often, they are neatly arranged in the same manner that they have been for decades, on the grooms’ car, at the doorstep of his bride, along the staircase they descend on, etc. Have you tried to change any of that, and if so, any luck?

It certainly was a challenge to change the mentality of some people, but often, when clients see a final result, despite all previous grumbling, they nod in approval, impressed by what they have been shown.

They say every person knows what the secret behind his/her success is. Some attribute it to the stars. Others to people around them. What is the ‘secret’ behind Joelle Chami’s success, to date?

Hard work and originality in terms of design. Those two traits earned me what is vital: customer trust. I don’t think, however, that I have achieved my goals in life. I am still way behind my aspirations, but I am still young and have an entire future ahead of me.

“ I chose to open “Sweet & Flower” so as not to turn off potential clients, and run the high risk of losing existing ones.


In Syria We Trust

Nader Kabbani:Development policies continue despite the crisis

Since its founding a few years back, the Syria Trust for Development has become a magnet for well-achieved Syrians in the Diaspora. Nader Kabbani, the director of the Development Research Center at the Trust, is one of them. Prior to returning to Syria, Kabbani had taught at the Faculty of Economics at the American University of Beirut. The John Hopkins-trained Professor spoke to Forward Syria about civil society and development.

● Can you tell our readers a little about the centre and its link to The Syria Trust for Development?

The centre was established in 2007 as a service division of The Syria Trust for Development, providing research and evaluation support to its divisions: FIRDOS, SHABAB, Rawafed and Massar. Our mandate from the beginning was to evolve into a full-fledged research centre with our own projects. We achieved this status in 201o, when a majority of our projects became externally funded. We then renamed our division The Syrian

Development Research Centre. The research centre has a strong

team of eight centre staff and seven project staff. Currently, we are completing a National Poverty Report in partnership with the Central Bureau of Statistics and the FAFO Institute in Norway. We just completed the 2009 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report (available on our website, www.syriatrust.org/research), a joint project with the Syrian Young Entrepreneurs Association and funding from Canada’s International Development Research Centre. We

also just completed the first phase of a Youth Attitudes Survey in partnership with the Central Bureau of Statistics, UNFPA, UNICEF, and the Population Council’s regional office in Cairo. ● Most of your projects seem to involve international and national partners. Is that necessary? Also, why does Syria need research centers like yours; what can they add?

Development is a global effort. The Millennium Development Goals, for example, represent a global

The director of the Development Research Center at the Syria Trust for Development

commitment to eradicating poverty, with each country playing its part. Furthermore, sharing experiences is a two-way street. Our Youth Attitudes Survey benefited from the Population Council’s experience in conducting the 2009 Survey of Young People in Egypt. In return, the Population Council plans to include some of the questions we developed in their follow-up survey planned for April 2012. We learn from each other’s experience to improve our own work.

The same can be said for government policies. It is useful to know that Jordan has achieved impressive improvements in educational outcomes and to learn which policies drove this success. Likewise, it is important to share the fact that Syria experienced the largest drop in youth unemployment rates in the region between 2001 and 2010 and why this was the case. Research Centers like ours track these changes and analyze the reasons behind them in order to draw out recommendations that can help policymakers and NGOs develop better policies and programs.

Collaborating with international organizations and national counterparts allows us to become a bridge that pulls international knowledge and experience into the local context and promotes Syria’s experience abroad. The fact that we are a non-profit, non-governmental organization helps ensure that we remain unbiased in our analysis and recommendations.

● Can you tell us more about your Youth Attitudes Survey?

The Youth Attitudes Survey was initiated because of a lack of data

about youth transitions from school to work and family formation, including information that would allow us to better understand how young people were making decisions and why. For example, we know that only 5% of young people in Syria engage in volunteer activities; but, we do not know whether this is due to lack of opportunities or lack of interest. Also, we know that young people prefer public sector jobs. However, it is not clear whether this is because of the pull of public sector pay and benefits or the push of perceived work conditions in the private sector.

The project will help put into perspective the factors that facilitate or hinder young people in their transitions over their life span. The goal is to inform evidence-based policies and programs that will help support young people’s transitions. So far, we have completed an extensive review of the literature and an analysis of focus group interviews with the Youth Commission for Volunteers.

● How can your centre work under the current situation in Syria?

Trying to undertake relevant work during the current crisis has been difficult. However, today it is more important than ever to support efforts to help people become more empowered, engaged, and informed, such as supporting civil society’s role, encouraging fact-based dialogue, building conflict resolution capacities, and integrating research into policy making.

As a development organization, we take a long-term approach to our work and most of our projects are multi-year efforts. Many of the studies that we are completing now began well before the crisis. We are adjusting our projects to align to current circumstances and make them more responsive. The Youth Attitudes Survey is a case in point. We included some questions on the survey of relevance to the current context and tested them to see if people were willing to participate and respond. We found that young people were quite eager to participate and share their opinions. Indeed, one of the preliminary findings of the survey was that 97% of young people said that they did not have the opportunity to express themselves freely at home and 98% said that they did not have the opportunity to express themselves freely at school or at work. Thus, the issue of young people’s voice and participation is not restricted to the public sphere, but private spheres as well. This is an issue we all need to work on.

● What are your plans for 2012?

We are planning to work with other civil society organizations to hold a conference at the beginning of next year. We also hope to conduct the Youth Attitudes and Adult Population Surveys as planned in 2012. It has also become clear that the culture of using research to inform policy and program development is weak. Within our own organization, research output is not used as much as it could be in designing programs.

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“ Only 5% of young Syrians engage in volunteer activities. We don't know whether this is due to lack of opportunities or lack of interest „


The last wordThe Last Word

Why your prayer matters

Whether we like it or not, political developments have strongly affected people’s daily life, especially at a social level, since mid-March. Because of that, and very unfortunately, Syrians today are broadly classified into two categories, based on their political views. Yes, it is either you are “with” or “against” the regime. This attitude has triggered plenty of tension throughout all social strata and succeeded in ending even the closest of relationships. The tendency now is to quickly bash the other whenever they seem to have a different political opinion, about political reforms, armed groups, or Syria’s standing with its neighbors and the international community. This is widely witnessed everyday in the virtual global world Syrians are experiencing through social networks like Twitter and Facebook. That is a privilege that even the shyest and most intimidated people seem to have broken into, allowing them to surpass boundaries and indulge themselves in aggressive conversations. It

is an endless war between the “with” and the “against,” full of a sudden outburst of both hatred and rage. It is really sad how one status posted on a Facebook wall can provoke hundreds of insulting comments; without mentioning how easily one can block or “delete friends” whenever they disagree on a political opinion. Sitting alone behind our screens may give us the courage to break the ice with strangers around the universe, but it shouldn’t justify lifting the basic rules of having a polite, respectful, and civilized political conversation.

The old proverb says: “Walls have ears.” It should now say that “Walls on Facebook not only have ears, but eyes as well!” That is why Syrians should be aware of the fact that when this whole mess is over, their eyes won’t forget what was written on those walls. They will always remember the offensive words used against them and they may not be able to forgive. That is when it will become too difficult for

society to reunify itself—a time when it won’t really matter if people are with or against the regime. It is true that we all have our own opinion, and that in theory, we can still live together harmoniously despite our differences. The irony is that both parties demand basically the same reforms, built upon the same core values. They both want protection and security for their children, both are seeking justice, and both seek a better tomorrow for Syria.

As the dispute gets more heated, there are other issues that need to be questioned. Would the solution be to believe that politics in Syria is a sensitive untouchable taboo that no one should try to approach? Would it be to start confessing that we all badly need to be trained on how to stay civilized enough to respect our disagreements? Wouldn't it be a great achievement if we were to embrace our differences and learn how to listen and when to stop talking? Regardless of any political view, religion or belief, the truth is that we were and will always be the pillars of our country. We are the ones that form this nation despite our diversity. In fact, it is this very diversity that makes Syria special and unique. All what we are doing now is letting down our country by messing up with its legacy and by making our children lose faith in us. It seems that we are in an urgent need for a law that obliges love and tolerance to be taught and learned at an early age. Yes, it is time we rise above everything and pride ourselves of living together in peace. Let us foster our citizenship, promote awareness, and shake hands to befriend each other once again so our own country itself won’t abandon us.

Please keep in mind that we all live in the same country. We all seek peace, and justice. We all fight to feel free and equal. Now more than ever, I want you all to join me with a simple prayer for our country. I don’t want to dictate the words. Each of you can have their own special version. We won’t know which prayer will be answered first, but perhaps, it imight be yours.

God bless our Syria.

Dina Nabhan is a researcher and editor at the League of Arab States

By Dina Nabhan

Unlike other controversial issues, Syrian politics seems to have its own code of ethics and values; one that currently keeps us restless at all times. Perhaps this is because of the old Machiavellian theory that says; “ends do justify the means.” That in itself is a theory that will forever remain questionable. Or maybe it might be because we should accept politics as they are, for all their worth, with all their faults.

forward syria - november 2011

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