CRDC Field Experience in Syria: Lessons in Human Regard and Civility

In January, a team of eighteen students from six universities participated in ICAR’s first CONF 713, Reflective Practice field experience through an eight day citizen diplomacy trip to Damascus, Syria. The team was led by CRDC Director Dr. Marc Gopin and supported on the ground by his Syrian counterpart Ms. Hind Kabawat.

With a rigorous syllabus and a packed itinerary, the team engaged shopkeepers, entre- preneurs, artists, academics, and high-ranking government officials, as well as the new US Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford. However, the highlight of the trip was a meeting with Syria’s First Lady, Asma Al-Assad. In a two-hour conversation revolving primarily around youth and civil society Mrs. Al-Assad came across as gracious, intelligent, articulate, and engaging. Three important lessons emerged from the exchange that are salient, not only for the region, but for US society as well.

First, tolerance is a low standard for human relationships and this can be attested to by anyone who has ever been tolerated. According to Mrs. Al-Assad, while Muslims constitute the religious majority, they do not simply seek tolerance or even coexistence with Christians and Jews. In Mrs. Al-Assad’s view Syrian Muslims hold a much deeper bond with members of the other Abrahamic faiths because each is an inte- gral part of Syria’s history and culture.

Using the body as a metaphor, Mrs. Al-Assad pointed to the absurdity of a “coexistence” orientation by asking if the right arm simply tolerates the existence of the left leg or if it regards it as part of the whole. The hand, she explained, never expects the foot to change or deny its form or function. Rather, it is grateful for and relies upon its association.

Second, “The youth of the region need to have a legitimate role in civil society.” To this Mrs. Assad added that any effort to support the region’s youth must include engaging them directly, and respectfully eliciting their needs and creative ideas for their futures. The wisdom of this insight has proven to be almost prophetic when considering events in countries across the Middle East this month.

Third, “You are welcome here.” This is a common phrase in Syria and Mrs. Assad expanded on it as she spoke of the plight of more than a million displaced Iraqis who fled to Syria as a consequence of military operations in their homeland. “They are not refugees,” she insisted, explaining that while they are in Syria they are cared for as Syrians not as immigrants. “If they can return home one day we will celebrate with them, until then, Syria is their home.”

Syrians maintain that one can trace the beginnings of civilization to Damascus. Certainly, these lessons, offered with eloquence against the vivid backdrop of a rich and hospitable cultural exchange, beg reflection on our own capacity for civility and human regard, personally, domesti- cally, and on a global scale.    ■