The article below was first published by Pearls and Irritations, 15 December 2022
In September 2003, I started teaching English at the British Council in Damascus. Over eighty years before that, my grandfather had been in Syria’s capital with Australia’s 8th Light Horse Regiment when the British were claiming victory over Turkish forces.
What took my grandfather to Syria was an...
The Statement below can be sourced from the Office of the High Commissioner, United Nations Human Rights, 10 Nov 2022:
UN expert calls for lifting of long-lasting unilateral sanctions ‘suffocating’ Syrian people
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النتائج الأولية التي قدّمتها المقررة الخاصة المعنية بالتأثير السلبي للعقوبات أحادية الجانب على التمتع بحقوق الإنسان الأستاذة الدكتورة ألينا دوهان بعد الانتهاء من زيارتها
إلى الجمهورية العربية السورية
دمشق في 10...
Below is an extract only. For the full statement, please go to the press release from the Office of the High Commissioner, United Nations Human Rights, 10 Nov 2022:
UN expert calls for lifting of long-lasting unilateral sanctions ‘suffocating’ Syrian people
Preliminary findings of the visit to the Syrian Arab Republic by the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral...
The article below was first published by Pearls and Irritations, 11 August 2023
Returning to Syria in 2019, I visited a private girls high school in Damascus, close to where I used to work. Open to students from all faith backgrounds, Dar Al Salam School had once been a church and a home for nuns. In the years that I...
Australians for Reconciliation and Truth Towards Syria (ArttS)
To secure a sustainable, equitable world – one without war – the work of peace-building, truth-telling and reconciliation will be critical. At the core of that work will be deep listening.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an opportunity for Australia to become a more inclusive and mature nation. Using both heart...
Below are extracts from interviews that appeared in 'Beloved Syria', Second Edition, 2017
How do you recognise that someone is Syrian?
Definitely, Syrians are famous for their good treatment and nice welcome for guests or even for strangers. Syrians are collaborative people; they love to help others and defend them if they are their friends. They are characterised as being loyal...
‘Beloved Syria’ is honoured to present this beautiful documentary featuring the Gardenia Choir, a women’s choir based in Syria which has performed both in Syria and abroad.
At the start of the film, the choir sings 'Barcarolle' from Jacques Offenbach's ‘The Tales of Hoffman’, a song that must be familiar to tens of thousands of choir members and opera lovers...
Part 2: Tima Kurdi, author of ‘The Boy On The Beach’ (Simon & Schuster, 2018), speaks to Sarah Nachar and Susan Dirgham about:
Women in Syria
COVID-19 and Sanctions on Syria
Syria - Our Good-Hearted Mother
Women In Syria Today
Tima describes the dramatic changes that have taken place since she grew up in Syria, when women mainly stayed at home...
This video message to Australian members of parliament (MPs) was recorded in Madam Janset Kazan's office, Damascus, 21 September 2019. Captions were added by Sarah Nachar, and Rana Alkhayrat and Rasha Milhem translated the interview with Madam Janset.
In this country, we believe in all religions, so we took the concept of forgiveness and reconciliation from all the religions that...
Beit Jabri is one of many remarkable family homes in the lanes of old Damascus that have opened their doors to the public: they may have become boutique hotels or more humble abodes for international students or backpackers. Others, like Beit Jabri, have become cafe-restaurants that offer the delights of the Damascene cuisine.
Sitting at one of the tables in...
