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...
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
***
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...
In this second part of the interview with Damascus University professor Maamoun Abdulkarim, Professor Maamoun speaks about Syria's 'mosaic', exemplified by his own family. The interview was conducted in a Damascus cafe on 22 September 2019.
When he was director general of antiquities and museums during the worst years of the war in Syria, Professor Maamoun believes his innate understanding...
by Susan Dirgham, 25 April 2020
Krak des Chevaliers, 2008
Syrians and Australians
On a crisp winter’s morning in December 2008, a group of La Trobe University students began their tour of Syria with a visit to the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Damascus, where 307 Australian defence personnel from both world wars are buried.
Kurt, an Australian Army officer, who at that time led...
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...
Article by Rasha Milhem
22 April 2020
Above image: Church in Daraa, empty of its congregation for the Orthodox Easter Sunday service because of COVID-19 restrictions. (Ref: SANA, Christian denominations in Syria that follow Eastern calendar celebrate Easter)
Only international solidarity and cooperation among States can slow down and eventually defeat the common enemy
Professor Dr Alfred de Zayas
Syria’s Minister of Health, Nizar...
‘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...
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...
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...
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...
