IN MICHIGAN
18/12/2003
Mr. Naji Arwashan :
Thank you all for coming tonight. It is very my pleasure to see all of you. Special thanks and recognition to the members of the diplomatic court; the active and the retired one. Also to our religious leaders Imam Qzweeny and Imam Mardini who supposed to be with us tonight, but for some reasons they are not with us now. And also thanks to the different representative of different organizations. Tonight event is truly Syrian community event. And this is wouldn't possible without the help and the support of many Syrian organizations in our area as well as the support of many activists in our Syrian community. I would like personally to thank Asabca for the role it played in supporting this event, also I would like to thank our friends from Nama and our friends from Anarber, from Toledo and from Flence who are all with us tonight.
Over this last two years, many times I was in social parties, and many times many of you approached me: last night in the CNN, we saw an interview with a lady form Syrian Foreign Ministry. She was so fluent, strong argument, so convincing. Do you know her?? Do you know who she is?? She is Dr. Bouthaina Sha’aban. She is the star of the Syrian new administration, and she is the image of the new model of Syria. Actually, I was pleasurable to be with her during her trip to the USA. Syrian dialogue that took place in Huston and Damascus. I saw Dr. Sha’aban in action. She was leading the Syrian delegation. She was calling for the strength of the dialogue with the American counterpart. So, Dr. Bouthaina we are proud of you. And we were very pleased when we learnt one two month ago that you are instructed with the Affairs of Expatriates, our affairs. We are sure that you would be a Minster who makes the difference.
Well Dr. Bouthaina you are very welcomed in Michigan. I am glad that Michigan is the last station in your US tour, a tour of ten days, and I am very glad with this station in the Michigan , because in this way, hopefully, we can say ختامها مسك . It is the end of you U.S. tour, but I am sure that it is only the beginning of our constructive dialogue with the Syrian government. Before I give you the speech allow me to give you a brief highlight of you career. Dr. Sha’aban obtained her Ph. D. in the English Literature from Warwich University, the United Kingdom. She is currently a professor at the University of Damascus in the department of English Literature. She was a Fulbright color at Huke University in 1997. Her mode position before she was coming as the Minster of Expatriates director of media relations at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Sha’aban is a well known academic, scholar, writer, journalist and politician. She has a log list of publications; both in Arabic and in English including atheists, articles and books. She is also a public speaker who has given a long series of speeches in Syria, the United States, England and the Arab world. In addition to her politician and media career Dr. Sha’aban is known in the Arab world for the advocacy of women’s rights and empowerment. One of her book addressing women’s issues is entitled “Both Left and Right Handed” . One last thing to be mentioned that after Minster Sha’aban gives her notes she will be happy to take questions from the audience. And for that sequence we will put on the table cards to write your questions; whatever in Arabic or in English, and we will collect these cards and we will answer them. Thank you very much and please pay attention.
Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban:
Ladies and gentlemen good evening . I want to thank Dr. Arwashan for arranging this activity and for allowing this opportunity to be with you here this evening. I would like only to add one thing to my introduction as we are in Michigan. I am very proud that I was a professor at Eastern Michigan in 2000. and I am very happy to see many of my colleagues and friends here. And I had wonderful time last evening talking to my colleagues at Eastern Michigan University. It has a very dear place in my heart. And I hope that I will be able to do something between Damascus University and Eastern Michigan in the future. So I think that is something interviewed to be said about the Eastern Michigan. I never really imagined that I will be standing here in this capacity when two years ago I was loading too hard for Syrian- American dialogue. Mainly because I believe in dialogue, and I believe that dialogue is the best way to include relations between countries.
But I am not the first Syrian women to speak about this dialogue. In 895 there was a conference in Santiago. The conference was speaking about women’s rights. And the conference decided that the role of women should be confined to work at home. To look after families and children. Who is the object to this resolution? it was Zeinab Faowaz al Ameleiah form the south of Lebanon. Who wrote a letter to the conference saying: this is a huge degradation for women’s integrity and women’s capacity. Women have the intelligence to contribute their societies and to their countries. And it is huge mistrusted to do that to women. And she sent them a copy of her book which is called “الذر المنثور في طبقات ربات الخدور “ in which she did a crucial of four hundreds and fifty women; both from East and West and talked about their achievement. And she apologized because she couldn’t attend the conference, but she was starting a very constructive and beautiful dialogue talking to American women about the achievement of Arab women. And I say at that time she was Syrian, because Syria stands there, I am speaking as an Arab woman. There wasn’t, you know, a pressure for the good relationships between Syrian and Lebanon to get in one direction or another. And I speak from the heart as an Arab woman not as a Syrian woman, because we are one, and we have one identity. And probably I speak as a woman, and as a human being first of all.
I would like just to say that this is the mentality of Syrian people in approaching the United States, in approaching the world. And this is not surprising because Syria has always been a cross road of civilizations. And, therefore, you find the Syria n people extremely open – minded, extremely want dialogue , extremely open to all people. Very friendly to all people in all over the world. I think the first thing is Syrian certain with me is that they will invite him or her home immediately. And their homes are opened. They are very proud of part of culture.
It is in this spirit that I am talking to all of you. As Syrians expats, we are proud of you being accomplished American citizens. We are proud of your descending from Syrian. And we see no conflict at all between your being wonderful American citizens as loyal to the United States and between these proud of your culture of Syria.
In fact, in my new capacity as a Minster of Expatriates, I am looking to you as a bridge of making the Syrian – American relations better. I look to you as a bridge for a better constructive dialogue between Syria and the United States. Especially some obstacles in the way of this relations. From theoretical and intellectual perspectives I see all the reasons on Earth for the Syrian – American relations to be in good relations. In fact, I see so many things in common between the United States and Syria. Syria is a secular society, is a multi - conventional society, is very proud of having all Muslims, all Christians live in Syria. Of having so many ethnities in Syria who all live in harmony. Not only in harmony, in concord really. We found all of us live together extremely enriching and extremely beautiful. In the year 636 Muslims and Christians sat at the door of the Umayyad mosque, trying to know where each of them is going to worship, and they agreed to go to the same door, and worship in the same place. The Christians would go right and the Muslims would go left. I think, this is a beautiful way of worshiping the same God, in the same place although belonging to different religions. After that they decided to build the church near the mosque. When you walk up in the Old Damascus you hear the prayers of the Muslims and after that you hear the bell of the church ringing, to remind you that people here are worshipping the same God; each in his/her own way.
All these, I believe, are points in common between the Syrian people and the American people. All these are the best title for Syrian American relations to be good. I have that these relations are going to be excellent. I am sure if we open the way between Syrian American people to know each other truly as they are away from the message that is manipulated to give the wrong impression I am sure Syrians and Americans would find many things in common. And would want to work together and cooperate with each other.
I would like to give you a brief idea about the Ministry of Expatriates, and what is expected to do in the future. The real idea of putting the Ministry of Expatriates is acknowledging of the importance of the expatriates. It is estimated that Syria has fifteen million expatriates outside its borders. If you take in your account that Syrian populations is eighteen millions, this is a huge number. We have about five millions in Brazil alone. The Syrians had always looked outside their borders, because they are so used to be with others, and they are so happy to be with others. Inside their career sometimes there is an extremely sense that they become invisible, because they melt down with the society so quickly, they learn languages so quickly, and they become invisible. And I calling you to become more visible. You know, the best way possible to become more visible in the American scene because I believe it is good for Syrian – American relations to have you active and visible.
So, the Ministry’s really job is to look after the Syrians expatriates, to see who has difficulties in going back home for any reason and overcome these difficulties. To tell all Syrians everywhere that Syria is home for all of you, and all of you are welcomed home. If any Syrian has a difficulty, or any problem it is not because Syria doesn’t like him or her. It is because a certain individual made a mistake. And we have to put that right and to correct that mistake.
We are looking for a great relationships with our Syrians expats. I decided that my first trip should be to the United States. And this is the seventh stop in my tour in the United States, because I know how valuable all of you are to Syrian - American relations. And I know that we have an accomplished community. We are very proud of you. We are very proud of your achievement. I was the interpretive for president Assad for ten years, and every American official who came to Syria said to the president you have a very low - respected Syrian community, you have a wonderful accomplished Syrian community and I know how proud the president used to feel. We do feel very proud of you all, and this is the first step in order to put mechanism in place and work together.
So, this is the first side of the Ministry. We went to the door that you have to enter. Whatever problem you have in Syria, whatever business you have in Syria, whatever contribution you want, whatever affairs you have the only you have to do is to contact us. We will be at your service. We will be the bridge between you and all other sectors in Syria. So, you don’t have to go and to struggle with anyone. You just come to us and it is our job to take care of you.
I would love in the future to make a connection between your professions and the professions at home. I’ve been in this tour seeing many wonderful Syrian doctors, Syrian lawyers, Syrian businessmen. And a Cleveland hospital alone sixty percent of the doctors are Syrians. I felt very proud. So, we would love you to go back home even if for a visit. Even if you stay with us for a week. This might give us an idea that is worth billion, you might suggest something that is so important to us. So I would love to be the connection between the professions, Syrians abroad, and the different sections we have at home. I hope in the future we will be able to do that.
In the summer I would like to establish a camp for young men, and women, who is the second generation of Syrians, who would like to go home, and visit, and see how Syria is like, and sure they will be proud of their culture. And I'm sure you will contact in all of you telling you about our plans in order to bring these young men and women to Syria. And our Lebanese brothers have been successfully doing for the last two years. They bring to Lebanon over a thousand of young Lebanese men and women to know their country, to speak the language, to live with young men and women there, and one of them told me to get married also.
So, this is also another item in our agenda, that we would love to have a summer camp for Syrian young men and women. And if you want to teach your daughters and sons Arabic whatever you are, our ministry will be more than willing to help in everywhere possible. We will send you books, we will send you materials, we will even send you teachers. Arabic language is a beautiful language. It has a great literature, a great poetry. And I think it is privilege for your children to speak the language, and I would hate to see young Syrian men and women who cannot speak Arabic. It is a lovely language that your children will be proud of to speak, and to learn in the future. So please do take that quiet seriously, and do contact us, and we will be more than willing to help in everywhere possible. All ministries will cooperate with us in order to make that possible. In Brazil, now, we will be building a school for Arabic, and I just met the president of Brazil while he made a visit to Syria. And I asked him, "for your present a piece of land for a school", and he agreed to give us a piece of land, and the community there will put up a school and I hope before too long.
So, these are some of the tables we want to do. We hope in a month or two we will putting an interactive Website in the Ministry, and I hope that you will contact us, and you will give us your comments, your questions, whatever you would like to do..
We would like to inform you about the political situation in the region. And we would like the young generation to be active, to write e-mails, to write letters, and to get active in the media and in the political scene. I believe that your activities will be good, not only for the Syrians, but also for the United States as well. Because we are in need for peace in the region and for security in the region, and for real stability in the region. And if this is the objective of the United States your political and media activities can only be helpful to both; Syrian community and to the country you live in as well.
So, these are some of the things we want to do. I have a few other things that Miss Hassanah Mardam Bei is going to tell you about projects we have, about the data base we want to do about all Syrians expatriates. Please Hassanah, if you may.. . Hassanah Mardam Bei has graduated from Colombia University. She is my advisor in the Ministry of Expatriates.
Dr. Naji Arwashan: well, thank you very much Dr. Bouthainah, thank you Miss. Hassanah. As you see Dr. Bouthainah is willing to take questions from the audience. So, if you wrote your questions, I will be happy to collect your questions. And we can start the process of questions and answers now..
We have certainly many questions that were in common…
Questions:
The first question is: What is your own e-mail?? How can we contact you??
Answer: the e-mail is: moex@mail.sy
Question: what’s the budget of your Ministry??
Answer: I think this is confidential element. We are very little budget, but I said to my colleagues that when I was writing in the media department I have no budget at all, and yet willing to have. Money is important, but I think people can work with a very, very little money sometimes and have a great results. So, it is the challenge to start with our small budget, and I hope we will be able to make it different. I have thirty beautiful young men and women like Hassanah who have joined the ministry, and who are so willing to work day and night to make the ministry different. And I’m sure they will.
Question:سوري متزوج من لبنانية، اريد ان تكون مسألة تثبيت زواجي و أولادي في سوريا؟
Answer: there are other questions also about Syrian women not being able to give the nationality for their children. Which is really terrible, you know, I’ve been working for that for the last ten years. Syrian women should have the right to give their nationality to their children. And we are now submitting a draft to the parliament to allow women to give their nationality to their children. I don’t know where this low came that Arab women are not allow to give their nationality for their children. Almost, I read in our history that women were so crucial in our history. And even in the Koran we know that in the after life they are going to call those people in their mother’s name rather than their father’s name. they are going to say: (يا فلان يا ابن فلانة). So, why shouldn’t women be allowed to give nationality for their children? And I hope that this is going to be changed very quickly.
Question: Are there any play to use U.S. T.v. channel to improve the image of Syria in the eyes of the average U.S. citizens?
Answer: that is not an easy thing to do. But I think one problem we have in Syria is that there are so many people who believe that the American scene is closed, and there are no thing they can do. Some of those who have an agenda have convinced Arab people that the only people who can work in the United States are the Israeli lobby, the IAPAC. I think they have succeeded in planting this idea in the mind of the Arab people. And we have to fight against this idea and to convince the Arab that the American scene is opened. The American people are receptive and are objective. It is not easy to get into the media, but I think if we are insistent, and if we present our case in a good way and in a good language I believe we can make it different.
Question: حول موضوع البدل، موضوع البدل. هل هناك في الافق أي مشاريع للاعفاء من الخدمة الالزامية بدون رسوم عالية؟
Answer:سأجيب على هذا السؤال بالعربية. الحقيقة أريدكم ان تفكروا بالقصة التالية: طبيبان تخرجا من جامعة دمشق و سافروا الى الولايات المتحدة، احدهم عاد الى سوريا و الاخر بقي في الولايات المتحدة. الشخص الذي عاد الى سوريا خدم العلم و بدأ العمل بمئتي دولار في الشهر، و الشخص الذي بقي في الولايات المتحدة قام بعمل كبير أكيد أهم بكثير من ذاك الذي بقي في سوريا. كيف يمكن لنا ان نسامح الطبيب الذي بقي في الولايات المتحدة من خدمة العلم، و الطبيب الذي عاد إلى سوريا نجعله يخدم العلم و يقوم بواجبه تجاه وطنه.
Nonetheless I am trying my very best to find a solution for this problem with the cabinet, with the Syrian government. And I am sure that we will find a way that will be satisfied for all of you. I recognized that the amount of money people are asked to pay is quite hard, I would also like to say this about the fees that the expats have to pay. And we are studying low number nineteen that speaks about these fees. One point that I suggested in the new cabs low is that issuing the passport has nothing to do with paying your fees. And I hope that I’ll be able to make this low pass through the parliament and through the government. It is a low under nineteen and I hope that it will be changed very soon.
Question: One very good question: بالنسبة للمغتربين العائدين نهائياً للوطن، هل سيتم الترحيب بهم و معاملتهم نفس معاملة المغتربين أم سيعودون الى دوامة البيروقراطية التي تحد من طموحاتهم؟
Answer: My answer to this question is that: that is why we need your help to get away from this bureaucratic system, and to make it a better system. I think that is what we want to do if you want to help us. In addressing all bureaucratic issues. I was talking to a selective group these afternoon, and I said no matter how much we differ with many things that happen in the policy of the United States , we have to recognize that is a wonderful system that is working. And we should learn from other countries. We should reread our system in many ways. We should see the things in our system which are not working, that are out of the place and put them in place. So we are looking for Syrian expats everywhere to help us with their knowledge, with their ideas.
The one frame of mind I would like you to get into is not to consider the country as something that is there and have to be prepared for you, and you have nothing to do with it. Please feel involve. All of you can do something. Each and everyone of you can do something in order to improve things in the country. That is the attitude we have to have. When there is a difficulty, please write to us about it. Think about it. Suggest a solution and you would find that we’ll be working with you as a team. And there is nothing that cannot be said, cannot be discussed, so long as it is constructive and so long as it is targeting, making the reality better place for all of us.
Question:بما أنك نصيرة حقوق المرأة فهل هناك نوعاً ما للنظر لحقوق المرأة السورية عندما تتزوج من عربي بأن تعطيه و تعطي أطفالها الجنسية، اسوة بحال المراة في الولايات المتحدة الامريكية؟؟
Answer: I’ve answered that.
Question: it is about Syrian Accountability Act, so would you please address this point?
Answer: a few people still concern about the Syrian Accountability Act, and what in fact are going to have on Syria, or on Syrian – American relations. If I can share with you what happened in the last year or so. Syria was one of the best country, really, to cooperate with the United States against terrorism. And what Syria did was acknowledged by senior American officials. And was written about in the New York times. And many conventional delegations have visited Syria. Thanked the government of Syria for cooperating so well. On at least seven incidents in which American life were saved. The only thanks regard was the Syrian Accountability Act. That was activated after the cooperation with the government of the United States.
Our view to this Accountability Act is that it is not going to have a huge effects on us only. It harms the affective because it is the American companies that are working with Syria. Because our name is on the countries that are harboring terrorists we haven't to have any trade with the United States, and every time we go into the airport we are carefully searched. We , the government in Syria we considered this Accountability Act as unnecessary obstacle in the way of better Syria – American relations. We feel it doesn’t serve the interests of the United States in the region, because Syria is an active and constructive partner for peace in the region. And we feel that it was unnecessary both for the United States and Syria. However, the Syrian president expressed the Syrian government desire to continue the dialogue with the United States in everywhere possible in order to resume peace negotiations and make the region a better place for all people of the region. We shall continue on this constructive spirit. We shall continue to call for dialogue. And we shall always try not to give the opportunity to those who would like to do damages to the Syrian – American relations. That is the attitude of the Syrian government. Thank you.
Question: لماذا لا يسمح للسوريين المتخلفين عن خدمة العلم بزيارة الى سوريا عدة مرات في السنة و لو لعدة أيام كل مرة.
Answer: I discussed this question with embassy staff in Washington. And we are trying to be creative in finding many ways to help people who wanted to visit Syria, even if they didn’t do their military service. One of the ways was that any one has the emergency to visit Syria, the embassy could issue him a visa, without even contacting us. So that might make things much easier. If somebody has the emergency need to go to Syria. He could just contact the embassy and go home, and I hope I will be able to facilitate that in the very near future. And also, the trips we are ready to hear your suggestions, and to tell these suggestions to the Syrian government, and issue regulations about these that response to whatever you desire. Please do not hesitate to contact us and to give us your ideas, and to tell us about the difficulties you are facing and you will find us responding very quickly.
Question: هل هناك من مجال لفتح خط جوي على شركة الطيران السورية الى أميريكا؟؟ و بما أن المطار هو وجهة البلد فهل هناك من نيّة لتخفيف المضايقات التي يتعرض لها المغترب فيه؟؟
Answer: You know, the Syrian Accountability and the question if Syria is able to fly to the United States. And with the Syrian Accountability Act I think it is going to be very difficult to do that or to think about that.
The other part of the question is whether we are going to make the airport a better place, and more welcomed for the expats who are sometimes experiencing difficulties in the airport. I face actually this question in every stop I visited in the United States. And my idea now is to try and to decide of course and to speaking in the cabinet about this and to improve the service at the airport. And I think it is extremely important because the airport doesn’t really gives the impression, the real impression of Syria. And the Syrian people are very welcomed in the airport and not a very welcomed in the place. So, I think, with the insistence of the Syrian hospitality. My idea about the is that I hope that I will be able to open a window and a hole. We might be contacting you to help finance a special room for the expatriates in the airport. And put you two of our wonderful staff in the airport to welcome you, beside of course one thing to improve the services at the airport. And we might be thinking probably to put on the passport “expats”, Syrian expats. So that the moment you arrive you get the a very special treatment. I hope.
Thank you very much Dr. Bouthaina Sha’aban. You raised our expectations a lot. Thank you all for coming to night. We gonna stop at this point. Thank you all…..
THANK YOU VERY MUCH