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Last but not least, a million Thank You, Grazie, Shookran, and Merci!!!!

- A special Thanks also to The Tamarind for backing MeU&Syria –

Luna Bianca Maria Brozzi

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/MeUSyria?fref=ts

Only in the past few years has Italy become a “victim” of immigration, a phenomenon that other European countries have been battling for decades. One of the major problems has been the integration of these immigrants, the solutions vary, the effectiveness doubtful. The latest has been Sarkozy’s grand idea of proposing to ban the burqa for fear that it poses a threat to the secular nature of the French constitution. Are you being Serious?! How can these people integrate if they can’t follow what is dear to them. The answer I have received: Let them go back to their country if they don’t like it here, if we go to their country we would have to do what they want. Again, are you being Serious?! Should we not be setting an example of tolerance and respect with the hope that others follow? People move with the hope of building a better life for themselves, giving their children more than they had. Instead, they have a difficult time integrating, they become more extreme, more marginalized, and hating where they are but forced to stay as back in their country of origin the prospective of work is almost inexistent. Imposing such a ban does not improve anything. Rather it enforces the hostility that exists. Muslim women have the choice to wear the veil just as Jews have the choice to wear the Kippa, it’s a matter of tradition, of belief. Why can we not accept this? If France is worried about women’s dignity and freedom, let us show these women that we respect their choices, let us provide them with jobs, let us educate them, let us make them feel at home that way they may go back to their country of origin and share their positive experiences with other women and bring change where equal rights don’t exist.

It seems to me that we are building so many walls in different sectors and places of the world, from the invisible ones to the physical ones, the worst example being the one constructed between Israel and Palestine. Did you know that at some points the wall is 8 meters high and 680 km long? The Berlin Wall was 4 meters high and 155 km long.    Have we learned nothing from history? Do we consciously repeat what has happened? As children, we were continuously taught to learn from our mistakes, to do good, to lend a helping hand, what has happened? How can we expect peace in this world when we teach our children from a young age to hate a People that they have never met? What has perplexed me the most is how we can do unto others what has been done to us and caused us great suffering. I don’t think that I will ever have an answer to this question.

In Italy we are at a crucial moment trying to decide what to do with immigrants, testing different methods, what will we opt for at the end? Will we be able to learn from the mistakes of others and set an example to be followed? I have faith: Build Bridges, Not Walls.

What are these? Nicknames attributed to me by some of my fellow colleagues. Why? Because I’m half Syrian. I knew that they were joking when they used these nicknames but the fact that these are the words they chose to use because of where I come from meant that subconsciously this was how they saw Syria at a first glance. What is most disturbing is that it came from well-educated students… the power of stereotypes!

One of the various definitions of stereotypes is that it “can instigate prejudice and false assumptions about entire groups of people; stereotypes are sometimes formed by a false association between two variables that are loosely correlated if correlated at all.” Sociologist Charles E. Hurst states that, cialis sale “One reason for stereotypes is the lack of personal, order concrete familiarity that individuals have with persons in other racial or ethnic groups. Lack of familiarity encourages the lumping together of unknown individuals.”

Stereotypes are a generalization, more often than not they are negative, but some truth lies beneath them. When abroad, say that you are Italian, and the first thing people comment is how delicious the food is and then they ask about the Mafia. People are intrigued by it. Pizza and pasta are truly delicious, nobody can compete with Italians. The Mafia does exist in Italy but it’s a small percentage of Italians that belong to it. There has been great commotion in the United States over the representation of Italo-Americans; from The Sopranos to the Godfather they are always represented as mobsters. The mistake is using these single connotations to describe an entire country. They are part of the country, a minority, not true for all parts.

The worst stereotype these days is the one attributed to Arabs. It does not matter whether you are Christian, Muslim, or Atheist, what matters is that you come from an Arab country. You say Arab and the first image that pops up is that of a Terrorist. What is Terrorism? It is believed that “terrorism” dates back to 1795 when it was used to describe the actions of the Jacobin Club in their rule of post-Revolutionary France, the so-called “Reign of Terror”. More than two hundred years later, there still isn’t an international definition for terrorism. Throughout history, terrorism has afflicted different regions, from Europe, to South America, to the USSR, to the Middle East. Terrorism boomed in 9/11, and nobody denies their ferocity. Terrorists and their acts are unforgivable. What is also unforgivable is that terrorists in the Middle East are a minority, extremists, despised by Arabs themselves and yet the general definition of Arabs is that they are terrorists; It truly breaks my heart. The Middle East dates back to ancient times, the earliest civilizations were established in this area around 3500 BC, regarded as the cradle of civilizations, historically a major center of world affairs and where Moses, Jesus and Mohammad built three of the world’s major religions. It is rich with history, religions, culture and today it is known for one thing, Terrorists, Terrorists, Terrorists. Television, newspapers, movies are all to blame. They portray what they want to portray, not necessarily the true features of a country. Visit Iran and you will be perplexed by the difference between what you imagined from the depiction made by the media and what it truly is. Yes there are terrorists, the most famous being Mr. Bin Laden, but do not generalize for there are hard working people in the Middle East, families, children who have the same daily problems as any European family. We all make judgments based on our first impression, it is hard not to, but let us try to avoid making them until after we have accurately collected information. Let us not ruin the image of a people by the doing of a few. Let us not make these few feel triumphant. Let us battle these Terrorists with our minds, with our intelligence, not with ignorance. The Arab people will continue to battle to free themselves from suppression, to free themselves from the negative forces afflicting their true opulence.

I would like to dedicate this article to those who perished in the recent terroristic attacks in Mumbai. Do not forget Mumbai, do not stop visiting the East, let us show the Terrorists that we are unstoppable, that we, a peace-loving people, are stronger!

More than one billion Muslims around the world are exchanging this salute these days.
September 1st, sales 2008 marked the beginning of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar, the most blessed month of the year. Ramadan is believed to be the month in which the Qur’an was revealed to Angel Gabriel and then later on to Prophet Muhammad. It is a month in which Muslims fast from sunrise (fajer) to sunset (maghrib). This means they cannot drink, eat, cuss, lie, smoke, or perform sexual activities. Muslims seek a raised level of closeness to God Almighty by fasting. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. It also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline, sacrifice, and sympathy for those who are less fortunate.
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and has approximately eleven days less than the solar calendar; thus, Ramadan comes at a different date every year, usually ten days before. For example, in 2007 Ramadan began the 13th of September. Every year Ramadan is closer and closer to the summer season, where days and fasting hours are longer.
Living Ramadan in an Arabic country is a very special and unique experience. The country transforms in such a way that you can breathe the essence of Ramadan in the air. In Syria, the canons fire twice a day in order to mark the beginning and end of fasting. Work hours are shortened so that the families can be home earlier in order to prepare themselves for the break of the fast (iftar) at sunset which includes prayer and a meal deserving of a king. Restaurants open only for iftar and close at the sight of the first rays of light when fasting begins once again. People, along with stores, are in the street and awake till dawn. Mini Luna-Parks are set up all over the country. There are special foods served during this period including dates, fried bread covered in date paste, dried figs, and almonds. Lanterns and small yellow lights are hung in the streets. It is a time to spend with family and friends; a time to share.
A typical day during Ramadan begins very early with waking up before sunrise to have a cup of water, a bit to eat, and performing the morning prayer. The day continues as any other day of the year except there is the struggle of refraining from drinking or eating; it is continuous self-discipline. At sunset, fast is broken with a grand meal including rice, meat, vegetables, dips, and infinite Arabic deserts. This is followed by visiting or being visited by family and friends, shopping, and rest. At night, people gather at the mosques to hear the recital of the Qur’an as during Ramadan the Qur’an must be read in its entirety. This is followed by the Suhur meal which begins around 11 pm and can last until dawn. On one of the last ten days of Ramadan, Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Decree) is proclaimed; it is the anniversary of the night Muslims believe the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel and it is also the anniversary of the night in which the Qur’an is believed by Muslims to have been revealed in its entirety. Muslims gather at the mosque and pray all night as it is believed that Allah (God) will grant any desire wished for during this night. The last days of Ramadan are characterized by stores open 24/7, traffic all day and night, excitement. Ramadan comes to an end at the end of the month with Eid al-Fitr (festival of breaking the fast) which consists of donating money and food to the poor (Zakat), resting, and feasts.
For a non-Mulsim, it is very interesting to follow and be part of these traditions that date back centuries. Respect is obviously the rule of the day; as a non-Muslim it would be discourteous to be in the street and start drinking water in the middle of a scorching summer day. During iftar, driving around the streets is eerie, not a human in sight, as if everyone had fled. Ramadan is a special month but at the same time very difficult; each day is a fight against temptation. The struggle of fasting, the desire to be closer to a greater being, the faith, the uniting of millions across the world, it personally reminds me of Christmas when for one moment you feel the world is at peace, too busy celebrating to fight.
In Italy there are one million Muslims; many more than I had imagined. They too fast during the month of Ramadan. It must be all the harder to do so in a non-Muslim country where the majority do not fast and temptations are swirling around you. Imagine walking in the heat running errands, you’re thirsty, your mouth and throat get parched, finally a store with cold water, the liberation, the trickling of water down your throat into the rest of your body. Imagine not being able to do that for hours, till sunset! This month when you see a veiled woman, an Arabic man/woman, instead of the first thought being “terrorist, immigrant, osama bin laden,” think a moment longer and admire him/her for their endurance. Today we are surrounded by different languages, different nationalities, different religions, beliefs, traditions, difference being the key word. The only way we can co-exist is to learn about these differences and more importantly to respect them instead of trying to decide who is superior when clearly such a decision depends from whose perspective it is being made… Accept, Do Not Impose!

It hasn’t been an easy ride. Damascus has a special place in my heart; the people are warm, the sun rarely disappears, and the history is deep… but like all roses, it has its thorns. The bureaucracy is absurd, the smog is terrible, and freedom of speech is a privilege for other countries… it is what it is. Upon arriving in Italy, I had many expectations. After all, I was coming to live in a developed, open-minded, European country… finally! It’s true that I had visited Italy at least once a year for the past seventeen years, that I was half Italian, that I spoke the language fluently, but somehow I had never absorbed it; I had always been just a visitor. Until now, between Milan and Rome, I have been living in Italy for four and a half years. I have come to learn many things about my country, and I have learned to love and hate it at the same time. Nobody can deny the wonder of Italian cuisine; its fame reaches all corners of the world. And it would be immoral to exclude its role in history, people, architecture; its physiognomy is among the most beautiful in the world. But let’s talk about the bureaucracy- at times I feel that it’s worse than Syria! At least in Syria I can escape the bureaucracy in two ways: first, as a woman, I am given a bit of “special treatment” and second, it is common knowledge that paying a couple of Syrian pounds can help get things done quicker.
Among the various encounters I had with Italian bureaucracy, the worst was renewing my Italian passport, which had expired a few weeks before. The bureaucrats did not want to renew it because I had no other valid ID, so I went to make an ID card. Once there, I was told that they could not give me an ID card because my residence was still in Damascus, despite the fact that I had officially changed my residence to Italy six months before. I had no idea what to do at that point. Back at the passport authority I re-explained the situation and the answer I received was, “I can NOT help you.” At that point I had had enough. I had waited in infinite lines and the people were rude and unwilling to help. How did I get them to do my passport? I shed a few tears. When did I receive the passport? Two months later. If this is the treatment an Italian citizen receives, how are immigrants treated?
Another thing that has left me perplexed is the university system. In the American system, students are taught to respect deadlines, to work under pressure, and to follow rules. Professors are there to teach and help the students. Transparency is important and so is organization. My perplexity arouse while attending Luiss. All final exams are oral but on rare occasions a professor might integrate it with a written exam. One of the first written exams I underwent in Luiss, I remember the professor asking us to write no more than 15 pages. At the end of the exam, I came to discover that some students had written over 20 pages and I figured that they would be “punished” as they had not followed the clear instructions that had been given. However, the opposite occurred – they were awarded. How about oral exams at the end of the semester? I have never understood how grades are attributed, and it seems to me that grades are very much at the discretion of the professor. Coming from a system where exams are graded much more objectively, as each question has an expected answer and set point value, it was hard for me to believe that the grades attributed in the Italian system were fair. Deadlines are not respected either. I fail to see how the Italian university system prepares students with the most basic principles needed in the working world.
The last thing that has left me in great awe is the mentality. Endless talks and conversations have led me to conclude that Italians are not so different from Arabs even though one is considered European, democratic and developed while the other is considered dictatorial and underdeveloped. Of course with regards to freedoms and rights there is no doubt that Arab countries cannot compete, but when it comes down to the way of thinking, how much does one differ from the other? As in Syria, Italians tend to live at home with their parents till an advanced age and great importance is attributed to family. How about the relationship between men and women? In the Arab world it is common that a man prefers for the woman to stay home and raise children, to dress conservatively, and to not go to out excessively without the company of a man. I was shocked when I realized that many of these things are the same in Italy and the more south you go, the more conservative it is, just as in the Middle East the more towards Saudi Arabia you go, the more conservative it gets.
I do not want to put under scrutiny any country, nor do I want to highlight the greatness of another. I believe that there is space for improvement in all countries and it can only come if new generations acknowledge the problems and try to make a difference.
People continuously ask me if I feel more Italian or more Syrian; my answer is that I feel neither completely. It is simple really… people who grow up in one place watch the same cartoons, hear the same stories, track the political situation, know the different dialects; I cannot relate with either Italians or Syrians on many of these aspects. I feel partially Italian, partially Syrian and partially American; I belong nowhere and I belong everywhere. As I try to take the best of many cultures, I hope countries can unite and do the same by learning from each other and taking the best from each other.