have it, the students seem to
be very passionate about these
things and want to learn about.
I’m happy we get to have it
here.”
The
weekend’s
event
consisted of a series of talks
and
discussions
from
13
speakers,
many
of
whom
represented
various
Syrian
activist organizations. Activist
Shiyam
Galyon,
former
director of the Books Not
Bombs campaign that captured
campus
attention
in
2016,
delievered
the
conference
keynote Saturday morning—
the
rest
of
the
speakers
included representatives from
the Syrian American Medican
Society,
Syrian
Community
Network,
Syrian
American
Council
and
the
Karam
Foundation.
Public
Policy
senior Zoha Qureshi, president
of
the
University’s
SOS
chapter, said every speaker
had an important message to
share with the conference,
but cited Loubna Mrie, a
Syrian photojournalist, had an
especially strong effect.
“Honestly, the lineup of
speakers
was
incredible,”
Qureshi said. “I’d say Loubna
(Mrie) who spoke yesterday,
she was a photographer on the
front lines, her experiences
were so raw and so personal
and it just really struck a chord
within me and I think she’s
just phenomenal, but every
other speaker had something
really important to contribute.
They’re just so phenomenal
and I’m really glad they took
the time this weekend to come
and share their experiences
and share their ideas on how
we can make an impact.”
The
event
included
10
speaker sessions with topics
ranging from policy, advocacy
and lobbying to journalism
in war zones, all of which
addressed the future of the
Syrian
conflict.
Many
of
the discussions began with
presentations
from
each
speaker before moving into a
Q&A discussion with audience
members. Qureshi said the
Q&A
allowed
attendees
to
not only listen but actively
participate with the speakers.
“I think it’s really important
to
have
that
engagement
because if it’s just a bunch of
lectures in a long span of time
you kind of zone out and you
lose track of what’s going on,”
Qureshi said. “Just having that
continuous conversation that’s
really what makes things
stick in people’s minds.”
Many
attendees
revealed they felt personal
connections
with
the
event speakers. LSA senior
Ahmad Alabed, a member
of the University’s SOS
chapter, said the firsthand
experiences of the activists
allowed him to learn new
information and see the
Syrian conflict from a new
point of view.
“I’m Syrian so I do have
that firsthand experience
from my family, but my
family doesn’t live there,”
Alabed said. “I hear from
the people who live in the
States, and I have my own
opinion on what’s going on,
but it’s very difficult to get
an actual activist’s opinion
who’s been there who’s
been through things that
these speakers have been
through, and I think that’s
really
important.
Just
from the two speakers I’ve
attended, it’s completely
new information I’ve never
had access to.”
Rackham
student
Hani
Habra said he gained a new
perspective from listening to
the speakers, which provided
him with a different way of
learning
about
the
Syrian
situation.
“I do a lot of reading on the
conflict, but actually meeting
the people and hearing their
perspective, it kind of gives
a kind of different dimension
to actually reading what they
have to say. It feels a lot more
real,” Habra said.
According to Rass, being
surrounded by others who
care about the conflict in Syria
allows her to stay motivated
and keep pushing to make an
impact.
“This
conference
is
important
to
me
for
two
reasons,” Rass said. “One is
that it helps me stay energized,
passionate and also learning
on how to keep organizing and
moving forward and how we
can keep doing work in these
universities. The second part is
being around people who share
this passion is so important.
Being around other Syrian
Americans that care about this,
even being around people who
aren’t Syrian who are super
passionate about this cause is
an enriching experience that is
super important to have.”
Through
addressing
solutions to the Syrian conflict,
many
speakers
emphasized
the
importance
of
raising
awareness
for
the
Syrian
cause.
Qureshi
maintainted
people nationwide and around
the world should learn about
and advocate for solutions to
the Syrian conflict to encourage
tangible change.
“It’s important to know that
you don’t have to be Syrian to
care about these issues, you
just have to be human and
have a heart,” Qureshi said.
“Honestly, there’s just so many
ways to make an impact that
can be as little or big as you
want it to be, I just want people
to leave feeling empowered.
Like Amal said, this has been
going on for seven years, there’s
still a lot to be done.”
HOLIDAY OPE N HOUSE
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It’s very difficult
to get an actual
activist’s opinion
who’s been there