I came to Beirut around two years ago, after the minimum level of options had disappeared in my native country, Syria. My only possible place of refuge was Beirut.
Before coming to Beirut I used to write in as-Safir, al-Hayat and al-Mustaqbal newspapers, all published in the city. My previous memory of Beirut was of newsprint and the words of literature. I can now add to this literary memory – a relatively poor one, perhaps, and one that remains inside the imagination – another memory, focused on the events of daily life. This new memory was fed by new situations and things; the topic of civil marriage in Lebanon became important to me, along with the issue of high rent, that of water and electricity, and the waste issue, as well as many other public affairs and urgent national matters.
Perhaps a poet’s experience is different than that of a regular person when it comes to the difficult crisis of Syrian refugees. However, living in a city that is small, vital and tense, and sharing the experiences and dreams of new friends, renders it an experience that is both difficult and alluring at the same time.
During the years of the Syrian military presence in Lebanon (1975-1990), Lebanese didn’t get to know most Syrians neither sufficiently nor properly. The majority of Syrians were hidden behind the mask of their country’s security regime. Syria was closed on the inside and open to the outside. There were two extremely contradictory types of Syrians living on the Lebanese territory – only two worlds. One world was that of the Syrian soldiers, who were part of a frightening and harsh security regime. The second was that of the poor Syrians, and primarily laborers, who were fleeing the poverty in their country and searching for a job in Lebanon. This was pretty much the only memory that was left behind by the long years of Syria’s military presence: the dark memory of soldiers, with the related arbitrariness of legal violations and the lack of respect for personal freedoms. There was also the memory of Syrian workers, whose presence in Lebanon was due to the authoritarian, military regime in their country, which had negatively controlled all the aspects of life and especially economy in light of the scarcity of job opportunities; depriving them of a dignified means of existence in their homeland.
This dual type of Syrian «export» involved contradictions. There’s the image of the Syrian soldier on one hand, and that of the poor worker on the other hand. Syria was summed up by these two types and the memory of the Lebanese prior to the spring of 2011 was formed on these foundations.
Today, Lebanese have discovered another type of Syrians – they came to Lebanon in huge waves, fleeing war, fear and destruction. Over time, many of them settled in various cities and towns in Lebanon, and the Lebanese-Syrian interaction has experienced a change. Syrians no longer come to impose their dominance but rather to search for protection and security. Lebanese, meanwhile, have encountered Syrians who differ from the previous image in their minds, the one that was present prior to the outbreak of the Syrian uprising.
The new Syrians, who are residing in Lebanon until further notice, and who are mostly young, are cleansing the joint memory of the Syrian and Lebanese peoples. There is a new lifestyle and new necessities of coexistence, despite the difficulty of competing over public resources, which gives the upper hand to harmony and reconciliation in the relationship that for many years was imbalanced, due to the Syrian presence in Lebanon. The new Syrians are civilians and have no military background. Among them are students, writers and artists; there are also workers, merchants and rich people. One can say that middle-class Syrians – or those who remained of this group – were able to survive and remain in Lebanon, whether in terms of finding job opportunities or due to the healthy daily relations that emerged between Lebanese and Syrians.
Perhaps we can understand why some Lebanese rejected the huge numbers of Syrian refugees arriving in Lebanon over a short period of time, based on their earlier memory of Syrians; it was one of rejection and feelings of humiliation because of the Syrian regime’s behavior in the country. And despite the scarcity of resources and economic pressure, the psychological factor plays an important role on this front.
Meanwhile and this is highly significant, another image of Syrian refugees has emerged; the reason why Syrians are present in Lebanon is the same reason as to why Lebanese rejected the former Syrian military presence. It truly is a unique moment, as those who are now fleeing the huge Syrian prison are those who resemble the Lebanese writers and journalists who fell victims to the Syrian regime. The just cause that is fleeing hell (i.e. the Syrians) has caught up to the former image of these people; they are now in a new phase of presenting a true picture of themselves, which is no easy matter.
Nonetheless, and over the passage of time, a type of reliance will emerge after we earlier believed it to be strange and temporary, or unacceptable and intolerable. Sometimes, a correct idea requires time to take root, while at other times memory returns and performs its valuable and vital task. This time, it is by looking beyond the dark images, to a memory based on the future, which guarantees a dignified life to all.
The daily Syrian struggle in Lebanon, just like the struggle of Lebanese activists, offers a new image to a world without fear or hatred.