By: Janice Kortkamp

Date: February 7, 2017

In the heavily damaged part of Old Homs last year, this man gave me some of his delicious beans 

 

Was reading a passage this morning from a book written in 1916 that gave me a big smile. I’ll explain the smile first then share the passage.

On Syrian Hospitality…

I’ve been accused of many things over the past few years, let’s see: Assad apologist, infiltrator, spy, traitor, etc depending on who’s talking… innocent of all btw though am an unwavering supporter of the Syrian people, their Army, and President Assad.

But there’s one thing I have been accused of that I do confess to: abusing Syrian hospitality. Abusing is hopefully too strong a term. What is more precise to say is that I am incapable of matching the extraordinary Syrian Hospitality in any appropriate way – a character weakness truly.

In my defense I can only say this – after being in many countries and 49 states and being received by gracious hosts in just about all of those places – nothing and no one can match the extraordinary phenomenon of Syrian Hospitality!

It is a legendary and well-earned reputation; I’ve read reports by travelers from years, decades, even centuries back. Just before this war, Syria was becoming one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world and this was one of many reasons why. One American visitor said, “I never felt alone in Syria. It was like the Syrians all ‘had my back’. They never failed to help me.”

Someone once said that there were fewer hotels in Syria than in most countries because visitors were so often asked to stay in people’s homes. In Ma’aloula, I was told, though the village received about 200,000 tourists annually before 2011, there was only one cafe because visitors would be invited by townspeople to share meals in their homes. This happened to our small group when we visited that town.

Even after almost six years of a war that has made life hell in so many ways, that beautiful spirit still shines. Maybe it shines even brighter in contrast to the dark brutality of the situation – I can’t say. But to be on the receiving end of meals, coffee and sweets, gifts, or a helping hand, particularly given the situation there, is humbling in the extreme … especially as an American since my country is primarily responsible for the suffering there. I am so thankful and will remember and cherish those memories forever.

Those memories make me smile, all the while hoping I did not offend anyone too badly if my deep thanks will never be able to repay the kindness people extended to me.

Here’s the passage, from a sweet little book from 1916 called The Syrian Christ by Abraham M. Rihbany. It delightfully brings insights into Eastern culture of Biblical times that are still present in that society whose roots go back thousands of years before before Jesus to the dawn of civilization itself. Even in modern Syria with internet cafes and such things, that DNA still exists:
________

Approaching his hoped-for guest, a Syrian engages him in something like the following dialogue, characterized by a glow of feeling which the translation can only faintly reveal:

“Ennoble us by your presence.”
“I would be ennobled but I cannot accept.”
“That cannot be.”
“Yea, yea, it must be.”
“No, I swear against you by our friendship and by the life of God. I love just to acquaint you with my bread and salt.”
“I swear also that I find it impossible to accept. Your bread and salt are known to all.”
“Yea, do it just for our own good. By coming to us you come to you own home. Let us repay your bounty to us.”
“By the mercy of God I have not bestowed any bounty upon you worth mentioning.”
Here the host seizes his guest by the arm and with an emphatic, “I will not let you go”, pulls at him and would drag him bodily into his house. Then the guest, happy in being vanquished “with honor”, consents to the invitation.
__________

We in the west, and I personally, have so much to learn from these wonderful people.

Please, let’s stop killing them. End the war against Syria.