Episode 17: Between Two Worlds
Across the landscapes of Turtle Island, stories as intricate as the land itself grace us if we but open ourselves to it —stories of flight, resilience, and a longing that stretches across continents. This week, on the Canadian Salad podcast, we are invited into the intimate lives of those who have journeyed from the shadows of war in Syria to unfamiliar and unseen spaces in Canada. We will hear from the hearts of Mustafa, Hasna, and Montaser - Syrians who not only understand the refugee experience but also understand what it is to hope beyond what is seen.
Leaving Home: The Mouth of a Shark
The narrative unfurls with Mustafa, a young man who arrived in Canada carrying the weight of his past and the hopes of his future. His tale, interwoven with that of his mother, Hasna—an indomitable spirit who stood against oppression even at the risk of her own life—paints a picture of survival and a relentless pursuit of freedom. Hasna, Mustafa’s mother and a Syrian human rights activist, shares her story of imprisonment by the brutal regime. Despite living homeless in Canada in her early years, her courage and resilience mark a hope that cannot be bound by tragedy. Despite language barriers and access to housing, each step they took was imbued with gratitude and a quiet determination to succeed and breathe life into dreams once stifled by the regime's grip.
Between Two Worlds
Montaser shares his experience of leading two intertwined existences. There is life in Canada, with education and safety yet inevitably the yearn for home, for family, and for mom is the invisible weight that most Canadians cannot understand, will not try to or are too fragile to see.
“We function like normal people but live another life through memories and obligations tied to our homeland."
For Hasna, known in Syria for her relentless fight against the regime, the duality is profound. Her courage, etched in the memories of her lost sons, guides her resolve to nurture a safe, promising future for her children in a land far from the chaos she left behind. Her story is not just of survival, but of steadfast hope and an unwavering fight for dignity and peace—a dream for a future unscarred by oppression.
Dreams Held Close Beyond Uncertainty
As the group discusses Syria post-Assad, they recall a nation once bound by tyranny and now awakening to possibilities unimagined. Montaser dreams aloud of returning, of contributing his skills to rebuild, to help cultivate a Syria free from the shadows of its past.
"Imperial powers may have extracted resources from our land, but they also took us—the educated, the hopeful. I want to return what was taken."
Encouragement and Indigenous Allyship
You cannot think of your own struggle as unique when you understand others who have endured heavy oppression like Sudanese people, Palestinian people and Indigenous People of Canada. A liberated Syria is just as important as a liberated Canada - where Indigenous sovereignty and agency is crucial to rebuilding a safe and more kind world.
As the episode concludes, a heartfelt directive rings clear to others fleeing war and navigating a new life in Canada:
"Do not lose hope. The road is long and wrought with challenges, but remember, you walk it with others."
The episode encapsulates not only the struggles but the hopes and humanity of Syrian refugees. Each story shared is a thread in the larger fabric of resilience, a testament to enduring spirit and the dream of a regime-free Syria. Their experiences remind us that with every turn away from the familiar, new paths open—a testament to the enduring capacity for hope and rebirth in the face of unimaginable odds.
Episode Sources
A War Hero Comes For Taraweeh – The Remarkable Story Of Hajjah Hasna al-Hariri - Muslim Matters
A Victoria Mother Who Lost Four Children and Her Husband Under Assad Regime Dreams of Return to Syria - Times Colonist
Quiz Sources
Trade from Syria to Canada - OEC World
Census Data by Ethnic or Cultural Origins - Statistics Canada