Syrian Youth: 'Let's Build a Bridge' to U.S.

ByABC News via logo
February 5, 2007, 9:18 AM

Feb. 5, 2007 — -- While in Damascus, Diane Sawyer talked to several young people about their perception of the United States and what they thought Westerners thought about Syrians.

Amr Diab spent time in New York City. Knowing both worlds, he talked about some of the misperceptions about Syria he encountered.

"The initial stereotypes I had were stereotypes regarding, do we live in tents or do we ride camels?" Diab said.

Another young woman, Roua Ali, said, "This is what I think they think about us: You know, yeah, they are terrorists. Women in veils, like he said, riding camels."

In interviews on the street, a number of Americans did not know where Syria was on a map, but Diab said Americans he had met were curious about the world.

"The Americans are in my opinion they are the type of people, they're thirsty for information," she said. "Any opportunity I used to have when I was there to tell them a little bit more about who I am or about my country, they were always very welcoming. They wanted to know."

Ali says that some of her friends wear the hijab, or traditional head scarf for Muslim women.

"Not all of the time. But, yeah, nowadays most of the time they choose to wear it," she said.

And the young people Sawyer interviewed wanted to remind Americans that they lived in a secular country, and that women had many more rights than those living in Muslim countries.

"They are free to drive, free to wear what they want. So, the most important thing is that there's no government enforcement of a hijab," Emad Habib said.

When he lived in New York, Diab said he had a girlfriend.

"My parents are not going to see this, are they?" he said.

The young Syrians said dating was very different for teens in their country than in the United States.

"I think yeah, it is very different because here dating has to be on, uh, like a parents' level," Ali said. "The parents have to know who you are dating, whom you are going out with. It's, like, monitored, not like the U.S."