Ahn, Hye Lin) Hello, we are the research interns at Seoul National University Asia Center, Ahn, Hye Lin, and Joo, Do Kyung. We appreciate your speech earlier and your acceptance to our interview.

I’ve heard that you are the first Syrian student to study abroad in Korea, how did you come to Korea?

Abdul Wahab) When I was studying in Syria, I have met many Korean students who had come to study Arab. That’s how I knew about Korea. Originally, I was planning on attending Sorbonne University in France for Masters and Ph.D with scholarship, but I really missed my Korean friends when they all had gone back to Korea. They told me I should come study in Korea, and I really did. Here I am in Korea.

Ahn Hye Lin) So are you doing your Ph.D program now in Korea?

Abdul Wahab)  Yes, I am doing Ph.D now.

Ahn Hye Lin) in Law?

Abdul Wahab) Yes, studying Law

Ahn Hye Lin) Wow,, I majored in law for undergraduate studies. It is very difficult, even for Korean, to study Korean law. How are you doing that? (Everyone laughed)

Abdul Wahab) It really is very difficult. The Chinese characters are everywhere, and I am very stressed out because it’s so hard. When I study, I am thinking, what is white is paper, what is black are the characters. Every time Chinese characters come out, I ask professors that it means. I ask professors whenever I have questions.

Joo, Do Kyung) Have you studied law before?

Abdul Wahab) I studied law at Damascus University in Syria.

Joo, Do Kyung) Are you doing comparative analysis between Korean law and Syrian law?

Abdul Wahab) That was the original plan, but I don’t know much about Korean law, so right now, I am only studying the Korean law.

Joo, Do Kyung) What are your plans after your studies?

Abdul Wahab) For my master’s thesis, I studied ways of adopting Islam law, Islamic banking into Korea. I focused on Korean commercial law for that. But for Ph.D, I am studying for ways to adopt other related things through the Islamic banking system. Before the outbreak of Syrian Civil war, I wanted to compare the Syrian laws to Korean laws, and create a research center as a communication hub for Korea and Syrian relations. Because there is no Embassy of Syria [in Korea]. But now, with one side gone, I am studying more on Islamic law, not just Syrian law, and I want to introduce that [to Korean people].

Ahn Hye Lin) After the ISIS in Syria, is there a lot of Syrians coming to Korea? You have talked about the refugees a lot.

Abdul Wahab) There are about 450 right now. Those are the people who have been doing trade with Korea. They are the business men who go back and forth between Korea and Syria to do their own business in Syria. They would be in Korea for a while, then go back to Syria, then back to Korea. So they know what’s going on in Syria and Korea as well. But to be honest, about 79~80% of them are financially well off. They can hardly be looked at as refugees. The real refugees, fleeing from the danger, go to Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and other places. If you can take the airplane and fly all the way here to Korea, then you are not struggling financially. But these business men are providing assistances to the refugee camps though.

Ahn Hye Lin) As someone who studies law, do you have more strict definition on the refugees?

Abdul) No, it’s not because I study law. That is just how it is in reality. These people are going, to Korea, US, France, and other places to expand their businesses. For example, in UK, they only took 500 refugees from Syria. No more. Then who are these people? They are the rich folks who had already been in UK. If you take the business men as refugees, they can still collect the taxes from them. So it’s better [for countries like UK to take the business men as refugees]. That is a weird system. But unfortunately, Korea is like that too.

Ahn Hye Lin) It is a pity that the fundamental capitalism triumphs even in situations like this.

Abdul Wahab) Yeah. The office of refugee cannot put any pressure into this matter. I have talked to the office several times, but they won’t listen. The rich people may say why be hating, but that is not what I mean. There are real refugees in real danger who need all the support that they can get. And in reality, those people are neglected. It really is a shame.

Ahn Hye Lin) When you were showing the pictures in the presentation, I actually cried because I just felt really bad for them. It was tearing me apart. And then at the end of your presentation, you wrote, “action is what is really needed, tears are just not enough.” And I thought, so what do I do now?

Abdul Wahab) That phrase, I actually wrote it for myself. Before I established ‘Help Syria,’ I was just tearing. I was just crying every time I heard the news about my friends through internet. The facebook page posted the list of the killed by locations. That’s how I learned about the death of my friends and families. I was so sad and frustrated. I had depression. They were the people whom I have been with in the past, and now, they are all gone! I was just crying all the time. But then I realized, their lives have not changed a bit while I have been crying for them. I felt like a bad person [not doing anything]. So I started to put some realistic actions. I started to tell people about the situation in Syria, and established ‘Help Syria.’ Every morning when I wake up, I tell myself, don’t just sit there and be crying, let’s put some real actions to it. I remind myself to work hard, to help other people.

Ahn Hye Lin) That sounds great. But Korean people don’t really know much about Syria, or the other Islamic countries. They are so far away, geographically, and distant, culturally. Actually, there isn’t much interest in Islamic countries in Korea. How to Korean people respond to your campaign on helping Syria?

Abdul Wahab) It is very difficult, indeed. I cannot look at Syria from Korean people’s point of view. When I talk to Korean about the people in Syria, they say, “you are also a bad person, I cannot trust you.” This really happened to me once. Because of the cultural differences, I was not able to effectively deliver the facts that I wanted to show them. I have made many mistakes. There is the language barrier also. My Korean level is not high enough. There are so much more that I want to tell people but sometimes misinterpretation causes misunderstandings. It is so frustrating! And I am not a native English speaker. So I can’t do that in English either. That’s why I am trying to speak through my heart. We all look different, but we can connect through our hearts. I am trying to tell Korean people all the stories that I want to say in an easier language.

Ahn Hye Lin) Do you go to any other places for your public speech? Other than specialized places like Seoul National University Asia Center?

Abdul Wahab) Yes, I do go to many places for a public lecture. I read the news on Syria every day to tell more people about the problems in Syria, I translate them to Korean and send them to the journalists that I know. I am advertising “Help Syria” on media a lot too. Every time I come to Seoul National University, I feel so warm in my heart. So when I talk about Syria here, I feel comfortable to tell everything that I want to tell. I think that people who come here are open-minded people. So I believe that they all would understand.

Ahn Hye Lin)  This question is out of my own curiosity. How come you are studying at Dongkuk University, the Buddhist College, when you are from an Islamic country?

Abdul Wahab) I have put a lot of thought into this too. I tried to look for other schools too, but the religious factor did play a lot of influence. I have come to Korea to study Korean law, so for me, it doesn’t matter if I go to a Buddhist college or a Christian college. There were scholars that I wanted to study with. But some scholars were very conservative and didn’t like me only because I am a Muslim. I was very hurt by those people. When I went to the Buddhist college, the professor was really nice. I don’t care about Buddhism or Islam. I am just studying law, so I am very happy right now. But sometimes, I look around and see Buddhism everywhere! No kidding! (Everyone laughed) I don’t remember how but I bowed before the Buddha temple. I would make a bow when I pass by, even go inside to see what’s there sometimes. I do feel the difference. Had I not have come here to study, I would never have known about Buddhism. I could feel weird about Buddhism but I am studying in the middle of the Buddhist culture, so naturally, I have come to learn about it, make comparisons to Islamic culture, it’s very meaningful. I don’t see any big problem in that.

Ahn Hye Lin) We have visited Dongkuk University for the internship activities once. There is only one Buddhist college in Seoul, and I thought Dongkuk University had a very distinguished vive. We have lived under Buddhist culture all our lives and it still felt very different. You must have felt so different coming from an Islamic Country.

Abdul Wahab) The department of Law and Buddhism are in the same building. One time I was in the elevator, and two monks came in. They all know me because I am the foreigner. I was in a hurry, so I wanted to leave as soon as possible, but I had to (put my hands together and bow) “Hello,” “How do you do,” just like the monks. (everyone laughs) To my friends I would wave my hands and run while saying “Hurry, Bye.” I did feel the big difference.

Ahn Hye Lin) Most of the life in Korea is on campus right?

Abdul Wahab) Actually, no. I study, I have a part-time job, and I do activities for Syria. I study hard for my classes but when things come up, I would go out, be on a couple of shows, go to various communities and all. I do want to enjoy my campus life. Just buried in books, but I go to school and study after all the activities outside are finished. It’s actually very stressful. I stay up and study until 3, 4 o’ clock in the morning.

Ahn Hye Lin) What are some things that Korean people can do to help the activities for “Help Syria”?

Abdul Wahab) The most important thing is having a heart of interest. If people start having interest and pay attention, then everything else comes along. But it is such a pity that Korean society also suffers from so much stress that people cannot afford to take a look at other people. With the ferry accident and many other crimes in Korea, I understand that I would be very difficult for Korean people to have interests and concerns for the situations in Syria. Still, I hope you could help the Syrians. You would have to choose in what way. If you don’t like me, you can help through UN or other ways to support the refugees.

Second, is that I need fellow workers to work together. If you are good at marketing or computer programming, you could help in those areas. “Help Syria” is a small organization. We don’t have any funding so it is run by our personal expenses. We need people with experiences. If we want to organize an event, we need someone who really knows how to hold the event. If you feel in your heart that you want to help, then I wish you would help in any way you can.

Ahn Hye Lin) I have heard that there are about 450 Syrian refugees in Korea now. Do you stay in contact with those who lived here before, and those who just recently came?

Abdul Wahab) Yes, I do. This sounds bad but people with money don’t really have patriotism. If you have money and your country has problems, then you can just immigrate to another country. It’s no big deal. There are two types of people coming from Syria. One is the business men, who have lots of money. They do not have any interest in Syria whatsoever. They could have their personal interests, but not so much, not affectionately. The other type is the people who are working under those rich business men. They are concerned about the national issues, but they cannot speak Korean, they have visa problems, they cannot do much. They are not educated people, and they really do not know much. Some can’t even write Arab. What kind of things can these people do to help? They can only pray in their hearts. These people are not the target of my activities. I am focused on making Korean people to start having interests in the Syrian situation.

Ahn Hye Lin) Is there anything else that you wish to tell Korean audiences through the Asia Center newsletter?

Abdul Wahab) As a Syrian, I am very grateful that Korean people are paying attention to Syria. I will never forget these warm hearts. I am very glad and thankful that more people are starting to have an interest in Syria. I am not only saying this for Syria, but for you. Please, take an interest in issues happening in other countries too. If you do not know the history, you cannot know the future. Korea, too, had struggled a lot in the past. Through much aids from international communities, Korea was able to develop to the point right now. I believe that other countries that are struggling, like Syria, could also get back on its feet again if Korea and other international communities show their concerns and show their support. Every single person look different, but we all have the same heart. I wish we can all help each other out. Syria is struggling right now, but I believe that we can all live happily in the future. To make this happened, I ask Korea to give the first hand in helping Syria. Thank you.