Farid ul-Atrash and Rumi's Table of Companionship

About a year ago as I sat in my cubicle in Washington, DC. as I read an email from a good friend. In it she asked me what I thought of the war in Syria. As I sat back on my chair thinking of how I would response to her e-mail and the insanity that is Syria! My thoughts went back to my childhood growing up in south-west Iran in the city of Ahvaz, my dad would tune the radio looking for Arabic music broadcasting out of Iraq, Kuwait and other parts of the Arab world. One night he found a station that had the legendary Syrian singer and Oud-player Farid-ul-Atrash and turned to his friend and just said, "Farid ul-Atrash, What a singer!" as they both sipped on their tall glass of tea!!!

That was my first introduction to Farid ul-Atrash and my first introduction to Syria. His voice carried over the air waves, and over the borders bringing with it a certain kind of beauty and joy that only music can provide. You did not have to know Arabic to appreciate what Farid ul-Atrash was singing about, listening to him sing and playing his Oud, you were imbued at times with love, melancholy and longing... So here we are from the beauty of the melody of Farid ul-Atrash to bombs, beheadings and burnings...

So I went back to my friend's message and just wrote her, "...in case of the war in Syria, all I can say and ultimately hope for is what the great 13th century poet Rumi said,

"Every war and every conflict between human beings has happened because of some disagreement about names.

It is such an unnecessary foolishness, because just beyond the arguing there is a long table of companionship set and waiting for us to sit down"

God Willing, one day we will all sit down at Rumi's table...I know Farid ul-Atrash would  have agreed!!!