booke

504dale f. eickelman (1996)Studies in MoscowDFE: Why did you choose the Soviet Union for advanced studies in 1958?MS: I didn’t choose. There was a competition for twenty-eight studentsto go to Russia as part of a cultural agreement, and I wantedto continue my studies abroad.DFE: How did you find life in Russia?MS: At first, everything was odd and strange. I didn’t know Russian,and Russia was a new society for me. It took me four to sixmonths to adapt to my new circumstances. Then I enjoyed it. Itwas a new experience and gave my life a new scope. I had neverbeen outside Damascus and was only nineteen years old, a veryyoung man in Russia.I was very curious about Russia. I asked about the OctoberRevolution and how it came about. I learned Russian quickly,and read a lot of books that weren’t on the syllabus. Russianswere obliged to study Marxist philosophy, the history of theCommunist Party, and political economy. Foreigners from theUnited Arab Republic, as we were at the time, were exempt fromthis requirement. We had no examinations on these subjects, butI studied them anyway. I read books on the history of theCommunist Party, Marxism, and the work of Engels, althoughno one obliged me. I discussed philosophy with many people.This was my hobby, and physics and mathematics helped me tounderstand more.DFE: What were your living conditions like in Russia? Were you living withSyrians or with Russians?MS: Syrians and Russians together. I lived only the first year withanother Syrian. All the other years I lived with Russians. Theyare good people, ordinary and direct. I liked them as people andenjoyed their company. I married a Russian in 1963, a girl frommy institute. We lived together in a student hostel and she had ason by me in 1964, the year I graduated.DFE: Did you speak about religion with Russians or Syrians?MS: With both, but from a philosophical point of view, not aboutprayer or fasting. I asked questions like: Does God exist? Whatis morality? Why do we need it? I asked about the existence of