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What is the biggest challenges for refugees in their<br />

first years? The language. Because without knowing German,<br />

we always have problems. And we don’t want to make<br />

mistakes. A small mistake cost me a fine, because I was on<br />

my bike and checked the time on my phone. I didn’t know<br />

it wasn’t allowed.<br />

Who are your contributors? The majority of contributors<br />

are refugees living in Germany. Our designer and layout<br />

person is in Turkey. The newsroom is in Paris; they are<br />

friends of mine. Because of my network, the majority of<br />

contributors are Syrian. But there’s Iraqi writers and journalists,<br />

(as well as) Tunisian, Libyan, Egyptian, and Palestinian.<br />

And some German.<br />

How long do you think you’ll stay in Germany? What<br />

do you miss from back home? For me, home is not a<br />

geographical area. It’s about the people you know, and<br />

the memories. I have both friends and memories in Syria,<br />

but I have lost many friends and family members and<br />

colleagues. And I lost a lot of my memory also. When I<br />

think about Damascus, there is black. A black map.<br />

But that doesn’t mean that I’ll forget my country. I will do<br />

everything I can for Syrian people. But it you asked me now,<br />

if I’d go back to Syria, with the regime, today? No. I couldn’t.<br />

What is the circulation? How do you distribute? We<br />

distribute all over Germany. The Federal Office for Migration<br />

and Refugees, will help us distribute 10,000 copies in camps.<br />

We’re also circulated in the Arab and Syrian communities<br />

here in Germany. Many refugees ask us to send them copies<br />

so that they can share with their own community.<br />

FALL 2017 CURRENT 15

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