Istanbul Bookshop 'Transports Young Syrians Back Home'

Pages Bookstore Café in Istanbul, Turkey, "represents one man's ambitious quest to change the lives of Syrian youth," the Guardian reported, noting that Samer al-Kadri, founder of the first Arabic bookshop in the city, "hopes to create a space for young Syrians curious about the world, who want to escape the isolation of refugee life, and, for a fleeting moment, pretend they are back in their homeland."

"I'm incredibly happy," he said. "I get to meet this generation, between 18 and 25 years old. This generation is surprising me with their understanding, their openness, their dialogue.... It's a place where we can have conversations as Syrians with each other once again, to have dialogue, to accept each other, to change our mentality that was closed in on Syria only, and didn't see the outside world."

Kadri hopes to start a branch in Berlin, Germany, to cater to the refugee community there, and is setting up a new publishing house dedicated to debut novels by young Syrian and Arab writers to be sold throughout the Middle East. He is also working with local publishing houses to translate the novels into Turkish.

"We are not able to change, but we can help the next generation change for the better," he said. "My message to the world is don't judge Syrians as one bloc. You wouldn't want us to judge an entire society as one. Look and observe well, and determine the reality for yourself."

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