Posted on 02/06/2006 11:19:51 AM PST by Kurt_Hectic
A Norwegian student suddenly found himself facing an angry mob of demonstrators in Damascus during the recent unrest. He didn't see any choice but to address them, something he managed to do in Arabic.
Even Nord Rydningen is a young man from Oslo who's studying in Syria. He says he was watching a demonstration outside the French Embassy on Friday when he felt the crowd starting to turn against him.
Suddenly a Syrian friend, whom Rydningen claimed commands respect in Damascus, yelled at the hostile crowd that "This is Even, a Norwegian and a good friend."
Rydningen immediately found himself being lifted up on the shoulders of another Syrian man.
"It went quiet," he told Aftenposten.no. "The people had just been yelling 'Death to Norway.' Now I had to talk to them."
With just four months of language study under his belt, Rydningen greeted the crowd in traditional style in Arabic and told them that the conflict was based on misunderstandings. He tried to stress that both sides need to learn to show respect for each other, "and if we learn, we can live peacefully together, if Allah allows."
His impromptu speech won cheers, and he said many of the angry demonstrators started smiling and laughing. Unfortunately their improved humor didn't seem to last long. The next day, a furious crowd torched not only the Danish Embassy, but the Norwegian as well.
Sounds like everybody learned a little bit about life and understanding during that incident.
Haha - that almost reads like the torched the person in the article.
Which, by muslim standards, would be a "nonviolent" demostration.
Analysis: Muslims do not change their behavior, but they can be temporarily distracted from what they're doing with amusing novelty acts.
Sounds like a bunch of unemployed religious fanatics with nothing else to do.
if Allah allows (inshallah) <--- Muslim way of not taking responsibility for anything
A South Park episode ih the making.
""The next day, a furious crowd torched not only the Danish Embassy, but the Norwegian as well.""
Aren't these becoming urban legends? The only embassy torched in Damascus was the Chilean. The demonstrators/govt. operatives thought it was the Danish, but it wasn't.
What in blazes could this kid be studying in Syria?
maybe a movie too? With Sean Penn starring as the norwegian off course...
Shucks, it gave me The Warm Fuzzies™, too.
Perfect!
We like you. We'll kill you last ...
He's learning to apologize in Arabic, of course, so he can be the next foreign minister of his country.
This story brought a tear to my eye - either that, or it was the onions on this damned sandwich...
he's studying arabic (sic!)
call me stupid, but the norwegian embassy looked pretty burnt on tv... Althoug the norwegian ambassador had a pifty remark when he was standing in his trashed office: "I've seen worse..."
A Norwegian student suddenly found himself facing an angry mob of demonstrators in Damascus during the recent unrest. He didn't see any choice but to address them, something he managed to do in Arabic.
Even Nord Rydningen is a young man from Oslo who's studying in Syria. He says he was watching a demonstration outside the French Embassy on Friday when he felt the crowd starting to turn against him.
Suddenly a Syrian friend, whom Rydningen claimed commands respect in Damascus, yelled at the hostile crowd that "This is Even, a Norwegian and a good friend."
Them they ate him.
"Unfortunately their improved humor didn't seem to last long. The next day, a furious crowd torched not only the Danish Embassy, but the Norwegian as well."
I'm sorry, but that's just LOL!
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