Last night I went with my friend Sara to an event in Milan featuring Italian/Syrian author Shady Hamadi. We spoke briefly, and he was concerned about the indifference he encounters regarding Syria in Milan.
I found an interview with him that I found interesting, entitled, 'Why is the world not outraged?'
http://wewritewhatwelike.com/2012/03/03/syria-interview-with-shady-hamadi-why-is-the-world-not-outraged/
As I didn't have much time to speak to him, I didn't get much information other than that his family is in a village near Homs, where there is ongoing sectarian violence, and that he has recently lost contact with them.
I've lifted a short biography from Wikipedia about him, and tried to edit the English translation:
Born
in Milan to an Italian mother and a Syrian father, until 1997,he was banned
from entering Syria following the exile of his father Mohamed, belonging
to the Arab Nationalist Movement who was repeatedly arrested and tortured
while in Syria. Shady studied Political Science in Milan and began his career as a novelist with 'Voices of Souls'.
In
March of 2011, at the outbreak of the Syrian uprising against the
government of Bashar al-Assad, he took a stand against the regime, becoming
an activist for human rights and one of the main figures of
the opposition in Italy. He
participated in numerous television and radio debates,
including 'the infidel', "Mediterraneo", "One Morning", Radio Three,
and Radio Italian Switzerland.
In
2011, his work as a supporter for the Syrian uprising became more
intense, resulting in intimidation by the Syrian regime. In Syria the secret
services threatened his uncle and, during a raid in his village of origin,
Talkalakh, they seized his cousin. In
October he was invited to a forum on 'the Arab world', with particular
attention to wing Syria, organized by the Party of European Socialists in
the European Parliament in Brussels. In December he was invited by
the Third Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Italian Parliament as the
only speaker for a hearing on human rights and democracy in Syria. [6]
In December of 2011 he began working with "The Daily", where he has his own blog.
In
February 2012 he wrote a letter-appeal published by the newspaper
"Corriere della Sera", to start a campaign for Syria, proposing that people wear a black bow for the termination of the killings in Syria...
On 8 March 2012, being from a Christian family, he wrote a letter of appeal to the Pope on the position of Christians in Syria.
According to the website Avoicomunicare he is one of the most famous second-generation Italians in Italy.
Shady Hamadi's blog (in Italian) can be found at:
http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/blog/shamadi/
Shady's books can be found at Amazon.com
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