Mohamed, 70, Syrian, guides tourists around Milan's monuments.

Persecuted by the secret services for opposing the regime, he fled his hometown. Fifty years have passed. Now he's a volunteer for the Touring Club Italia. He wants to demonstrate that religious dialogue is possible.

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Syrian guide in Milan

MOHAMED TOUR GUIDE IN MILAN

Mohamed Hamadi he is an elderly gentleman Syrian which, after several activities, has been accompanying tourists to visit the most important places for two years monuments of Milan, like the Church of San Maurizio.

Born in 1948, with white hair and a distinguished pose, he fled his hometown, Homs, when he was in his early twenties, after being imprisoned and tortured by the Hafez al-Assad regime. What was its fault? He asked for freedom and democracy.

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Mohamed speaks four languages and has been living for thirty years in ItalyHere he married a true Milanese and two years ago he joined the Touring Club Italy. these 2.000 volunteers, of which 800 for the city of Milan alone, offer hospitality in many sites which would otherwise remain closed to the public. “For me it is also an opportunity to be more and more inside the crop of this country, which has given me so much and where I have lived longer than in Syria,” he says.

Syrian Tourist Guide in Milan

With a pilot plant name Like his, written on the tag hanging on his jacket, it's easy to leave the tourist a little perplexed. It's unmistakable: Mohamed, in Arabic, is the name of the prophet Muhammad. “Those who are most affected are the tourists arriving from Arab countries: they can expect anything except seeing a Muslim with the name of the prophet explaining the paintings in a church", explains Hamadi.

But for him, it's about "culture" and not of religion. “The Koran, the Bible, the Torah…are part of the same chain“, he says. It reminds us that Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses or Abraham are included in the three sacred books, although it is not always the same way.

Noah's Ark

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The fresco he loves most is the one dedicated to theNoah's Ark, created by Aurelio Luini in 1556, at the end of the single nave of the Church of San Maurizio. “Noah and his Ark are also mentioned in the Koran, but people don't know it." Mohamed sees in his exchanges with visitors a way to "open people's minds".

His civil commitment in Italy began a few years ago. It was municipal councilor in Sesto San Giovanni and did volunteering, in 2013, welcoming the Syrian refugees arriving at Milan Central Station. But museums and churches, he confides, are the perfect place for him. Now he can cultivate his passion for the art and demonstrate that the religious dialogue it's possible.

(The cover image is taken from the website of "Il redattore sociale")

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