1.2. Islam vs Other Religions

Even though he identifies himself as a faithful Muslim, he is open to the different religions that exist in the world.

Yasser especially has an open-minded perspective toward the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam. During his time attending Damascus University, he had the opportunity to study the Bible. After closely observing both religions, he reached the conclusion that these two religions contain the same fundamental core, and should not be hateful towards each other. Yasser emphasizes the importance of not blindly believing what others claim, but to always be curious about the matters in society to discover the answer on one’s own. He is open to different perspectives without being judgemental from the beginning. This non-judgemental personality of his seems to root back to his childhood where he had the opportunity to encounter diversity.

 Before the Syrian War, the environment he was in never regarded people’s religions. Yasser’s university life was full of diversity because his open-minded personality allowed him to have friends from different religious backgrounds. Everyone accepted different religious beliefs, and Yasser was comfortable spending his university life in such a diverse environment. There was a childhood influence of accepting different beliefs and perspectives that constructed his open-mindedness.

2.2. Responsibility to Protect as the Male Figure

His Strong Will to Protect His Family

When situated in a difficult environment, Yasser always finds his family as a source for him to keep fighting. One of the difficult times he described was during the Syrian Revolution, Yasser had witnessed others losing their loved ones in tragic ways. In such a dangerous situation where the military government could easily attack opposing citizens, Yasser’s family was not an exception to the threat of death by the government. In a life-or-death moment like this, he was determined to protect his family. It made him realize how important his family was to him.

Yasser’s love for his family is immeasurable. Even though Yasser’s father was busy working far away for his family, he managed to be the main male figure protecting the family. However, the Syrian War gradually manifested Yasser’s strong will to protect his family, especially his mother and sister from the disastrous effect of the war. Even though Yasser was too young to be protecting his family at the time, he recognizes the deadly sin in Islam to kill others and was determined to go against his religious beliefs to protect them. “Monster” is what he would become for them until the day he dies. His strong will to protect his family overweighs his religious beliefs on a balancing scale in this situation.  This strong determination of protection gradually grows into his role as a main male figure later in his life in Japan.

Drastic Change in His Familial Role

“So either I’m going to be patient, try to work and stuff and provide for my family or just give up.”

Another difficult situation occurred after arriving in Japan after escaping from his home country for the family’s safety. In an unfamiliar country with the uneasiness of having a stable and peaceful life they had back in Syria before the war, he struggled to become the main male figure in the household. Back in Syria, his father had been taking care and protecting the family, however, in Japan, the situation completely changed. Because none of the family members could speak Japanese, providing the family with a stable life became an issue. At first, he was lost in the situation of shouldering all the responsibility. He was a young 20-year-old individual who had to make a tough decision to suddenly become the main male figure.

Even in a tough situation like this, he decided to become the main male figure and protect the family to survive in Japan. Just as it states in Quran to always care for and love the family, he did the best for the family. He has become a responsible individual not only for himself but for his family members. When there are issues occurring to them, he will fearlessly stand for them to solve the issue. 

Protecting and Deepening Ties with His Sister

He especially struggled to help out his sister in Japan. She was 12 years old when they arrived in Japan, she was in the middle of puberty, struggling to find where she belonged in a new environment. It is extremely difficult for a teenager to be situated in a completely different country with a different language, and she was suddenly placed under a lot of pressure like Yasser to quickly blend in when she did not have a clear understanding of what was happening to her. As the main male figure to keep the family together, Yasser wanted to help the struggles she was taking all on herself. However, it was challenging because she had built an emotional wall after the long exhausting refugee journey.

Despite his struggle with maintaining a close tie with his sister, Yasser managed to break the emotional wall once again by keeping encouraging and talking to her. As a foreigner in Japan, it was not easy for her to easily become a part of small and closed communities such as schools, but Yasser was always there for her to grow stronger. Now, they have become closer than ever and they are comfortable sharing many things about each other. Yasser was optimistic during the hardest times of his life and claims that nothing is impossible. From all of these experiences as the main male figure, he received the opportunity to grow as a person.

The Motivation

“Your belief is the foundation or the pillar that holds you together.”

Yasser acquired the skill to be patient with the situation during his difficult times, especially in Japan. There were times when it seemed unbearable for a young individual to go through. However, Yasser was different. He was able to overcome the obstacles with the Islamic teaching that he believes will always lead to a brighter side of his future. He finds ease today living in Japan with his family closer than ever. Their family bond will grow stronger with his presence as a male figure keeping the family together. Home is wherever his family stays.

2.3. Strong Family Ties with His Uncle

Yasser has an uncle from his mother’s side who is now living in Germany. Yasser is closer to his mother’s side because of their close living proximity.  Ever since he was little, his uncle was always around him.  He would always go visit Yasser’s family after getting off work. In Syria, school and working hours end at 2p.m., which is surprisingly early compared to hours in Japan. After he came, Yasser’s family would gather and spend some time together every day.

His uncle also influenced Yasser’s educational path in high school, when he was struggling to find the right decision to make for his future. He appreciates his uncle’s presence throughout his childhood and claims that he was the main male figure that he would look up to. It deeply influenced his responsibility as a male figure to take care of the family in Japan.

What was holding him together in such a difficult situation to deal with for a 20-year-old Yasser? The answer lies in his religion, Islam. The Islamic teachings believe patience is the key to overcoming hardships and eventually leading to fruitful results. Patience is the most quality that Yasser values deeply when encountering multiple obstacles throughout his life.

“Even after school we used to buy the small ball and we just make our own 2 goals and we just play you know, like er so it was kind of like in our blood or something. So and then yeah I wanted to do it professionally or to be in a team.  yeah and it happened you know, I was there, I was happy.”

Soccer for Yasser had appeared with significance at different times of his life, starting from his childhood to adulthood. It had been his passion to pursue for the longest time even in his difficult times and taught him how to build connections with new people around him. Though there was a slight shift in his ways of expressing his passion for soccer, the influence that soccer has brought to his life is immense. 

Soccer During His Childhood

Back in Syria, soccer was a popular sport among the children. During his childhood, he genuinely enjoyed playing soccer with his friends. These friends he had made through soccer remain to be his long-lasting friends, who followed him to come to Japan as refugees later in the years. 

His experience of soccer in Syria was not easy for him. He faced multiple oppressions growing up in Syria hoping to become a professional soccer player. Because of these oppressions, the dream of becoming a professional in Syria was completely shattered with a single comment by his coach, saying that Yasser probably cannot become a professional even with his talented soccer skills. However, this did not destroy his passion to continue playing soccer. 

Soccer in Japan

Even after the first few months of arriving in Japan, his passion for soccer did not disappear. In fact, it grew stronger because of the environment that allowed him to freely express his joy of playing. He describes the early experience of arriving in Japan, which he claims to be one of the toughest times in his life because of his suddenly emerged role as a main father figure to protect the family. However, he found people playing futsal at the gym and casually asked them if he could join. It is challenging for people, especially foreigners in Japan, to go up and talk to strangers because of the exclusivity in Japanese society. Despite the difficulty, he is not afraid to make new connections in an unfamiliar environment, and part of it is because of how much he loves soccer. Both his adventurous personality and his strong passion for soccer guided his journey of making new connections in Japan.

Challenging to Become a Professional Soccer Player

After living in Japan for a while, the dream of becoming a professional soccer player that was once shattered in Syria was revived. He describes the successful experience of becoming closer to his dream by expressing the importance of not only being talented to join but also having the connection with people to be introduced to J League, a professional soccer association in Japan. It is many soccer players’ dream in Japan to join the J League as a professional because it could be the gateway to success, possibly leading to opportunities of joining international soccer leagues as well in the future.  

From a Syrian boy who once dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player to a refugee in Japan pursuing his soccer career, playing J League had become his envisioned path for the future. His sociable personality allowed him to make connections in Japan, which eventually brought him closer to his lifelong dream. 

Giving Up to Become a Professional

However, during the time he was optimistic about pursuing becoming a soccer player, he found himself in the hospital with two injuries on his thigh and knee. He often suffered from severe pains in his legs because of the tough practices, and this time it had become a serious matter. Even with his strong passion for soccer to become a professional player, he decided to give up his dream. This difficult decision he encountered was eventually resolved by his life motto introduced earlier, “Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you, and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.” He is optimistic about the message from God.

“God didn’t want that for me. Maybe it wouldn’t be good for me.”

Religion plays a significant role in assisting the difficult times that Yasser has been going through, and this experience was one of the most challenging decisions that he faced. He was eventually saved by the words of God. Now, he is not afraid of accepting the new changes. Even though the path he had been envisioning had to shift to another, the current path he is taking as an actor has become the new passion that genuinely excites him. 

Soccer Coach in Japan

After giving up to become a professional, he had the opportunity to work as a soccer coach in Japan. Here, he experienced a different joy related to soccer from before. Instead of him playing soccer as he used to do, he had the opportunity to teach children how to play soccer. This experience was a fresh breeze to him. He discovered his passion for sharing what he enjoys with other people as well, especially children. Although his dream to become a soccer player had to come to an end, this was his new passion at the time, which continues to shine in his social media character as an influencer sharing his passion today. He genuinely enjoyed the interaction with the children and building healthy friendships with the co-workers there. Even though this experience as a soccer coach only lasted for 3months due to his busy schedule, it was one of the most exciting experiences he has had in Japan.

Exploring the different times that indicate the significance of soccer in his life, the dynamics of the impact of soccer clearly illustrate the deepening of his connections with people and cultivating his passionate personality. Soccer shed a positive light on his life.  Even though he has decided to move on to the next chapter of his life as an actor now, it has built the foundation of these qualities that pass onto his new passion. 

“Perhaps you hate a thing but it is good for you, and you might love a thing but it is bad for you. “

Holding this Islamic teaching as his life motto, the three pillars of his life allowed him to become the man he is today. Through these experiences, he had learned to become a religious, yet open-minded, family-oriented, and passionate individual. Cherishing the three qualities, religion, family, and passion, he finds himself on a positive path despite his hardships.