Ali spent his childhood in Beirut, a city then torn apart by violent civil conflict, and where any minute the family may have to run down to the basement for safety. Yet once Lebanon had been something of pearl of the Middle East, and was a desirable place to visit for people from other Arab countries, and was known for its free and liberal society. In some respects, the story of Ali's family is a microcosm of the history of modern Lebanon, or at least offers a window into it.
However, it was not the war that caused Ali to leave Lebanon. In the early 90s tragedy hit the family when Ali's father was involved in a serious car accident and spent 3 years in a coma. After he died, Ali felt he had to leave Lebanon. Through a family connection and an encounter at his aunt's funeral, he got an opportunity to go to London to work for a foundation. Things didn't quite work out as planned, but while he was there he met his future wife, who happened to be from Tasmania, and eventually he made the decision to travel to the other side of the world to live with her and raise a family.
Although he got off to a rough start in a city with very little to offer in the way of Middle Eastern culture or community, he's been here some 16 years now and well and truly adapted to life in Hobart.
