It’s a sunny afternoon and the precincts of the White House, home to the world’s most powerful man, are abuzz with a throng of tourists from across the world including the unlikely Syrian-American with flowing white beard.

With the beginning of the New Year, there is festive spirit and hope in the air.

Sameer Hunaidi, who migrated to the United States 42 years back from the Middle East, paces up and down the White House’s public grounds nurturing a different kind of hope – hope for a free and democratic Syria!

Holding a placard that equates Syrian ruler Bashar Assad to German dictator Adolf Hitler, he watches the crowd pensively.

“This is my bit for the cause of Syria. It is a show of solidarity by the Syrian diaspora. The American common man is ignorant about the goings-on in Syria. My effort is to create awareness among them,” he says.

On Dec. 31, 2011, Syria saw one of the largest demonstrations the country has seen in the wake of a fact-finding mission by Arab League observers to Damascus. Protesters stepped up the demand for the ouster of President Assad.

Inspired by uprisings across the Arab world, millions of Syrians have taken to the streets from March 2011 demanding an end of Assad’s regime and a change to democracy.

“I took in my first lungful of freedom in America when I migrated four decades back. I moved out of Syria not just for a better livelihood but also freedom. This is my home away from home. I am what I am because of this country. It has given me everything that I aspired for and I want my countrymen to also enjoy the fruits of democracy,” says Hunaidi, who retired as a domestic repairs man working in New York.

“However, as much as America is a great country, its foreign policy on the Middle East region is flawed. I intend to educate American people on the impact of the country’s foreign policy and also the sufferings of the Syrian people, who have been longing for freedom for so long.”

A small but sizeable number of Syrian Americans have been quietly going about the task of highlighting the Syrian cause in the United States, both individually and through umbrella organizations like the Syrian Coordination Committee and the National Alliance for Syria.

The committee was established by Syrian-American organizations for a united voice in support of the ongoing revolution in Syria.

Answering queries from onlookers, people like Hunaidi play their bit roles — small but no less significant. An Arab visitor congratulates him on his endeavour and takes his pictures.

A sworn bachelor, Hunaidi moved to America when he was 24 and has not gone back home since though all his family members and relatives live in Syria.

“My life is here, but the heart pines for a free Syria. I hope it is freed and I get a chance to see a free Syria before I die,” he avers.

“The day democracy dawns on Syria, I will be on a flight to Damascus,” he smiles.