After 10 years of war, What is it like to be Syrian?
It has already been ten years since the outbreak of the crisis/war/revolution; Everything from the defining term to the future remains controversial. However, there is a fact that cannot be discussed, which is that a Syrian before 2011 is by no means the same as after 2011.
P.S: The article isn’t written in the usual form ; In other words, you will notice that the article is written in the first person.
The reason behind this is that the article is addressed to convey the Syrians’ feelings to people all over the world.
10 years ago, Everything was different. We had a place to call home, Life was definitely hard but not as much as now…
Syria is an ancient country, as old as human history. The fact that resulted in a beautiful diversity — much like the Damascene Mosaic. The Syrian society is made up of Syrian Muslims Sunnis, Shias ( Alaouites and Twelver), Druzes and Christians, Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, and Greeks. All these sects coexisted for centuries; living and trading in peace, they rarely know civil wars. However, 2011 changed that forever.
Until 15 March 2011, Life was pretty normal; In no way can one deny the economical struggles and the political regime’s oppression, but a realistic ambition was enough for an individual to improve his conditions; In other words, life was liveable.
We barely could hear about sectarian tensions, Life in Syria was just like wherever in the world. First-world problems were largely common in Syria. Now, Syrians are a first-world problem.
The people went to the streets, Seeking freedom and justice, Exhausted by tyranny. People wanted economical and political improvement. Everything till that moment was innocent, the violent regime reaction was unexpected and didn’t go unnoticed…
The Syrians wanted revenge for the 13 years old child that the regime tortured and killed. — YES SYRIAN CHILDREN’S LIFE MATTERED AT THAT TIME —. The innocent feelings, the ambitions toward a free prosperous Syria changed quickly into a Fury.
Fury
The region between Fury and pain became the new range where Syrians live. Everybody became suddenly angry and started blaming the others; Revolutionaries started associating the regime’s failure to the Alaouites, Kurds accused Arabs and Regime supporters considered the revolution as a terrorist war against secularism; The people who once coexisted, because of the regime failure, started to hate each other.
Pain
Losing homes, businesses, and families, Everyone was in deep pain. The people had not experienced such a violent civil war for centuries, It was totally shocking and painful.
Your city, neighborhood, and home are all now a history; Even worse, Your life is nothing more than a number. Your memories, child love, ambitions all came at the price of a bullet, a car explosion, or even the ruthlessness of a torturer …
Leaving Syria
Exasperated with the regime, oppositions, or other terrorist organizations, Syrians left their homes seeking a new life away from the explosion sounds, dark future — Away from death.
Personally, I don’t blame anyone for taking sides; Everyone was hurt; The fury and pain blinded people and pushed them to the irrational way of thinking in which the war criminals were already investing — Sectarian and zonal discrimination.
Arriving in Lebanon, The Syrians — Now Refugees — became a new fuel for the corrupted Lebanese system; However, at least it was — Physically — a safe place. Yet, Far from being mentally safe.
Lebanon was often a transitional phase for Syrians seeking a good education, job, and any sort of good life. Surviving the Lebanese phase isn’t just as easy as one could think, Racisme there is legal; A big share of people and political parties practice it on a daily basis. Furthermore, It is widely common to associate Syrians with the Syrian Regime crimes in Lebanon…
Turkey isn’t that different from Lebanon. Associating the Arab Revolt that happened in 1916 to Syrians born after the 1930s, A Large share of Turks considered the Syrians to be BETRAYERS, COWARDS escaping war instead of fighting OR EVEN A CULTURAL THREAT TO THE TURKISH IDENTITY…
A Turkish friend once told me — Without knowing that I am Syrian — :
I don’t like Syrians, They are lazy and barbarian people. They escaped the war instead of fighting like men and living like kings here, while our soldiers die there in Syria…
He left me speechless, My Moroccan friend defended the Syrians instead of me. Simply, I was Shocked!
Syrians struggle everywhere. Ex-president Donald Trump described Syria to be ‘Desert and death’, The hosting countries do not offer any minimal legal protection to the Syrians and lastly, people remaining in Syria are giving away their children on the streets …
Not to mention who survived the torture, the war casualties, or who lost family members…
That’s what it means to be Syrian after 10 years, is to be Furious and in pain, wherever you are; The feeling remains the same. The ones who do not feel that way arent -At least in most people’s opinion- Syrian…
