I’ve spent a lot of this winter in Tripoli, with my mother. One afternoon she comes back home from an outing with some friends, and says, “Sometimes, all you need is a walk down the street with people you like.” My mother is like that, poetic and wise, and I’m often transcribing—or stealing—her sentences. Over the past fourteen years she’s lived in Tripoli, my mother…

Speaking Suryoyo in contemporary Syrian society can be a complex experience. While the language serves as a cherished link to our cultural and historical heritage, it can also create a sense of alienation, of not fully fitting into the broader Syrian societal context. This is particularly true in the case of activists from the Assyrian community working in Syrian civil society, and it is in…

“One Arab nation… Bearing an eternal message.” With this slogan, I used to start my school day in a country where the Baath Party dominated the leadership of the state and society. Although it portrayed itself as a leftist party, placing socialism as its third goal, it chose Arab nationalism as the basis for its domestic and foreign policies. At that time, I was a…

“Even the dead have become items for trade,” Abu Ghiath says in dismay. He is a resident of Ein Tarma, a town in Eastern Ghouta, where many residents regularly face exploitation and extortion by the municipality and associated figures. Their criminal practices have now expanded to selling graves, taking advantage of the residents’ need to secure burial plots for their dead. Ein Tarma used to…

The UN World Food Program’s (WFP) recent decision to terminate its primary aid initiative across Syria, effective since January 2024, is a significant and wide-reaching development. This decision was prompted by financial constraints and will effectively sever a vital lifeline for the 3.2 million beneficiaries who heavily rely on these essential food distributions to alleviate malnutrition. The impact of these cutbacks will be magnified by…

I visited Gaziantep twice last year. During my last visit, ten months after the earthquake, the city was bustling and new neighbourhoods were being established rapidly. I went inside to visit some friends, and came out an hour later to find the place filled with dust; as they explained to me, “Our neighbours’ building is damaged and has been assessed as too dangerous – it’s…

Those who were children in the late 1990s or early 2000s may remember watching American films on the limited satellite channels of that time. These movies often followed a common script with an apocalyptic theme: a cold, snowy night interrupted by a sudden power outage, leading to a major natural disaster. The plot of such movies usually centered around a family seeking safety in their…

Ahmed al-Khubail, also known as Abu Khawla, commander of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council, is not a reputable figure in the Deir ez-Zor countryside. This area is under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the International Coalition. Over the years, al-Khubail has been known for his arrogance, disrespect, and aggression towards social and tribal leaders in the region. He has been…

A chemical attack has struck. The people of Zamalka and Ain Tarma lie dead in their streets. The muezzin’s voice echoed through the streets of Kafr Batna, filled with sorrow and urgency. It was two in the morning when his announcement issued from the minarets, his voice breaking with emotion and intermingled with calls to prayer. That night, darkness was replaced by chaos. The streets…

The chemical weapon was not simply one among various tools of violence employed by the Assad regime; it was, rather, employed to systematically obliterate populations residing in areas of rebellion. It functioned as its primary instrument of terror, resulting in the massive displacement of hundreds of thousands of Syrians. The following article seeks to unravel a parallel storyline running alongside the heinous crime involving the…