I had the chance to talk to a Syrian national, who used to live in Syria and whose family is still there. He provided an inside perspective on the conflict and his responses to my questions are incredibly revealing.
Where did you live in Syria and for how long?
I lived in Aleppo (northern Syria). (Omar)
What was it like before the conflict?
The situation was very difficult for many with low unemployment, poverty, high prices and corruption wide spread at all levels. In addition, the oppression from the government officials and all those with any limited connections to the government (whether wealthy business men or a simple police officer, or even a government office employee), anyone with little or no power (again measured by either money or government connections) was exploited to the highest degree. It was as we used to call it “we lived as slaves in the Assad farm”. (Omar)
Did the conflict affect you or your family on a day-to-day basis? How?
I have lived for almost 10 years here in UAE (Abu Dhabi) but all my family (widowed mother and 7 brother and 2 sisters and their families) lived in Aleppo. Once the conflict started, the government and their security apparatus began a large-scale suppression campaign in an effort to ensure Aleppo did not join the uprising that was spreading in other parts of Syria like Darra and Homs. My own brother was arrested and kept jailed for more than one month simply by helping a young man from Homs hide in his shop after fleeing Homs. My brother left jail telling us stories of torture and his body/health were a clear sign of that. His weight dropped by 15 kg while in captivity. (Omar)
What do you believe caused the conflict?
The people, after almost 50 years of oppression and exploitation, felt that it was time to join the same path as the other neighbouring uprisings in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. Many simply took to the streets demanding corruption to be cleaned up and cost of living/unemployment to be addressed. Syria is well known for its rich history and highly educated/talented people and to see many of those around the world enjoy a better lifestyle with greater freedoms was what all Syrians aspired for. The simple solution in the past 50 years was just to find a better life elsewhere but to many Syrian (even the +20 million living abroad) this phenomenon had to change. (Omar)
What is your opinion of the Assad government?
The Assad government is what is started as: A leadership that was attained illegally and continues to operate as such through illegal means and with its very well know brutality. Although Bashar (the son of the Assad empire leader Hafez) may have seemed to be more educated and focused on reforming the country, we as Syrian know too well that he is only a branch of the brutal leader his father once was where he is known to allowed his brother, Rifat Assad, in 1982 to slaughter almost 40,000 people in the city of Hama…. a story that ALL Syrians can never forget. (Omar)
What is your opinion on the rebels?
We as the Syrian people support all those who oppose Assad and his supporters. However, we are aware of small patches of extreme elements that stand on the opposition side (which sadly is making the headlines on western media outlets), however it is easy to say that these are NOT what the Syrians are. The Syrian people (most Sunni Muslim population) are a moderate people who has lived hundreds of years with all the denomination of people whether from a different religion or ideology. This is a fact that no one can deny. We have Christian neighbours who’s lineage dates back hundreds of years.
Another note is the many stories of heroism that the rebels have portrayed in saving/protecting the many western journalists while in Syrian and helping them flee when the conflict had become too much for them to bear. For example the British journalist Martin Feltcher. (Omar)
What is the religious situation in Syria?
Statistically, the majority of Syria is of Sunni Muslim background, more than 80%. The next religious population is almost split between Christian and Alawis. Then you have the Shia Muslim and then the other denominations/ideologies such as the Kurds, Druze, Armenians, Circassions (people from the Balkan regions). Historically during the Assad rule and even before, there have never been and major religious conflicts. The Syrian people, as the facts can prove, have always lived amongst eachother despite the various religious denominations that exist between them. Sadly, with the isolated incidents that have made the headlines in the news, the real image of the Syrian people is misinterpreted. (Omar)
When did you decide to leave and why?
I left Syria 10 years ago in hope of pursuing a better life in another country. I have since lived in UAE with a great job, a family and living the freedoms that my people in Syria are deprived from.
If I may, I would like to narrate to you the story of my widowed mother who had to flee Syria 1 year ago. My mother, an old and frail woman aged 76 years old, was forced to flee my city Aleppo as the conflict spread to our neighborhood. The neighborhood was at the time being bombarded by Assad forces due to the large number of rebels who were trying to protect our town from Assad’s militia. She described to me how a scud missile had dropped around 700 meters from her home killing many families. She immediately fled on foot approximately 3 km with great difficulty and with the help of those helping her flee. She had to avoid the main road to the airport due to the heavily guarded area full of snipers killing anyone trying to flee the conflict. She finally reached here safely barely having the energy to speak of her ordeal, feeling only happy that she made it out alive. (Omar)
Where are you now?
I am now in UAE as I mentioned. But my mother had to move to Turkey where most of my family is living now after also fleeing and having to stay in refugee camps for more than a year. I cannot keep my mother here as there are no residency visas being given to Syrians at the moment.(Omar)
Where did you live in Syria and for how long?
I lived in Aleppo (northern Syria). (Omar)
What was it like before the conflict?
The situation was very difficult for many with low unemployment, poverty, high prices and corruption wide spread at all levels. In addition, the oppression from the government officials and all those with any limited connections to the government (whether wealthy business men or a simple police officer, or even a government office employee), anyone with little or no power (again measured by either money or government connections) was exploited to the highest degree. It was as we used to call it “we lived as slaves in the Assad farm”. (Omar)
Did the conflict affect you or your family on a day-to-day basis? How?
I have lived for almost 10 years here in UAE (Abu Dhabi) but all my family (widowed mother and 7 brother and 2 sisters and their families) lived in Aleppo. Once the conflict started, the government and their security apparatus began a large-scale suppression campaign in an effort to ensure Aleppo did not join the uprising that was spreading in other parts of Syria like Darra and Homs. My own brother was arrested and kept jailed for more than one month simply by helping a young man from Homs hide in his shop after fleeing Homs. My brother left jail telling us stories of torture and his body/health were a clear sign of that. His weight dropped by 15 kg while in captivity. (Omar)
What do you believe caused the conflict?
The people, after almost 50 years of oppression and exploitation, felt that it was time to join the same path as the other neighbouring uprisings in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. Many simply took to the streets demanding corruption to be cleaned up and cost of living/unemployment to be addressed. Syria is well known for its rich history and highly educated/talented people and to see many of those around the world enjoy a better lifestyle with greater freedoms was what all Syrians aspired for. The simple solution in the past 50 years was just to find a better life elsewhere but to many Syrian (even the +20 million living abroad) this phenomenon had to change. (Omar)
What is your opinion of the Assad government?
The Assad government is what is started as: A leadership that was attained illegally and continues to operate as such through illegal means and with its very well know brutality. Although Bashar (the son of the Assad empire leader Hafez) may have seemed to be more educated and focused on reforming the country, we as Syrian know too well that he is only a branch of the brutal leader his father once was where he is known to allowed his brother, Rifat Assad, in 1982 to slaughter almost 40,000 people in the city of Hama…. a story that ALL Syrians can never forget. (Omar)
What is your opinion on the rebels?
We as the Syrian people support all those who oppose Assad and his supporters. However, we are aware of small patches of extreme elements that stand on the opposition side (which sadly is making the headlines on western media outlets), however it is easy to say that these are NOT what the Syrians are. The Syrian people (most Sunni Muslim population) are a moderate people who has lived hundreds of years with all the denomination of people whether from a different religion or ideology. This is a fact that no one can deny. We have Christian neighbours who’s lineage dates back hundreds of years.
Another note is the many stories of heroism that the rebels have portrayed in saving/protecting the many western journalists while in Syrian and helping them flee when the conflict had become too much for them to bear. For example the British journalist Martin Feltcher. (Omar)
What is the religious situation in Syria?
Statistically, the majority of Syria is of Sunni Muslim background, more than 80%. The next religious population is almost split between Christian and Alawis. Then you have the Shia Muslim and then the other denominations/ideologies such as the Kurds, Druze, Armenians, Circassions (people from the Balkan regions). Historically during the Assad rule and even before, there have never been and major religious conflicts. The Syrian people, as the facts can prove, have always lived amongst eachother despite the various religious denominations that exist between them. Sadly, with the isolated incidents that have made the headlines in the news, the real image of the Syrian people is misinterpreted. (Omar)
When did you decide to leave and why?
I left Syria 10 years ago in hope of pursuing a better life in another country. I have since lived in UAE with a great job, a family and living the freedoms that my people in Syria are deprived from.
If I may, I would like to narrate to you the story of my widowed mother who had to flee Syria 1 year ago. My mother, an old and frail woman aged 76 years old, was forced to flee my city Aleppo as the conflict spread to our neighborhood. The neighborhood was at the time being bombarded by Assad forces due to the large number of rebels who were trying to protect our town from Assad’s militia. She described to me how a scud missile had dropped around 700 meters from her home killing many families. She immediately fled on foot approximately 3 km with great difficulty and with the help of those helping her flee. She had to avoid the main road to the airport due to the heavily guarded area full of snipers killing anyone trying to flee the conflict. She finally reached here safely barely having the energy to speak of her ordeal, feeling only happy that she made it out alive. (Omar)
Where are you now?
I am now in UAE as I mentioned. But my mother had to move to Turkey where most of my family is living now after also fleeing and having to stay in refugee camps for more than a year. I cannot keep my mother here as there are no residency visas being given to Syrians at the moment.(Omar)