The Peril of Taking Taxis in Raqqa
It was an ordinary day in mid-February 2015. Hayat pulled on her niqab (face veil) and stood in front of her mirror, making sure...
No Mercy Under Fire in Raqqa
Mariam and her four children huddled together in a corner of their home as the military planes circled overhead. As each bomb exploded, they...
A Wartime Education
My name is Razan. I was born in 1999 and spent my childhood in Deir al-Zor, where I completed elementary school. Afterwards, I continued...
Syrian Woman Spends Three Months in a Men’s Prison
Umm Mohammad is a 55 year-old mother of five sons, and is a sociable woman of strong character. Her support for the uprising led...
Battling on Two Fronts for the Right to Study
The condition I set for agreeing to marry my fiancé was not that he should have a university degree or own an apartment or...
Syria’s Children All Deserve to Live
I never wanted to leave Syria. I never even wanted to leave my own city, but the siege forced us into exile. Life became...
Even Our Smiles Are Taken Away
“Mama, is Bashar [al-Assad] gone yet?” “No, my dear.” “So that means we’re not going home?” My seven-year-old daughter has repeated these questions every...
In Syria, Wanting to Study Can Get You Arrested
Now in its third year, the siege of Douma continues to intensify. Our world is closing in on us, and there is nothing we...
A Decade of Insults
When I first started primary school, I was taken aback by the slogans I found written on the walls. This graffiti had nothing to...
Waiting for Samih
I don’t know how my son Samih, a medical student, got his hands on a camera the size and shape of a small button....
Mother of Martyrs
My name is Walaa, but they call me “the mother of martyrs”. I am originally from Douma but now live in Eastern Ghouta which...
Grieving Mother Refuses to Give Up Hope
Um Ahmad still hopes that the Syrian revolution will be triumphant, that the regime will be overthrown and a new, free country will be...
An Exceptional Woman
Umm Abdu did not cry when she heard that her son and grandson had been killed. Instead, she stood up, performed her ritual ablutions...
Signs and Wonders in a Damascus Prison
I never used to believe in signs and superstitions. I tended to rely on scientific explanations for what happened in my life, so it...
The Taste of Olive Oil and Thyme
It was a long night of tension and fear. We spent it in darkness, hiding with other residents of our neighbourhood as a storm...
“I Have Simple Dreams”
“My name is Reem. I live in a small town in Eastern Ghouta. I’m 18 years old. I was unable to finish my education...
