The Bitterness of Exile
Our life of exile in Qurqunya, a village in the north of Idlib province, began in August 2012. I left with my family –...
When We Turned into Black-Clad Corpses
The change began at a junction on the road between Aleppo and Raqqa on July 3, 2014. We were women brilliant and bright with...
Searching For My Lost Father
My mother refused to surrender to the fact of my father’s disappearance. She refused to submit, tightened her grip on her wounded heart and...
Our Neighbours’ House
Reflections on a childhood in the Syrian city of Raqqa, now under the control of Islamic State. Haya Mohammad We spent the best...
In Yarmouk, Facing Another Exile
At 3.30 in the afternoon of December 17, 2012, I was in my office in the Yarmouk camp on, following up on some work...
A Run-In With Islamic State
Before his bus left the city of al-Hasakah for Raqqa on last July, Mohammed asked his sister to hide his student ID card. He...
Living on the Edge
I have lived with my family in Idlib, which is under regime control, since March 2012. Although we’re against the regime, we have chosen...
Keeping the Faith in Syria’s Rebels
One woman’s continued support for revolutionaries in the Syrian city of Idlib. For those who know her personally, Um Mohammed personifies sobriety, dedication and...
Unwanted Attentions at a Syrian Checkpoint
I travel with my schoolteacher colleagues from our part of Idlib to the school where we work. The passengers who take the minibus include...
Stopped by the Morality Police in Raqqa
M stood alone in a women’s clothing shop in Raqqa, waiting for the shopkeeper to come back. He had gone out to evening prayers...
Escape From Raqqa
Last September 15, there was a knock at our door. I was initially overjoyed to see my friend after so much, until I saw...
A Family Home Abandoned
“I’m going to sell all the furniture in the house and leave the city. I can’t stand the overwhelming tension and fear anymore, or...
Fleeing My Homeland
It used to be that every time I rode the bus, I would daydream and drift off, focusing on anything but the streets of...
A Shopping Trip in Raqqa
Perils that face women just going about their business in an Islamic State stronghold. By Haya Mohammed After several days of discussion and debate,...
