Fleeing From One Place to the Next
Every morning, I wake up, get dressed and go to school. I walk into a classroom of young children living in the shadow of...
No Space for Anger in Our Lives
When I stormed out of my house on August 3, 2014, I was angry with my husband. We had argued about the meal I...
A Funeral, Not a Wedding
After my father was arrested, my brother Zuhair assumed the role of head of the family. He was only 18, but he tried his...
The Dressmaker’s Daughter
A few blocks away from my house in Aleppo’s northern suburbs, there lived a seamstress and her daughter Hasnaa. Hasnaa was a beautiful 21-year-old...
“Situation Under Control” in Syria
August 8, 2015 dawned on Latakia like any other day. Residents of the Syrian port city woke up and went about their regular business,...
Killed by the Bullet That Hit My Son
I only understood the true meaning of war when my son was killed. My life simply ended that day. All my dreams for him...
A Friendship Torn Apart
Wearing the dress my friend bought me, I pick up my phone and select her name, but do not dial her number. I log...
Face Veils De Rigueur in Islamic State Areas
Hanuf and her children waited nervously for their bus at the station in Qamishli in northeast Syria. They were on their way to visit...
A Life for a Bag of Sweets
Towards the end of March 2015, my family and I left our house in Douma and moved to a farmhouse in al-Sheyfuniya, a settlement...
A Hard Life Cut Short in Syria
Qamar sat in the farmhouse where she now lived, having a cup of coffee with her cousin. Calmly, sorrowfully, she talked of the heartache...
Deprived of School, Work and Country
When the Syrian revolution began, I was still attending at Damascus University, and like all the other students there, I was forced to participate...
Escape Through the Back Door
Abdel Qader Badran Street is one of the main streets in Douma, and it is a focal point for raids by government forces. My...
Dust, Blood and Death in a Children’s Playground
I felt the tremor before I heard the blast. A government plane had just fired a missile at my street. By the time the...
IWPR Women’s Blog Contributor Killed in Rocket Attack
Qamar al-Said, a contributor to IWPR’s Damascus Bureau project, was killed on November 19 when a rocket fired by the Assad government’s army landed...
When No News is Bad News
Months had passed since I had last seen my brother Ismail, so when I answered my front door in early October 2012 and found...
My Son’s Unknown Fate
For a mother, separation from her son is a bitter experience. Many Syrian women have suffered this since the beginning of the revolution, and...
