Thoughts on the Arab Spring and the Syrian Revolution through my eyes over the years

When the people will to live,
Destiny must surely respond.
Oppression shall then vanish.
Fetters are certain to break.

Tunisian national poet Aboul-Qacem Echebbi

As a kid who witnessed the Arab Spring through the TV screen from a country outside the MENA region, all the revolutions and wars that I watched and experienced shaped me; they shaped my mind, my mentality, and even my feelings (I hope in a good way). It was 2011, and I was 7 years old; I remember everything in detail. I believe that this isn’t just my experience, but it’s the same for my siblings and the majority of my generation (especially those who grew up in homes that talked a lot about politics). In class (2nd elementary), I often found myself wondering about democracy and freedom, about the martyrs and the soldiers, about the poor and the rich, abouy the corruption, about the West and the conspiracy theories . At first, the atmosphere was peaceful.

I remember watching the body of Mohamed Bouazizi consumed by flames and wondering how a person could do this to himself. Does he not know that it hurts?

What drives a person to do this to himself ?

It didn’t take long for the Tunisian regime to fall, followed by the Egyptian one, with many revolutionaries leading the charge. The joy was priceless. I was so happy. I read passionately about school (which I hated). I tried to tell my classmates what was happening in the Arab countries, that we would now have freedom and democracy , and that I wanted to go live there and help people have a better life. I had learned all the slogans and revolutionary songs. I felt like I was flying in the clouds. That was the first stage: the joy before the disaster. In Syria, the dictatorial regime began to kill Syrian citizens massively. similarly in Libya, Sudan, Yemen, and other countries, albeit to a lesser extent. People who had nothing but their voices faced entire armies. Photos of corpses were everywhere. I was shocked, especially by the many children my age and younger. The most shocking images came from Syria, particularly the day chemicals were dropped on civilians, killing them in their sleep (it still haunts me). The situation was hopeless and dark. It seemed like a dead end. I thought people might stop asking for their rights, their freedom. I wondered if it was worth it . Does freedom worth so many children dying, so many homes being destroyed, and families fleeing en masse to other countries to escape the merciless war? All these became causes, proofs that we must definitely get rid of dictatorships; to escape dictatorial regimes, it became necessary to end the Arab Middle Ages as soon as possible by any means necessary. The thought that all these sacrifices should not be lost but should function as a compass for us to move forward and make our dreams come true.

The revolutionaries began armed struggles in several countries. Foreign nations and world powers intervened in the conflicts, and many events transpired, changing the geopolitics of the Middle East dramatically. Despair and pain dominated during this era . There was no hope on the horizon, and yet within 11 days ( and 13 yrs ), one of the most unjust and satanic regimes in human history fell: the Assad regime.

I want to talk about Syria, which has a particularly painful and bloody history. The Syrian regime has been strictly dictatorial and sectarian for over 50 years. Since 2011, this regime has killed over 600,000 unarmed civilians, and the number of Syrian refugees has reached 13 million. From the first day I followed the events, I prayed constantly. I slept less than 4 hours per day so I wouldn’t miss any updates. With each city or village that was liberated, a tear flowed, and the atmosphere of the entire house shifted. The huge dark cloud was gone. Syria moved one step closer to democracy, one step closer to what they had been seeking since 2011. We have much to learn from Syria, one lesson is that we must not lower our standards. We must ask for what we deserve without negotiation and without hesitation. We must not stop fighting. We must not halt it once we have started, because then the only loser would be us. If we give up, all the sacrifices we have made will be in vain, all the sacrifices they made will be in vain and in the end, we shall never find the happiness and freedom we seek.

Let what happened in Syria motivate you in life. If you are in school, university, or anywhere in life, don’t stop, continue even if you don’t see the light. Persevere even if you feel alone. Rest, but don’t stop, and with God's will, you will be rewarded.

May God forgive all our martyrs in Syria who paid with their lives for this victory. I hope they have been vindicated, and may God be with all who lost their loved ones. May God heal the wounded, care for the orphans, liberate all our countries, and grant our people peace and dignity

Thank you for reading my first post ( it was my experiment ) . I can't wait to share more with you. I just need to finish some assignments for uni , and I will post more. See you soon !

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