Ten Years Later, a Political Exile Returns to a Syria in Transition

“I’m very excited but also very overwhelmed. It’s an amazing feeling.” When Sawsan Abou Zainedin fled Bashar al-Assad’s rule more than a decade ago, she thought she might never return. Now, after the fall of the regime, she’s headed to her hometown in southern Syria to see her father for the first time in seven years. While scenes of celebration like these take place across the country, there’s also concern about what’s to come. “We cannot topple a dictator regime to go under a different one. These few months are fundamental, not just in our lives as individuals but also in the life of this country.” Abou Zainedin says her political activism against the former government landed her in trouble, narrowly escaping arrest. As part of the wave of six million Syrians who fled during the 13-year civil war, she sought asylum in the United Kingdom. She now leads a network of organizations that support legal and political rights for all Syrians. “Syria is ours and is not the property of the Assad family. We will not rest until we claim back our state of citizenship and democracy.” Abou Zainedin grew up here in the Suwayda district, home to a large Druse community, one of Syria’s many minority religious groups. It was also one of the first places where the uprising against Assad began in 2011. Many here want to see a secular state that protects the interests of Syria’s diverse population. In early December, rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or H.T.S., overthrew five decades of Assad family rule. H.T.S. is an Islamist group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda. Since toppling the Assad regime, the group’s leader, Ahmed al-Shara, has signaled an openness to a more inclusive government. People in Abou Zainedin’s hometown remain cautious. At a meeting with the spiritual leader of the Druse in Syria, concerns about the new chapter quickly surface. “We have achieved something we all thought it was impossible to achieve. But lots of work lies ahead of us still. We are definitely going to engage with the interim government, and we’re hoping that they will be responsive to this.” What will happen next under H.T.S. leadership is unknown, but for now the celebration continues.