Little Arabia responds to the end of the Assad government
The abrupt end to the Assad family’s 54-year rule over Syria was closely watched by residents of the Orange County community.
The Assad family’s 54-year rule over Syria has come to an end.
The lightning rebel offensive that abruptly ended Syria’s 13-year-long civil war surprised the world, but was especially meaningful in Anaheim’s Little Arabia, the ethnic enclave at the heart of Orange County’s Arab American community.
In these early days of government change, many Syrian Americans expressed feeling hopeful but wary, watchful of Syria’s new leaders and eager to be reunited with their loved ones.
Little is yet known on how Hayat Tahrir al Sham — the coalition of rebel fighters that captured Damascus on Sunday, which is a former affiliate of Al Qaeda and a U.S.-designated terrorist group — will govern the Syrian people.
Their leader, Abu Mohammed al Golani, has since rebranded the organization, distancing himself from the transnational Islamist groups whose ranks he climbed, and promising protections for Syria’s various religious sects.
The historic weekend seems to have put to rest over a decade of suffering for the Syrian people. The bloody proxy war, born from the civil uprisings of the 2011 Arab Spring, claimed more than half a million lives and displaced nearly half of Syria’s population.
Many are now hopeful for a united Syria, taking comfort in their long-awaited reunions, and believing, perhaps cautiously, that the nation will peacefully transition into a much deserved period of healing.
The lightning rebel offensive that abruptly ended Syria’s 13-year-long civil war surprised the world, but was especially meaningful in Anaheim’s Little Arabia, the ethnic enclave at the heart of Orange County’s Arab American community.
In these early days of government change, many Syrian Americans expressed feeling hopeful but wary, watchful of Syria’s new leaders and eager to be reunited with their loved ones.
Little is yet known on how Hayat Tahrir al Sham — the coalition of rebel fighters that captured Damascus on Sunday, which is a former affiliate of Al Qaeda and a U.S.-designated terrorist group — will govern the Syrian people.
Their leader, Abu Mohammed al Golani, has since rebranded the organization, distancing himself from the transnational Islamist groups whose ranks he climbed, and promising protections for Syria’s various religious sects.
The historic weekend seems to have put to rest over a decade of suffering for the Syrian people. The bloody proxy war, born from the civil uprisings of the 2011 Arab Spring, claimed more than half a million lives and displaced nearly half of Syria’s population.
Many are now hopeful for a united Syria, taking comfort in their long-awaited reunions, and believing, perhaps cautiously, that the nation will peacefully transition into a much deserved period of healing.
