Ten years later, a political exile returns to Syria during the transition

“I’m very excited but also very overwhelmed. It’s a great 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 returns to her hometown in southern Syria to see her father for the first time in seven years. While scenes of celebration like this took place across the country, people were also concerned about what was to come. “We cannot overthrow one dictatorship to follow another. These months are very important, not only in our personal lives but also in the life of this country.” Abou Zainedin said that her political activism against the former government got her into trouble, narrowly escaping arrest. As part of a wave of six million Syrians fleeing the 13-year civil war, she sought asylum in the UK. She now leads a network of organizations supporting political and legal rights for all Syrians. “Syria is ours and not the property of the Assad family. We will not rest until we reclaim our civil rights and democracy.” Abou Zainedin grew up in Suwayda district, home to a large Druse community, one of many religious minorities in Syria. It was also one of the places where the uprising against Assad first began in 2011. Many here want to see a secular state that protects the interests of Syria’s diverse people. In early December, rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or HTS overthrew five decades of Assad family rule. HTS is an Islamist group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda. Since toppling the Assad regime, the group’s leader, Ahmed al-Shara, has signaled openness to a more inclusive government. The people of Abou Zainedin’s hometown remain cautious. At a meeting with the spiritual leader of the Druse people in Syria, concerns about the new chapter quickly emerged. “We achieved what we all thought was unattainable. But there is still a lot of work ahead of us. We will certainly cooperate with the interim government and we hope that they will respond to this.” What will happen next under HTS’s leadership remains unknown, but for now the celebrations continue.