When Syrian rebel forces took control of Damascus, Rehab Alkadi could hardly believe it. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine the collapse of Syria's authoritarian regime in her lifetime. It's why she fled her homeland over a decade ago.
But on Saturday night, Alkadi said her phone was flooded with messages from friends back in Syria, all with the same astonishing words: "We are free now." In that moment, Alkadi finally started to believe it.
"I felt like in dream and I told them if I'm in dream, don't wake me up," she said.
Many Syrians, both at home and abroad, have been overcome by shock and jubilation at the news that President Bashar al-Assad fled the country — bringing an end to more than 50 years of brutal rule by him and his family.
In interviews with NPR, some Syrians in the U.S. said they finally felt comfortable to talk to the press or share their full names because they no longer feared their families back home would face punishment if they spoke out.
Much is yet to be seen with how the Islamist rebels now largely in control of the country will govern. The group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the offensive that toppled Assad's government, was previously linked to al-Qaida but has in recent years publicly disavowed international terrorism and tried to present a more moderate face. Leaders now face a myriad of challenges in trying to bring the country together.
Still, refugees in the U.S. told NPR that for the first time in years, they felt hopeful and looked forward to the possibility of returning to Syria, while others expressed more cautious optimism as the future of Syria continues to take shape.
"We thought that's the end of the story, but actually it wasn't"
Rehab Alkadi and her husband, Feras, fled Syria in 2013 with their 1-year-old son. They had watched nearby homes reduced to rubble and spent countless nights sheltering in their basement as a result of a bloody civil war that broke out in 2011.
When they bid farewell to their loved ones, they thought it was forever. "I didn't dream to go back ever because of the suffering that we've seen," Feras said. "We thought that's the end of the story, but actually it wasn't."
Today, Rehab and Feras have built a new life in the U.S. and are now living in New York City. Rehab works as a case manager with the nonprofit Syrian Community Network, while Feras, who was a physician in Syria, is now pursuing a residency program to continue his medical career. The couple said they no longer see themselves as refugees and they feel at ease calling Syria their home again.
"We felt like we don't have dignity anymore when we left our country," Rehab said. "When I had my citizenship here [in the U.S.], I felt I have my dignity back now. And with Syria now I have my dignity totally now."
Rehab and Feras said they are anxiously waiting for all the prisoners who were detained during Assad's repressive rule to be freed, including in Syria's notorious prison Saydnaya, known for its hidden cells.
For years, their son — who left Syria as a baby — would ask if they would ever return to their homeland, to which Rehab would reply, "never." But now, Rehab reassures her son it will happen and tells him about all the things to look forward to. "It's not easy to forget," she said. "The people, our friends there, our life there."
"All the martyrs and people who died ... I wish they can come back alive, just to tell them we are free now"
In Chicago, Samira Alhamwi immediately called her parents who still live in Syria when news broke out of Assad's departure.
"I called them on the first day and they were jumping of happiness," she said.
Alhamwi left Syria in 2011 after it became increasingly difficult to find medicine and food for her baby. At the time, Alhamwi said her father was also arbitrarily arrested as part of a crackdown by the regime against the neighborhood where the Syrian revolution began. Alhamwi fled the country before her father's release.
For the first time in years, Alhamwi feels a renewed sense of hope for her country. She feels confident the Syrian people can rebuild successfully. But she also carries a deep grief for those who lost their lives during the civil war or while trying to flee Syria.
"I wish they can come back alive, just to tell them we are free now," she said.
"Syrian people are tired. They don't want more killed people. They don't want war"
In Albany, Syrian refugees with the nonprofit New York for Syrian Refugees told NPR they have been praying for peace and stability in their homeland over the past few days.
They are confident in the resilience of the Syrian people, but they are also concerned about forces outside of Syria.
Following Assad's departure, Israeli forces have been making movements in Syria, entering a demilitarized buffer zone as well as launching hundreds of airstrikes in an attempt to destroy Syria's military capabilities. Meanwhile, some fighting persists in northern Syria between U.S.-backed Kurdish forces and a rebel group backed by Turkey.
"Syrian people are tired. They don't want more killed people. They don't want war. They want peace," said Lubna al-Sharifi, who left Syria in 2013 to protect her newborn son and now lives in Albany.
Most of her family fled Syria to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, but Sharifi has recently begun talking to them about reuniting in Syria once the country is stable and the airport reopens.
For Thouraya Ibrahim, she said she was initially happy that Assad was gone but she is still waiting for signs of stability in Syria. Thouraya left in 2013 after an airstrike hit her house. All of her family, including her parents and siblings, still live in Aleppo. Part of her still wishes that they would move to the U.S., especially given that there is still fighting happening in northern Syria.
Mohammed Al-Shaneif, who fled Syria in 2012 when he was 11 years old, said: "Syrian people love to live in peace and love, but the world hasn't been letting them."
He said he still vividly remembers the food and the scent of jasmine flowers in Damascus. Since moving to the U.S., he has tried to grow them himself, but they did not live long. He looks forward to the chance to see them back home.
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