Syrians are celebrating the dawn of a new era – with hope and some fear

Syrians poured into the streets, markets and mosques on Friday to celebrate the recent ouster of Bashar al-Assad and attend the first Friday prayers since his ouster on Sunday.

CBC International correspondent Margaret Evans, producer Jason Ho and videographer David Iacolucci spoke with people in Damascus outside the Umayyad Mosque, built in the early 7th century AD and the largest in the city, and the nearby Hamidiya market about their hopes and fears for the future.

Islam is known, 38

(Jason Ho/CBC)

Marouf is a journalist from the city of Al-Hasakah in the northeast of the country.

He said Syria faces many challenges, including food and oil shortages, uncertainty over Abu Muhammad al-Julani, who led the rebel advance that ousted Assad, and fears that a united Syria with its different ethnic and religious groups may not hold together.

“There is fear of the future,” Maarouf said. “We celebrate the new situation in Syria, but all people feel afraid, especially merchants.”

He said seeing the rebels release army members without retaliation and adhering to some of the initial promises made by al-Julani reassured him, even though he is from a region where al-Julani’s group, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, is not well known. .

He added, “Now we have peace here in Damascus and this is a good thing. There is (forgiveness). So far everything is fine.”

However, he said, it will take a lot to maintain this peace and keep Syria united.

“The people must work hard to build Syria.”

Joud, 27

(Jason Ho/CBC)

Jude, who did not want to give her last name, studied finance and hopes that in a post-Assad Syria she can find work in her field, earn a higher salary and start a family. When CBC spoke to her, she was enjoying the simple pleasure of being able to move freely around the city.

“I’m happy today,” she told Margaret Evans through an interpreter. “After I left home today, I can walk and go anywhere I want… I am very happy because I can go anywhere. No one is watching me.”

Jude said she was not worried that the new Islamic government might impose restrictions on women.

“It won’t affect me as a woman or anyone else,” she said. “We will live as we live now, and I hope there will be no rules – any additional rules – on us.”

Enas Al-Hanash, 25

(Jason Ho/CBC)

Hanash was celebrating with her children, and like many others on the streets of Damascus on Friday, she held up a hopeful, if subtle, peace sign as she took a photo while other children wandered nearby. She said she is looking forward to economic stability and actually having things in stores to buy with her money.

“The Syrian pound will be much better, God willing. It is not what it was before. Even if you have money, you will not be able to buy anything.”

Hanash said she also hopes the new government will lead to the preservation of basic services, such as electricity.

She added: “The economic situation will be much better, and we will live in peace and security.”

Abu Ahmed, 22

(Jason Ho/CBC)

Ahmed said he is a member of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that led the advance that toppled the Assad regime. Ahmed, originally from Idlib, said he fought with the rebels when they were on their way to Damascus and now helps maintain security in the capital.

“There are a lot of people who still support the regime, and a lot of thieves in the city,” he said. “We hope that once we do all this (secure the city), we will return home,” he added.

Many inside and outside Syria are waiting to see what will happen to those who supported the regime and had an active hand in the repressive tactics it used to cling to power.

Ahmed said that holding people accountable for their actions under the previous regime is a necessary part of the transitional phase.

He said, “If we release the regime’s supporters whose hands are stained with blood, we will betray our martyrs.” “If there is a person in the army who has been forcibly conscripted, he can return to his home and we will not do anything to him. As for the people who have blood on their hands, we will hold them accountable.”

Raed Al Saleh 42

(Jason Ho/CBC)

Saleh heads the group known as the White Helmets, first responders whose mission has changed dramatically in recent days from helping civilians survive the violence and instability caused by a long and deadly civil war to rebuilding the country.

One of the first tasks was to help with research Sednayathe notorious military prison outside Damascus, searches for underground cells and tries to make sure every corner of the prison is disinfected.

“It was one of the most important tasks for us,” Saleh said. “We were working hard to get all the prisoners out.”

He added that they will now go to exhume some mass graves in which the victims of the Assad regime were buried. This will include collecting DNA samples in the hope of providing answers for loved ones of thousands of people who disappeared over the course of 14 years of civil war.

Saleh said: “We have more than 100,000 missing persons and we do not have any information about them at the present time.”

Despite the tough work ahead, Saleh said he is optimistic.

“In the past 14 years, we suffered a lot. But today… we are in a new phase. We will build a new Syria. We will bring back all the Syrians and make sure it is only one country, and only one society.” “The Syrians are the ones who make the decisions in this country.”