Photo credit: www.theguardian.com
The Evolution of Survival in Syria: A Personal Journey
Mustafa’s life in Syria took a drastic turn when he was just 16 years old. Early in 2011, amidst the burgeoning wave of the Arab Spring, he was initially drawn into a world of performance art but soon faced the grim realities of state oppression. Hired as an extra for a government propaganda film in Damascus, he felt a fleeting happiness in the midst of a socio-political storm. However, that joy was short-lived. When he attempted to capture a moment of staged patriotism with his phone, he was seized by police, brutally beaten, and imprisoned for several hours. This traumatic incident marked a pivotal moment in his life, awakening a deep-seated fear and resolve that would accompany him for years to come.
Growing up in a congested working-class neighborhood, Mustafa’s childhood was marked by strict and often violent discipline from his father, a conservative cleric. Confronted with this oppressive environment, he had already fled home at 14, securing a job in a restaurant while nurturing dreams of a career in acting. He reflected on those early working days—the long hours spent peeling potatoes not as drudgery, but as a cherished phase of his youth.
His interaction with the police, however, disabused him of any naive beliefs about the government, ushering in a period of paralyzing fear. Although he was not politically active, the oppressive atmosphere heightened his anxieties about his family’s safety, especially due to his father’s clerical status. By March 2011, when protests erupted across Syria, Mustafa watched from the sidelines, caught between survival and the increasing violence of a collapsing socio-political state. As civil unrest morphed into a full-scale civil war, he witnessed the transformation of peaceful demonstrators into armed factions advocating for increasingly radical ideologies.
The societal fracture illustrated by the civil war would soon impact Mustafa directly. In 2013, members of a pro-regime clan targeted his father’s home, searching for his brothers who had joined the uprising. Following this brutal intrusion, Mustafa found himself trapped in a cycle of coercion and violence. He was abducted and tortured by security forces, marking the onset of his affiliation with the national defense forces—a step driven by desperation rather than allegiance. At just 19, he was confronted with horrific human rights abuses and forced to make choices that would haunt him for years.
As he continued to serve at military checkpoints around Damascus, Mustafa became increasingly disillusioned with both sides of the conflict. He noted how the regime forces and rebel fighters alike pillaged neighborhoods, reflecting a broader pattern of lawlessness and devastation. Mustafa’s subsequent life involved balancing military duties with personal needs; he married and attempted to support his family through various odd jobs while navigating the treacherous waters of military service.
Despite being ensnared in a corrupt military system rife with violence and extortion, Mustafa exhibited resilience. He fashioned a precarious existence of bribery and deception, enabling him to spend time at home and support his family amidst a crumbling state. Yet, he lived in fear of exposure. The regime’s pervasive control mechanisms, characterized by a variety of intelligence agencies, made life unpredictable; arrests were common, and loyalty was fleeting.
In November 2024, Mustafa’s life drastically shifted again as political tides turned. His unit was called back to base amid a surge in rebel activity, indicating a shift in the war’s momentum. Simultaneously, profound changes rippled across Syria as rebel forces, now reorganized and equipped, rapidly displaced regime troops across key territories. Refugee narratives began to pivot against a backdrop of both jubilation and uncertainty as the war approached its conclusion.
The subsequent fall of Damascus marked another tumultuous chapter in Mustafa’s journey. Amidst the chaos, he finally tasted freedom after years of survival. His triumph, however, was overshadowed by profound bitterness, as he witnessed the restoration of new yet familiar forms of oppression in the form of HTS. With life turning unpredictable once again, he felt compelled to align with these new organizations for survival, perpetuating a cycle of complicity that marked much of his past.
In this evolving landscape of power and survival, both Mustafa and Ashraf, another deeply impacted soldier, grappled with the ramifications of their choices in a war-torn society. As the new regime settled into place, the legacy of governance inherited from Bashar al-Assad was questioned, while a violent reckoning with accountability for past abuses loomed large. The path to reconciliation in Syria, marked by complexity and deep-seated mistrust, casts a long shadow on the hopes of a peaceful future.
In his poignant tale, Mustafa embodies the plight of many Syrians, caught in a relentless struggle for dignity, safety, and survival amid a landscape devastated by war and despair. His experience reflects the larger narrative of a nation torn apart by betrayal and violence, leaving questions about the future and the possibility of redemption ensconced within the wreckage.
Source
www.theguardian.com