Birthday

Not long after World War I Syria was born, and was an orphan. She was oblivious to the world around her. With the help of Syria’s Brothers, her royal Cousin stepped in and vowed to protect her. They were not ready to take on the responsibility of raising the delicate newborn. But they tried to protect her and provide her with the care she needed as much as they could. They were sincere.

Just when they started to adapt to meet Syria’s needs, things began to change. Part of the Extended Family claimed that the current caregivers were unfit to raise Syria on their own. They claimed that the Cousin was a distant relative and shouldn’t be engaged in Syria’s affairs, and the Brothers were too young for such responsibility. Shortly after, a French Step-Father was mandated _by force_ to be the legal guardian of Syria.

Syria’s Brothers tried to talk to the French guardian and persuade him away from his task but nothing worked. They were helpless.

One of the Brothers, Yusuf al-Azma, asked his Sibling Sati' al-Husri to use his prudence and diplomacy to delay the inevitable as much as he could. Sati' did what he could.

“Yusuf, the Fresh Step-Father is insisting on taking the custody of Syria by force and I only managed to delay him for a few hours or so” Sati' informed Yusuf.

“Thank you” Yusuf replied.

“What’s your plan anyway” Sati' cautiously asked.

“I will not allow Syria to be raised by an abusive Father. She’s suffered enough in her birth” in a prideful voice Yusuf replied decisively. In secrecy, Yusuf gathered his finest and most loyal friends and went to reunite with his lawful life partner Maysalun to face their dreadful fate together.

The Cousin was banished and the Brothers were either scattered or killed. And Syria was under the mercy of her French Step-Father.

A French Step-Father

The French Step-Father wasn’t interested in Syria’s development nor in her education. He only intended in making Syria at best a follower. The first thing he did was striping her of all her financial independence by making her financially dependent on him. Over the years, he ruthlessly tried to split and scatter her Family. All the good Brothers were either suppressed or imprisoned.

Syria started to feel the consequences of these harsh one-sided decisions. She was in economical degradation, and her wellbeing started to decline.

At the age of 19, her Father brutally decided that Syria had to abandon her infant Daughter. He and the Extended Family arranged a suspicious report claiming that she was not the legal Daughter of Syria; therefore, the Daughter needed to be raised and adopted by a different Family. They outrageously had forgotten the agony Syria went through in her birth to that Daughter. Eventually, Syria was helpless and couldn’t stop it from happening, the Daughter, who was once called Liwa' Al-Iskandarūna, was snatched from her Mother’s hand (land if you may).

Liwa' Al-Iskandarūna Syria’s Daughter who never was, some would say.

Syria was alone, and she was facing an imperial Father.

To salvage herself, Syria knew she had to repel, or otherwise, she was doomed forever. She knew had no choice but to support her Brothers to speak up and, if necessary, arm them.

Her civil personality was best exemplified through the support of the voices of her civil Brothers. The civil Brothers had been protesting against the cruel treatment their Sister had been facing. Fakhri al-Barudi was one of Syria’s voices; a voice of courage and hope.

Besides the peaceful fight al-Barudi had against the abusive French Father, he also fought equally and courageously against the worn-out culture of his time. Many would consider the fight against old-fashioned culture _rightful fight by all standards_ to be much more difficult and delicate than waging a war. So he first had to fight the old-fashioned ideology in his family. He fought for his education. He fought for his freedom to travel and learn despite what his father wanted of him. He never gave up.

After al-Barudi gained ground, he started to fight for his Sister’s right to receive education and be exposed to art and culture. From start to end, he was always keen to let Syria decide for herself without his guardianship. He was a Brother Syria would miss one day.

The rebellious Brothers, on the other hand, who managed to escape imprisonment and death_ despite their different religious backgrounds and places of birth_ had managed to instill in themselves the fighting spirit to free their Sister from the abusive Father. Thanks to Sultan Pasha el Atrash, a fellow rebellious Brother, he managed to unite the other Brothers and fight for Syria’s freedom.

Slowly but surely, and over the years, the Father started to grow older and weaker while Syria and her Brothers started to gain hope and power. Through the voices of her Civil Bothers and the dedication of her rebellious Brothers, on April 17 1946 Syria snatched her freedom and independence.

Though one defining question Syria had to wrestle with: who am I?

Who am I?

Syria had always been keen to establish a democratic Foundation to help unite her Family. Many attempts were tried but failed. But on the verge of independence, one of the earlier democratic Foundation was created. The Foundation was given to one of Syria’s civil voices Shukri al-Quwatli.

al-Quwatli was one of the prominent voices that spoke up against the tyranny of the French Father. He was also the voice that declared independence.

But the poisonous atmosphere in Syria’s family, which was partly instilled by The Step-French Father and partly because of the sick ambition of some of the Brothers, led to endless coups. Before the end of al-Quwatli’s second term, and with aid of a foreign organization, the first coup of a series of coups started. And al-Quwatli was exiled.

The next few years Syria faced were unsettling. It felt as if every morning Syria would wake up listening to the announcement of a new president. Some even went far as to suggest that after a while Syria had forgotten who the current president of the Foundation was.

Years had passed before al-Quwatli returned from exile and was elected for the third time to head the Foundation. Although this time his term would also end before it was supposed to finish the reason was different.

Egypt, Syria’s older Sister, had persuaded her younger Sister to live under one roof and merge the Foundations of the two Sisters into one. Unity was born in 1958. Consequently, al-Quwatli peacefully gave up his position to his peer in Egypt_ it was suggested that al-Quwatli had no knowledge of the negotiations that preceded the agreement on unity between the two Sisters, and in the end, he had no choice but to accept the situation as was.

The unity was a symbol of greatness and the idea was the finest perhaps. The execution and the reasoning behind the unity, however, could not be poorer. Not long after, the unity between the two Sisters came to an end after a few Brothers of Syria had plotted against it.

For the next ten years, Syria and its Foundation continued to face obstacles and difficult times but Syria had its freedom between her hands. Even the wars Syria had fought during these years never made her feel she was facing an existential threat. Syria would struggle for some time but at other times would provide for her Family and be there for them.

But in 1971 Syria’s life would change forever.

al-Assad Foundation

Of all the selfish and ruthless Brothers Syria had, Hafez al-Assad was the extremist in every aspect. He never cared for Syria or anyone else; he cared for himself only.

Hafez was smart and ambitious. He learned how to effectively control and reign over those around him_sometimes he murdered those who imposed or might impose a threat in the future. He never got ahead of himself. He would wait and observe. Only at the right moment, he would unleash his ruthlessness and merciless attacks.

For months and years, Hafez was laying a careful plan to seize the Foundation for himself. In 1971 when the time was right he executed the final act of his plan and seized the Foundation for himself.

Hafez ruled with an iron fist. All of Syria’s Brothers were helpless and disappeared. In comparison, the French Step-Father cared more about Syria and harmed a few of her people.

At a time when there was no apparent hope whatsoever, one of Syria’s fourteen Daughters, Hama, dared the unthinkable. The Daughter was in too much agony to let her Mother suffer. She needed to act. In 1982, and against all odds, Hama raised against Hafez.

Hama became the shield maiden of Syria. Hama fought and fought.

But al-Assad quickly surrounded Hama and cutoff off her Sisters. She didn’t know she was an alone warrior who was facing her first and last stand.

Syria’s worst memory is when her Daughter Hama fell in her fight. Hama was obliterated.

Syria was devastated and helpless. At that moment of despair, all she cared about was for her other Daughters to be able to breathe even if their dignity was stripped away from them.

Long and hard years had passed before Hafez died _he was no god. The Foundation was passed to his Son.

After more than four decades of al-Assad’s family controlling Syria’s life, a tiny spot of hope was flashed in the darkest of times.

This time all of Syria’s living Daughters rose together against extortion. It was nothing like what Syria had witnessed before. It was that moment when a spark of life hit Hama’s soul and brought her back to life.

Under the banner of the Daughters, the Brothers have been united again.

Now, it is up to the shield maidens to lead and free their Mother, Syria.