“Why do you have to always be on the side of those losing?” my mother asked me with a tone of soft blame as I started writing in support of those who used to be pro-regime after the fall of Bashar Al Assad, the Syrian dictator, in December 2024.
She continues with a higher pitch this time: “They have been advocating for you to be
killed, accusing you of being a terrorist and a Western agent for over a decade, and now
you are defending them!”
I realised at that moment how this group of people had shifted in my head from a threat into weaker individuals facing revenge and unjust violations on the day Assad fell. Hence, I automatically shifted to their side, while my mother couldn’t see them as
anything but losers.
This piece is written for Unyielding: Personal Essays from Women Human Rights Defenders”.
Editor: Nadine Moawad
GenderIT Editor: Hija Kamran
Illustrator: Rawand Issa
Layout: Cathy Chen
Proofreading and Copyediting: Lori Nordstrom
