Ahmad al-Rashid was studying at a university in Aleppo when unrest swept across the Middle East in 2011. This is his story of the Arab Spring in SyriaAs a Syrian Kurd,and like so many young people in Syria, I was taken by surprise by the beginning of the rebellion in 2011. It was something that we never thought would happen. I was among those young, or enthusiastic people looking for a peaceful change and a more open,pluralistic and inclusive form of governance. But after what started as a peaceful rebellion turned into endless violence, in 2013 I fled both the regime and the radicals.
When the winds of the Arab Spring blew eastwards from Tunisia, and across Libya and then through Egypt,we in Syria were watching with surprise. The removal of the Tunisian president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and had a enormous impact on young people and some of us began to believe about the direction of those winds.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com