His name means "Free" - The Life and Journey of a Syrian Refugee (Part Two)

Author's note: Some months ago I wrote about meeting and speaking with a Syrian refugee in Vienna, developing a friendship with him, and finally learning of his safe arrival in the UK. I went to visit him in Cardiff and he allowed me to record a conversation about his life, the circumstances that led to his flight from Syria, and his journey. This is the second part of the series produced by our conversation. It should go without saying, but please read the first part first. Since it was our agreement that I not post the audio recording of his voice online, I have made very few adaptions to his phrasing and grammar to preserve some relic of his voice's authenticity. In this post, which delves into some of the complexities of the Syrian situation, I have occasionally added editorial commentary in brackets to provide readers unfamiliar with Syrian politics with important explanatory information.

As previously specified, Azad has agreed for me to use his first name and to tell his story. Please refrain from comments advising me otherwise or discouraging me from doing so. Our Father in heaven delivers us from harm, but if that is not his will, then his will be done. 

Furthermore, my post is not about politics. It is about people. Racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic, and nativist comments are not welcome, not least because they do not reflect the character and conduct of Jesus Christ, nor do they fulfill the commission he gave to his followers - the main things promoted on this blog. 

Now, without further comment, let us return to Azad's narrative. 

In 2011 the Syrian Revolution started. Many of the cities – Aleppo is the biggest city – have been destroyed. Many groups are fighting each other, you don’t know who they are…too many people are coming in from outside Syria.

The Syrian regime [led by President Bashir al-Assad of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party since 2000; the party has been in control of Syria for decades] is not a trusted party - we cannot trust them because they have fought us for years. Most of the opposition are Islamic groups. ISIS is the main group in Syria – I think they control half of Syria now. There is al-Nusra Front [sometimes called al-Qaeda in Syria], Islamic Front Syria [Saudi-backed Sunni Islamists], Jaish al-Islam - which means Islam Army,  Jaish al-Muhajireen [full name Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar]…These are Islamists. PKK [the Kurdistan Workers Party] which controls my region, is Marxist. Also there is Syrian Democratic Army [Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians, and Syrian Turkmen from a number of militias made up of both Muslims and Christians] supported by PKK.  Iraqi Revolutionists [General Military Council for Iraqi Revolutionaries, Iraqi group led by Saddam Hussein era military and political leaders, a primary group in the ongoing Iraqi insurgency, and cooperative with ISIS]. Many groups that I don’t know. It is not as simple as one side here and one side there. Of course there is also the Syrian Free Army, but I think they do not have rule, they don’t control too much. I think they are the ones supported by the USA and UK but they do not have much control in Syria. Many of the Islamic groups are known as Syrian Free Army but unfortunately they are not. Maybe they say that they are to get some support from UK, from USA.

As for the Islamist groups, even if you are a Muslim you will find that you will be in a problem because you have to be compatible with their ideology and many of them have a different ideology so you don’t know how to follow them, or which one to follow. The regime, they say, is secular. ISIS is an extreme Islamic organisation. Men and women are fighting. There are no laws. No one trusts each other. Sometimes they help each other. Sometimes they fight each other. I do not know how long it will last. I do not see it in the near future, no.

As I have mentioned [see part one] we had no factory, no job opportunities, in my region. For a large family it is very hard. You have to provide…life to your family. Of course we couldn’t travel, because we were required for military service and couldn’t safely move within 15 to 20 kilometres of our village. You can’t move. This is also why I left, because we are required for military service.

There are two wings of the PKK, a men’s wing called YPG (translated “People’s Protection Units”) and a women’s wing called YPJ (trans: “Women’s Protection Units”). Before, they were together, when they were in Turkey or Iraq. When they came to Syria, they understood Syrian culture, that people don’t like women to join men, so they separated females from males. They say that all persons - guys, girls - between 18 and 40 years old have to perform military service. It is common for women to be involved in active military service. They kidnapped many girls under 18 years old.  A girl from one city, they kidnapped her. She was 16 years old. Her father published her certificate, her Syrian ID of citizenship and so confirmed that she was 16 years old. They kidnapped her in front of her school. Many people started demonstrating against that. Of course she was not the only who has been kidnapped. When you demonstrate they will fight you, give you bad treatment…with violence, kill many people, take many others to prison. The other day I heard they arrested many leaders of another party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria. Last year they killed many others. I am a member of the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party. We have no rights and are forbidden from meeting with each other so must do so secretly.

PKK attacked our village many times searching for guys, asking for guys to join them to go to military service. Many times PKK came to our village to take people, and not only our village. They hate our tribe, the group that I am from, because most of us have warm relations with Barzani [Masoud Barzani – President of Iraqi Kurdistan region since 2005, and leader of the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party)], with Jalal Talabani [President of Iraq from 2005 to 2014 (the first non-Arab President of Iraq), founder of the PUK party (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan), long-time advocate for Kurdish rights] and so don’t like PKK. This is another problem. They will give you a letter saying to you that you have to be available on a specific date. You can’t travel, you can’t work until you receive this letter. But this is nothing, because of prejudice – maybe they will take you suddenly. So you can’t move. You don’t know what awaits you. Two of my cousins, rather sons of my father’s cousin, have been kidnapped by the PKK. Till now we don’t know anything about them. When you go to the offices or station asking for any information about them, they just tell you to get out and don’t provide any information. Many others have been killed within our community, but from my own relatives fortunately none have been killed. Well, the two who have been kidnapped may have been killed but again we know nothing about them. When they attacked my village the PKK kidnapped other relatives but later released them.

I decided to leave Syria. There was no job for me there, and there was no life. Maybe later I can help my family, taking them out. I fear that they may take my sisters, my brothers because of the law for going to military service. 

To be continued.