A protest-turned-celebration at City Hall in Calgary, on Dec. 8.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
Syrian nationals around the world, including many refugees, celebrated the fall of the Assad regime Sunday, as excitement about the end of a brutal dictatorship was mixed with anxiety about whether to return home to an uncertain political future. Deposed president Bashar al-Assad, and before that, his father, Hafez, were in power for more than 50 years.
In Calgary, what had been planned as a rally to demand a free Syria quickly pivoted to a celebration, with hundreds of Syrians gathered outside City Hall, bundled against the cold, cheering and dancing. Some wrapped themselves in flags, some were crying, others singing. A local Middle Eastern sweet shop offered free treats.
Khadija Alsaeid, 18, fled the Syrian city of Aleppo with her family about 10 years ago. “It’s amazing, you don’t know the joy we feel,” she said at the rally. She hopes she can return to her hometown. “As much as I love Canada, as much as I love the mountains, I would love to go back one day there. It’s my city,” she said.
She acknowledged Syria faces an uncertain future, but said the most important thing is that the Assad regime is gone. What matters now, she said, is that the fight for freedom did not go in vain.
In just two weeks, a coalition of rebels led by a Turkish-backed jihadi group captured hundreds of square kilometres of territory including capital Damascus, freeing prisoners of the regime’s notorious detention camps along the way. Early Sunday, Mr. al-Assad fled the country and arrived in Moscow, where Russian state media says he and his family were granted asylum.
The news of his sudden overthrow after a 13-year civil war and five decades of his family’s autocratic rule raised hope among the millions of displaced Syrians scattered in neighbouring countries and beyond that they could return home.
Thousands of Syrians in Lebanon poured across the Masna’a border on Sunday, waving Syrian opposition flags and shooting off fireworks. In Turkey, which is home to the largest population of Syrian refugees, people lined up at a border crossing with suitcases and duffel bags. “To the displaced all over the world, free Syria awaits you,” rebel commander Hasan Abdul Ghani wrote on Telegram, urging Syrians abroad to return home.
Khadija Alsaeid,18, fled the Syrian city of Aleppo with her family about 10 years ago.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
Marwa Khobieh, executive director of the Syrian Canadian Foundation, says she believes that many of those who fled the violence, including some of those who have lived in Canada for a long time, will want to return permanently.
“I think most Syrian refugees want to move back and rebuild their country because this is their home. This is where they were raised and had all of their businesses,” she said. “There are some concerns because we don’t know if we’re actually going to reach what we have hoped and fought for years. But so far, we’re feeling optimistic.”
Michael Molloy, who opened the Canadian embassy in Syria in the 1980s, said the number of displaced people who decide to return to Syria could depend on future leadership. The leader of the most powerful rebel faction is Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose nom de guerre is Abu Mohammed al-Golani when he was a commander of al-Qaeda in the Syrian civil war. He severed ties with the group in 2016. Signalling his efforts to secure an orderly transition, he declared Sunday that Syrian state institutions would remain under the supervision of the Assad-appointed prime minister until a handover.
Although the rebels have proven their military capabilities, Mr. Molloy said it’s yet to be seen how they would govern.
“If the new regime is tolerant and tries to reunite the country through peaceful means, then I think we’ll see the traffic going to Syria. If they don’t establish order very quickly, we could in fact see another exodus and that’s going to make things very complicated for Turkey because that’s the obvious way to get out,” he said.
He noted, however, that the type of migration he’s most concerned about is people associated with the Assad regime trying to escape to Canada. “The Assad regime did not tolerate any dissent whatsoever. So they had people who were complicit in large numbers: police, intelligence people, people at the highest levels of the government. ... Many of them should end up in front of the Hague court.”
In a statement, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said: “We will collaborate with our partners throughout this transitional period to support the Syrian people. We remain committed to holding the Assad regime accountable before the International Court of Justice for the torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment of its own people.”
For Syrians in Canada, many of whom have started new lives, built families and careers, the idea of moving back is complicated.
Bassam Al Rashed Abazed came to Canada in 2017 with his wife and three children. Since then, they’ve had another child. When it’s safe, he plans to visit Syria, where one of his sisters and many of his aunts, uncles and cousins still live. But he’s unlikely to move back permanently.
“I want to help build our country again,” said the 44-year-old. “But my eldest daughter is in Grade 10. Her first language is English now. I think it’s better for her to study here in Canada, and the other kids too.”
Ahmad Habboub became a Canadian citizen in October. The Calgary resident said he would like to go back to Syria, but his family home in the city of Homs has been destroyed. He also wants to complete his postsecondary studies here first. But one day? “I hope so.”