Live updates: Follow the latest on Syria
Syrian residents in the UAE are overjoyed after a lightning 11-day offensive by rebel forces ended the more than half-century rule of the Assad family. But families now based in the Emirates worry about the fate of the tens of thousands of people who went missing during the decades-long conflict in Syria.
Days after the fall of the Bashar Al Assad government, Syrian citizens want to support their country by helping to rebuild the cities they once called home.
People tell us, Syria will become like Iraq or Afghanistan, but for me no one can be worse than the Assad regime
Fayez Maarrawi,
Syrian resident in Dubai
Fayez Maarrawi, who moved with his family to Dubai in 2002, went home to Damascus on annual holidays but could not return following the 2011 crackdown on anti-government protests. Over the years, he convinced most relatives to leave Syria as the situation deteriorated. But he fears for those who went missing in the Assad regime’s notorious prison system.
“It’s been 54 years under this regime and its end is the happiness of a lifetime. This is what we have always been hoping for,” said Mr Maarrawi, 56, who works in the technology sector in Dubai. “But knowing there are thousands of people still suffering and we may be unable to reach them, this is stealing away our joy.
“We always knew about the cruel, brutal prisons but today we are devastated that they are trying to uncover underground prison cells and we are hoping people will be reached in time. It is a challenging time and we will spare no effort in rebuilding Syria.” The United Nations set up an independent body last year aiming to provide answers to families about more than 130,000 people missing during the 14-year conflict.
Media reports over the last few days show thousands of people being freed from cramped cells. The White Helmets, Syria’s civil defence force, posted on X that it was deploying emergency teams to Sednaya Prison to investigate reports of hidden underground cells.
Torture for prisoners and family
Mr Maarrawi’s family has its own traumatic story as his father-in-law was detained for nine years as a political prisoner from 1982. He breaks down as he tells how his wife suffered for years without knowing whether her father was alive.
When Mr Maarrawi’s father-in-law was finally released, he rarely spoke about the torture he underwent to shield his family. “My father-in-law was a victim of this regime, he was detained without trial and my wife did not know if her father was alive or not for years,” he said. “What happened was torture for the prisoners and for families outside the jail. Imagine, this was happening from the 1980s until a few days ago.”
Even after his father-in-law was released, he was not allowed to travel overseas for 10 years and had to report back for security investigations every month. “They did this repeatedly to keep people living in fear,” Mr Maarrawi said.
“He did not talk a lot about the solitary confinement, torture and beatings because he feared for his children, for us.” Mr Maarrawi managed to bring him to Dubai in 2014 where he died two years ago surrounded by family.
The takeover of key cities by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which began as an Al Qaeda offshoot, has raised concern internationally as the organisation is designated as a terrorist group by the US and Europe. Like most Syrians, Mr Maarrawi is focused on the overthrow of a regime that crushed dissent.
“There is risk always when there is change,” he said. “People tell us, Syria will become like Iraq or Afghanistan. For me, there is no one that can be worse than the Assad regime and those truths are just being revealed. We look forward to anyone who proves they are aiming for the good of Syria, the good of the people.”
Trauma that will last generations
His son Yaman, 25, left Syria as a child, and feels a strong bond with the country he was born in. A student of politics and social policy, he wants to eventually return home and hopes other young people will too.
“No one in Syria wants to replace authoritarianism with authoritarianism, but today we just want to see detainees free and want to know the fate of the disappeared persons,” he said. “The state-building process will take time but it is our responsibility … also of doctors, engineers, lawyers … to go back and make sure we are on the right track.
“We are finally seeing family and friends post on social media how they actually feel about their country for the first time in their entire lives. Nothing can express the culture of fear that Assad implanted in the minds of Syrians everywhere. It has left a trauma that will stay with us for generations.”
As eager as the Maarrawi family is to return, they will wait until the millions who have taken refuge in other countries go back. “There are so many who have not seen their family for years, they should have the priority,” the older Mr Maarrawi said. “We are safe and happy here so we are not in a rush but we will definitely be there some time soon.”
Meanwhile, the Syrian consulate in Dubai announced a temporary suspension of urgent passport renewal applications. Operations will resume when the central passport system in Damascus is reconnected, the consulate said on its Facebook page. Similar announcements of a halt in services were made by embassies in Oman and Egypt.
Additional reporting by Salam Al Amir
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
World Cup League Two
Results
Oman beat Nepal by 18 runs
Oman beat United States by six wickets
Nepal beat United States by 35 runs
Oman beat Nepal by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Oman v United States
Wednesday, Nepal v United States
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Attacks on Egypt’s long rooted Copts
Egypt’s Copts belong to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans.
The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypt’s 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo.
Egypt’s Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes.
More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016.
The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States.
Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years:
November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.
May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.
February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month.
December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility.
July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud.
May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob.
New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
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Racecard
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Royal Birkdale Golf Course
Location: Southport, Merseyside, England
Established: 1889
Type: Private
Total holes: 18
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
