The Situation in Syria

Thursday Halaqa Notes

January 17, 2013

MCA Santa Clara, CA

Today Sr. Reem came and spoke to us about the situation in Syria. She was able to escape from Syria a few weeks ago with her 2 year old son and get a visa from Lebanon to visit her sister here in CA.  

Her life in Syria had reached a very tough situation. There are constant bombings in her village and she lived in constant fear that in any moment her building would collapse on her and her son’s head. Even though her parents live about 30 minutes away, she hasn’t been able to visit them since after Ramadan. To get there she would have to go through 9 checkpoints and risk being shot or taken hostage or having a bomb fall on them. Also, in her parent’s area there is heavy bombing going on there too. The people are so occupied with the daily struggles that they don’t have time to think about hope or the future.

The living conditions are very difficult. The water sometimes gets shut of for days at a time, most recently it was shut off for 20 days. The electricity goes out for days too. The neighbors help each other out. And there are some soldiers from the freedom group who give out food. Some small corner stores open for a short time every few days. It was a daily struggle just to find some food to give her young son, do the laundry, and deal with the very loud noises of missiles and fighter jets - the sound of which would send her and her son into a panic every time. The other tough issue is when the soldiers randomly come into the house to do searches and questioning, looking for armed fighters. 

The children in Syria are going though a tough time emotionally. There was one young child who had a heart attack when an armed soldier came into the house. The sounds of explosions and jet airplanes would make them run into the corner, curl into a ball, and shiver with fear. One child would wet her pants from fear, so her mom had to put her hands over her daughter’s ears the moment she would hear a small sound until the airplane left. And the children who lost their fathers, mothers, or siblings are even more emotionally scarred.

Sr. Reem also revealed to us how life was like in Syria before the revolution. There is a network of spies who check if you turned your lights on at fajr 3 days in a row, or if a man prayed in the same masjid twice in a row. The men would have to pray in a different masjid for each prayer. No one could speak about any issues. You are constantly watched in everything you do and say. The shi3a built the schools and all the sunni children have to go there. 

She also shared with us some tragic stories of friends, neighbors, and young women captured, burned, killed, or taken for ransom and tortured. It would be very hard for me to write them but they are burned in my memory. May Allah give them Jannatul firdous.

We asked Sr. Reem what we could do from here to help the people in Syria. She said if we know someone there in Syria that we could trust, we could send them money to distribute to the widows and other needy families. (But outside Syria, we could help the Syrian refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. Some organizations are sending containers of food and clothes to these camps. Helping Hand of Santa Clara is collecting food and winter clothes this week until Feb 2, to send a container on Feb. 3. See the email from Banan or MCA newsletter for more info.)

We are so proud of the people in Syria fighting for their freedom. And the reason it is taking so long, not just because of the complicated political situation there and the support from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Russia, but also because Syria is a blessed land and Allah wants to raise their numbers and status in the Jannah. 

So please keep Syria in your du3as, that is the most important thing you can do. And Sr. Dana added that we could say 100 Istighfaar each day, including Sayyid Al Istighfar (Allahumma anta Rabbi...) 10 times from those 100. 

رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْهِمْ صَبْراً وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ وَانْصُرْهُمْ عَلَى القَوْم الكَافِرِينَ

“Our Lord! Pour upon them patience, make them steadfast, and grant them victory over the Disbelieving oppressors.”