The streets of Boston echoed with jubilation as hundreds gathered in Copley Square and outside the Boston Public Library to celebrate a turning point in Syrian history—the fall of the Assad regime. In what was characterized as a revolutionary moment for Syrians worldwide, the local Syrian community in Boston expressed both shock and exuberance over the seismic political shift in their homeland.
Following a swift and startling offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Syrian state television declared an end to Bashar al-Assad's reign. The crowd in Boston waved the Syrian flag and engaged in songs and dances, long suppressed under the heavy hand of Assad's rule, according to The Boston Globe. They expressed hope for a new era of freedom that once seemed unimaginable after years of conflict and repression.
"I wish my dad was alive to see that regime fall. Because he died hoping that would happen," Swampscott resident Sam Khativ told NBC Boston. Their sentiments were echoed by many who witnessed the historic moment from afar, including Adam Alnjjar, a Boston resident, who told NBC Boston, "A lot of people now feel really joyful and happy that this dictatorship is over. Now we are free and we can say whatever we want."
Mahmoud Elsayed, owner of Tarboosh Pizza & Mediterranean Grill and a Syrian national himself, explained his own experience with the regime, likening its oppressive presence to a cancer. "It's the dawn of freedom for us," Elsayed stated in the interview with The Boston Globe. The fall of Assad doesn't only symbolize newfound political liberties; it carries the promise of reunions with families and loved ones dispersed across the globe by the turmoil of war and fear.
Local Syrians now look towards a path of recovery and rebuilding, with many acknowledging the need for American support in this painstaking process. As the Syrian diaspora in Boston revels in the moment, the longer journey of healing and restructuring for their homeland lies ahead, a journey they hope will lead to a peaceful, inclusive, and vibrant Syria, as described by Taha Bali, a community activist, in his statement to NBC Boston.
