Motorcyclists cross a ruined avenue in Harasta, Eastern Ghouta, on Dec. 19. (Credit: Emmanuel Haddad/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The gathering in the municipality of Ain Terma, a Damascus suburb, resembled a meeting of old war veterans. Seated on rickety chairs, three gray-haired, somewhat portly men shared anecdotes spanning the past 13 years — 13 years of civil war in Syria, bitter years that culminated on Dec. 8, when the Assad regime unexpectedly collapsed, and voices were freed.Jamal Taha, a long-time activist in the local committee of Douma, the capital of eastern Ghouta, worked in an institution pivotal during the revolution’s early years.Mohammad Homsi co-founded and led Ain Terma’s committee, and Mahmoud Diab is its current director. While they never took up arms together, they share the dark humor of those who endured oppression for too long. What has them doubled over with laughter on this Dec. 19 is the ‘180-degree turn community’ (majmou’a al-taqui)....
The gathering in the municipality of Ain Terma, a Damascus suburb, resembled a meeting of old war veterans. Seated on rickety chairs, three gray-haired, somewhat portly men shared anecdotes spanning the past 13 years — 13 years of civil war in Syria, bitter years that culminated on Dec. 8, when the Assad regime unexpectedly collapsed, and voices were freed.Jamal Taha, a long-time activist in the local committee of Douma, the capital of eastern Ghouta, worked in an institution pivotal during the revolution’s early years.Mohammad Homsi co-founded and led Ain Terma’s committee, and Mahmoud Diab is its current director. While they never took up arms together, they share the dark humor of those who endured oppression for too long. What has them doubled over with laughter on this Dec. 19 is the ‘180-degree turn community’...
