(29 Mar 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Judeidah, Syria – 12 March, 2025
1. Various of Zuhair Sulaiman walking with his son
2. Various of Sulaiman coming home and sitting in the living room
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Zuhair Sulaiman, Syrian man from Daraya:
“Ramadan without (Bashar) Assad, he didn’t make a difference to our Ramadan really, because our traditions are different from theirs. Our traditions (in Ramadan) revolved around family and neighbors, especially in Daraya, it’s different than other areas. When the family is all there, we would all break our fast together, we would gather, kids are all waiting around, it’s a very nice atmosphere with good food. This was the atmosphere in Daraya. Today, there’s no one. Today I’m breaking my fast with my wife alone, we don’t even have money for transportation to go to one of our relatives’ houses.”
4. Various of Salman praying
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Daraya, Syria – 12 March, 2025
5. Various of destruction in Daraya
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Damascus, Syria – 10 March, 2025
6. Various set up of Amjad Hammoud
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amjad Hammoud, Syrian activist:
“I think the economic situation is really bad, people’s finances are really bad, God help them. When you are used to something being a certain way, especially during Ramadan and Eid, and you can no longer live like that or have that, it causes great sadness inside you, because you can’t do the things that used to make you feel safe anymore.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Daraya, Syria – 17 March, 2025
8. Various of Faraj al-Mashash walking through rubble
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Faraj al-Mashash, Syrian man from Daraya:
“I wish in the holy month of Ramadan to be able to be united with the people I love and for all those who aren’t here to come back. This was my wish in Ramadan, but there are a lot of loved ones I haven’t seen.”
10. Various of man rebuilding a house
11. Various shots of Daraya streets
STORYLINE:
Zuhair Sulaiman sits in his living room with his wife, waiting for the call to prayer so they can both break their fast in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Sulaiman returned to his hometown of Daraya after the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad last December. He had been living in Egypt and Lebanon since 2014.
This is the first time in over a decade that Salman observes Ramadan in his country.
And although he is happy to be back home, he says something is missing.
“Our traditions revolved around family and neighbors. When the family is all there, we would all break our fast together, we would gather, kids are all waiting around, it’s a very nice atmosphere with good food… Today, there’s no one. Today I’m breaking my fast with my wife alone,” he says.
The family is relishing some new freedoms and savoring some old traces of the lives they once knew.
They enjoy family reunions but also are adjusting to a country ravaged by a prolonged civil war and now grappling with a complex transition and myriad challenges.
As they do, they grieve personal and communal losses: Killed and missing loved ones, their absence amplified during Ramadan.
Destroyed or damaged homes. And family gatherings shattered by the exodus of millions.
A time for daily fasting and heightened worship, Ramadan also often sees joyous get-togethers with relatives over food and juices.
Faraj al-Mashash is trying to fix up his father’s house in Daraya.
The family borrowed money to fix their home which was damaged and looted, but still standing.
Al-Mashash fled to Lebanon during the war and struggled financially.
Production by Malak Harb
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