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One of the many Syrians celebrating the fall of the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad is the head of the Assyrian Democratic Organization, Gabriel Moushe Gawrieh. At the same time, Gawrieh, who lives in the northeastern city of Qamishli, is keeping an eye on the rebel group that led the final offensive against Assad and forced the dictator to flee to Moscow earlier this month.
Many have expressed concern about what kind of government will replace Assad’s, since the rebel group that led the downfall of the tyrannic government is still classified by the US government as a terrorist organization that was once affiliated with al Qaeda.
But Gawrieh is confident. He sees the group, Hayat Tahrir al Sham, as responsive to the viewpoints of a highly diverse Syrian population that is enjoying many freedoms – including freedom of expression – for the first time in 50-plus years.
“We had an experience with Hayat Tahrir al Sham in Idlib itself,” Gawrieh told Aleteia. “I don't believe that Hayat Tahrir al Sham will be able to govern the country in the same way that it did in Idlib, which is considered a very conservative community, especially considering that even this conservative community in Idlib was protesting against Hayat Tahrir al Sham for more than a year.
"I believe it will be hard for Hayat Tahrir al Sham to apply the same methodology or the same approach to control the whole country, because the Syrian community is a very diverse mixture of nationalities and religions and people from different backgrounds.”
Showed a lot of respect
In Idlib province, a northwestern area of Syria near Aleppo, HTS governed with a mixture of radical Islamic law and tolerance for minorities. Gawrieh was encouraged that when, over the past month, its forces took over Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and ultimately Damascus, HTS “remained committed to protecting the properties and the civilians from any specific violations … and showed a lot of respect for the minorities, particularly the Christians.”
Gawrieh, a member of the Syriac Orthodox Church, has been involved in the Syrian opposition for years and was arrested in 2013, in the early days of the Syrian civil war. He spent two years and seven months in prison.
He looks back on the Assad years, especially the past 14 years, as a “tough period for all Syrians, including us, because it included a lot of violations against human rights as well as war crimes.”
The fall of the Assad regime is “a great step towards the unity of Syria as well as towards the formation of a new government for the country,” he said, in an interview interpreted by his daughter, Simely.
Concern for the future
His joy in Assad’s fall is tempered by several concerns about what comes next, though. He admitted that one of those concerns is the radical orientation of Hayat Tahrir al Sham. But he observed that HTS has been responsive to public opinion.
“Syrians are able to speak up [now] and point out any misconduct,” he said, pointing out that HTS raised its flag next to the Syrian flag in Parliament one day, but they “received a lot of complaints from all the Syrians, all over Syria and in the diaspora as well, so they removed it the next day.”
Another concern is that clashes might erupt between the various Syrian opposition factions.
But he is encouraged that various countries are urging Syrians to form an inclusive, non-sectarian government that protects the rights of minorities and women.
“All of the political bodies and parties in Syria have a lot of work to do in order to contribute, to build a new Syria,” Gawrieh said. “And we will not accept to go back to the previous oppression.”
