Males dance exterior the Ummayad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, on Friday.
Claire Harbage/NPR
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Claire Harbage/NPR
DAMASCUS, Syria — Jubilant Syrians crowded the streets and mosques at Friday prayers at the moment to mark the downfall of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
On the Telegram messaging app, insurgent chief Abu Mohammed al-Golani encouraged Syrians to go to the streets and categorical their pleasure.
“I name them to get down to specific their happiness with out capturing bullets and terrifying individuals, and after that allow’s direct to construct this nation and as we stated from the start, it is victorious with assist from God,” he stated in a video message.
Within the capital Damascus, individuals stood shoulder to shoulder at one among Syria’s most holy websites, the al-Umayyad Mosque.
Individuals pushed previous one another, jostling for area, all attempting to make their technique to the mosque’s courtyard and it was so packed, most did not make it inside. Youngsters ran round waving the brand new Syrian flag, the temper like a competition.
Individuals collect within the Ummayad Mosque courtyard on Friday.
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This was the primary time Syrians carried out Friday prayers within the Umayyad Mosque since opposition forces stormed the capital and overthrew Assad lower than every week in the past.
The traditional mosque is adjoining to the tomb of the twelfth century Muslim hero Saladin, and a few imagine the top of John the Baptist is buried contained in the mosque.
Its marble courtyard can also be the place Assad’s safety forces brutally clamped down on anti-government protests through the years.
A soldier with a flower in his gun on the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on Friday.
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The sound of the sermon was faint exterior, however the message was clear: The imam requested God to punish the smug and the unjust and to punish Assad and his cronies.
The congregation responded with calls of “God is Nice.”
After the prayer, individuals took selfies within the mosque with their households and hugged one another.
A baby holds the brand new Syrian flag on the Umayyad Mosque on Friday.
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Some got here for the primary time. Like finest buddies, 21-year previous Mareya Keftaro and 20-year previous Bayan Habash.
Guffawing, they spoke over one another.
“Our land has returned to us,” Habash says. “I really feel prefer it’s MY nation now.”
Mohamed Yaser thanked God for this newfound blessing and stated he is been ready for this second for all of his 70 years. A second when he felt secure sufficient to wish right here.
Individuals collect on Friday on the Umayyad Mosque on Friday.
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“The roads to the mosque had been stuffed with intelligence and safety,” Yaser stated. “I by no means needed to threat it.”
Khadija Hattab, 40, stated she thought-about this present day like a “nationwide marriage ceremony.”
“The sensation we now have at the moment is indescribable,” she says. “I am unable to put the happiness I really feel into phrases.”
And what did Hattab pray for at the moment?
She lets out a deep sigh.
“That God will maintain Syria a cheerful, secure and affluent place,” she stated.
