A Syrian Masterclass in the Art of Being Human
Critical Conditions: My Diary of the Syrian Revolution
Having read Hadi Abdullah’s Critical Conditions, you probably will not emerge well-equipped to enter a debate on the scope of the US involvement in the toppling of al-Assad; you will not formulate a stronger argument about Moscow’s and Tehran’s real motives behind supporting the fallen tyrant in Damascus. What you will gain is the eternal memory of the sixteen children of the Arba’in School in Daraa, who dared to breathe life into a suffocating city by simply writing anti-Assad slogans on the walls of their school. You will learn the names and the stories of Emad Nasab, Tarad al-Zuhouri, Khaled Essa, Ra’ed Fares, Abd al-Baset al-Sarout, and Hammoud—Hadi Abdullah’s friends who he met along the way, who taught him the meaning of friendship, brotherhood even, and the depth of the pain of loss which no first aid can relieve. You will realize that it is indeed possible for one man to be an enemy of both the Assad’s regime and of ISIS and al-Nusra Front. You will see the creativity and full human capacity for survival of those under impossible circumstances, driven by their love for life. And you will understand that a human voice and a camera, used correctly, can be the most dangerous of weapons.
“And rise we will.
………Every time.”
Read the full review here:
https://arablit.org/2025/10/30/a-syri...
Having read Hadi Abdullah’s Critical Conditions, you probably will not emerge well-equipped to enter a debate on the scope of the US involvement in the toppling of al-Assad; you will not formulate a stronger argument about Moscow’s and Tehran’s real motives behind supporting the fallen tyrant in Damascus. What you will gain is the eternal memory of the sixteen children of the Arba’in School in Daraa, who dared to breathe life into a suffocating city by simply writing anti-Assad slogans on the walls of their school. You will learn the names and the stories of Emad Nasab, Tarad al-Zuhouri, Khaled Essa, Ra’ed Fares, Abd al-Baset al-Sarout, and Hammoud—Hadi Abdullah’s friends who he met along the way, who taught him the meaning of friendship, brotherhood even, and the depth of the pain of loss which no first aid can relieve. You will realize that it is indeed possible for one man to be an enemy of both the Assad’s regime and of ISIS and al-Nusra Front. You will see the creativity and full human capacity for survival of those under impossible circumstances, driven by their love for life. And you will understand that a human voice and a camera, used correctly, can be the most dangerous of weapons.
“And rise we will.
………Every time.”
Read the full review here:
https://arablit.org/2025/10/30/a-syri...
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