What kind of contact have you had with friends and family in Syria?
Before the internet cut off, I was talking to them through WhatsApp. But they cut the internet and the landlines and electricity. I don’t know whether they are still alive.
How did you find out about what happened to your brother-in-law and his boys?
When there was internet. My sister-in-law has three boys, one of them, he lives in Jordan. He’s studying there. And so he sent us on the WhatsApp group that his brothers and his dad were killed. They were shot in the back and the head. My sister-in-law, my husband’s sister Hanna, had a camera in the home, and had everything documented, but she doesn’t know how to release this, so we’re trying to help her to have this as evidence.
Tell me about Salah and Yusuf, your nephews.
I remember when we went to Syria (six years ago), they were both learning instruments. We sat together, we started singing, playing music. They’re very talented. They were very beautiful spirits. They were full of life, and very funny. So they have nothing to do with any politics, any war.
What do you remember about Samir?
He used to have a detergent factory and always liked to help people. My mom-in-law always said when sometimes people came to buy some detergent, and he knew that they are poor, he didn’t take money from them. He was very funny, wise.
What are your connections in Syria hearing and seeing?
My sister-in-law lives in the city centre; all of the militias were attacking the neighborhood, and was very horrible situation for them. It was tragedy. They heard gunfire, rockets and the fighters were shouting, ‘Allahu Akbar,’ and they were just running. And my sister-in-law saw all this from her door, and saw a civilian knifed in the head. I have a friend who told me her entire town was gone.
