Sects, lies and videotape: a Syrian story, part 1

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From a powerful Alawite family in Syria, Loubna Mrie trusted the Assad regime – until witnessing its violent crackdown led her to defy loyalty and secretly film the uprising. In 2011, 20‑year‑old Loubna Mrie was an English literature student from a high-profile Alawite family, the same minority sect as the Assads who had ruled Syria for decades. For most of her life, loyalty felt like survival. Loubna had grown up believing the Assad regime protected her community, and that dissent was unthinkable. But as the Arab Spring reached Syria, Loubna became curious and secretly went to an anti-government protest in Damascus. Unable even to chant against the president she’d been taught to revere, Loubna’s loyalties collapsed when security forces opened fire on the unarmed demonstrators. Narrowly escaping, Loubna’s decision to side with the uprising brought her into open conflict with her family – especially her father, whose wealth and power had defined her life. Yet with her mother’s encouragement, Loubna stepped into a world she’d been kept apart from: Damascus’ underground activist networks. There, among Syrians from all sects, she began using her Alawite identity as a shield – to slip through government checkpoints, smuggle medical aid, and protect friends who would otherwise be at risk. Loubna also picked up a camera, learning to document the revolution from within, convinced that showing the world what was happening might help change it. Loubna shares her story over two episodes. In this first episode, she describes her journey from a loyalist upbringing to becoming one of the unlikely young revolutionaries who documented Syria’s uprising. In part two, the same identity that once protected her would soon become a threat when she is mistaken for a spy. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Maryam Maruf Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: Loubna Mrie looks directly into the camera. Her long brown hair is piled high on her head in a blue and purple wrap, she is wearing a blue and white patterned top . Credit: Joanna Eldredge Morrissey)