The Boy at the Back of the Class

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes depictions of war, graphic violence, death, loss, discrimination, and xenophobia.

The Syrian Civil War began in 2011 when rebel forces sought to overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Assad took power in 2000 after his father Hafez al-Assad’s death. Syrians hoped that Bashar al-Assad’s presidency would restore peace and equality to Syria in the wake of his father’s tyrannical regime. However, Assad quickly proved to be more dictatorial than his father. The period when rebel forces rose up against Assad’s regime is known as the Arab Spring. Rebels were fighting against Assad’s totalitarianism, police state, censorship of art and free speech, and regular disappearances and executions—among other war crimes and human rights violations. Assad’s forces sought to crush this uprising, which led to the civil war. The conflict continued until December 2024, when rebel forces launched another offensive to overthrow Assad. Assad fled Syria and found asylum in Russia. His regime fell at the end of 2024.

Since the start of the civil war, “more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety” (“Syria Refugee Crisis Explained.” The UN Refugee Agency, 13 Mar. 2025). Over seven million Syrians are displaced within Syria, while over six million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries, including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and further abroad.