Hanaa Abdullah
“We had been neighbors for many years, but I never imagined that one day I would live with them in my family’s absence and that they would become my second family.” With these words, Zeinab begins her story with her neighbors—a tale of love and warmth that brought together two families of different ethnic backgrounds in the heart of Raqqa, northeastern Syria.
Zeinab Al-Sheikh, a 30-year-old woman from a Kurdish family in Raqqa, spent her childhood in the city before leaving with her family a year after her father’s death and the takeover of Raqqa by the so-called Islamic State in 2014. They settled in Hama for four years, where Zeinab completed her studies at the Faculty of Education. In 2017, she returned to Raqqa with her family after her brother emigrated to a European country.
When Zeinab returned to her war-scarred home, she searched for a job and eventually secured a position with a humanitarian organization. During her long working hours, her mother visited their neighbor, rekindling a friendship after years of separation. But in 2021, Zeinab’s mother and brother were granted family reunification rights, while Zeinab’s application was rejected, changing the course of her life.
“We were in turmoil. My mother refused to leave me behind, even though I tried to convince her I would join them as soon as my application was approved. She remained adamant until our neighbor, Umm Mahmoud, stepped in and offered me a place in her home.”
Umm Mahmoud, a woman in her fifties, lived with her older husband and daughters. A close friend of Zeinab’s mother, their bond had been strong for many years.
The Neighbor’s Home: A Refuge in the Face of Absence
“When my family first left, my job required me to be away from home for long hours. I would return, have a quick meal, then head to our neighbors’ house. At first, it wasn’t easy, but over time, I felt the warmth and love of this family,” Zeinab recalls.
Her neighbor helped her furnish the house and move her belongings to the room of her three daughters, where she settled permanently.
During her stay, Zeinab and Darin, Umm Mahmoud’s middle daughter, blossomed into close friends. They shared a room and had long conversations at the end of each day.
“At first, I was hesitant about having someone outside our family live with us, especially since Zeinab came from a different ethnic background. I thought it might create problems. But I was wrong, and we later formed a strong friendship,” Darin admits.
Darin, 29, graduated with a degree in agricultural engineering in 2019 but struggled to find a job. Fearing a job unrelated to her field of study, she hesitated. However, the conversations between her and Zainab encouraged her to look for opportunities. She also introduced her to volunteer activities with civil society organizations, eventually leading Darin to secure a job with a local NGO.
“Every evening, Zeinab would talk to me about the importance of using my degree, gaining new experiences, and finding a job. She stressed the need to contribute to social awareness and improve my family’s situation. In the end, I landed a good job,” Darin shares.
Zeinab transformed the family after she settled with them. According to Umm Mahmoud, she not only helped Darin find a job but also took on a sense of responsibility for the home. “I embraced her as if she were my fourth daughter and kept in touch with her mother to reassure her,” she says.
“Had my neighbor not been so loyal, I wouldn’t have been able to take this step. I know her true nature well—she is a woman of deep Arab values,” says Aida, Zeinab’s mother, a Kurdish woman in her sixties and a mother of three. She had always cherished Zeinab as her only daughter and saw her neighbor’s gesture as a source of hope—that her daughter could keep her job and remain safe in a home where she was treated as family.
“I returned to Raqqa a few months ago and found my daughter and home in excellent condition. Now, my daughter leaves me at night to sleep in her neighbor’s house—she’s grown that attached to them,” Aida adds.
Zeinab and Darin believe their friendship—and their mothers’ before them—overcame all barriers. Their shared sense of belonging, genuine affection, and unwavering identities strengthened their bond, helping them defy every challenge. It became a driving force in breaking down the walls that often divide people of different backgrounds.
