DAMASCUS, Syria — Many believe that the conflict in Syria is a power struggle between Sunnis and Alawites, while others assert that the conflict is between a dictatorial regime and armed revolutionaries. In both cases, there is no doubt that sectarianism and hatred between Alawite extremists and Sunni extremists plays a major role in this conflict.

Still, there are young men and women from different communities who continue to challenge this paradigm through love, determination and marriage. Damascus, despite the war, is still able to witness such love stories in these difficult days.

“I come from a Sunni family from the city of Homs, and when I was in college I met a young Alawite man from Homs, and we have lived a long and beautiful love story that the war almost put an end to. I had to leave Homs with my family after an artillery shell destroyed our house, and the man I love fled the country to escape conscription, but we are determined to defend our relationship and ultimately marry,” a 27-year-old woman, who holds a B.A. from Homs University, told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

The woman lives with her family in a small house in a Damascus suburb after they lost their property in Homs. Her father said he initially was fine with the marriage, but growing pressure from relatives was adding strain to the relationship. “I know that my daughter is in love with an Alawite, and this was unacceptable for many, even before the outbreak of the revolution in Syria, but I was ready to defend her and facilitate her marriage to him. However, after the outbreak of the revolution, my relatives became more sectarian and intransigent. They say that Alawites are the ones who displaced us from Homs, and I think they will be quite angry if I agree on marrying her off to him,” her father told Al-Monitor.