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Sunni-Alawite couples in Syria defy sectarianism

The Syrian civil war has challenged Sunni-Alawite couples in getting their families' approval for marriage and society's acceptance of their relationships.
A Syrian couple sit at Mount Qasioun in Damascus September 12, 2005. Syria agreed on Monday with chief U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis on the procedures for questioning Syrian witnesses in the probe into the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi  JS/TY - RTRNNQ1

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.

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