Within the context of increasing militarization, few places have managed to resist violence and polarization in Syria. Qamishli, in northeast Syria, with its Kurdish majority and its multi-ethnic makeup is one of such places enjoying relative peace. This calm is the result of constant efforts by activists from the city, and a stiff resistance from the inhabitants to the many attempts to drag them to the military conflict. One of these initiatives aiming to promote co-existence is the Peace Marathon.
Organizer Walat Ehma spoke to Syria Untold about the idea behind the marathon: “We realized, as activists, that despite the relative calm now, the conflict was growing outside the walls of our town -it has already reached al-Hasaka- and we needed to put more effort into preempting all attempts to divide us.” That’s how the idea of a peace marathon came about. “We studied the idea carefully: we looked at our target audience and how we can use the crowds gathering to watch the marathon to deliver our message. We also looked at the best route inside the city that covered diverse neighborhoods. We also worked hard to ensure a wide participation from the people, civil society and sports organization as well as dignitaries from various backgrounds.”
The fact that the marathon’s starting point, al-Kindi public park, was targeted by an explosion a week before did not deter the organizers. On the contrary, it spurred them more into defying the violence. They responded by distributing peace leaflets and pamphlets on the participants and the crowd before the start of the marathon, which was held under the banner of “step by step towards peace”.
The marathon itself began at 10am on November 1, in front of al-Kindi park. Its path cut through several residential areas with diverse demographics. The 3-km marathon finally ended at the Munir Habib roundabout where white doves of peace were released to fly over the town.
The marathon was one of many activities organized by the activist group, “Coalition of Revolutionary Youth”. But it was a unique one in that it targeted a much larger audience because “sport is a universal language, that is understood and enjoyed by everyone.” The organizers believe that the event was a great success, as evidenced by the overwhelming response from the participants and the crowd. They also believe that it may help promote more interaction between the different components of the community, thus preserving further the city’s fragile peace.
Through this marathon the organizers wanted to signal their determination to resist the attempts of some Islamist militias as well as some from the Free Syrian Army, to drag the region into a military conflict that doesn’t serve the revolution. They also wanted to convey their frustration with the deliberate negligence of the region by the organized opposition, and their turning a blind eye on the many attacks suffered by the local Kurdish community on the hands of radical Islamist militias.
Most importantly, the organizers believe that the marathon’s success sends a clear signal to both the opposition and the regime that the grassroots activists are more than capable of protecting their communities.
