A young man with hope in his heart
Ahmad Akel, , a 24-year-old software engineering student at Latakia University, was a familiar face on social media platforms, where he created joy and smiles through the comical videos he shared with his friends, despite the blackness surrounding everything. His posts reflected the life of simple, life-loving Syrian youth, with their daily adventures and challenges, far removed from hatred, divisions and discrimination.
In a previous post, Ahmad wrote:
“Whoever loves the sun doesn’t hate the moon, whoever loves Ali doesn’t hate Omar, no sectarianism.” His words were not just a phrase, but a reflection of what he believed in and lived by.
A young man whose life was taken from him Without guilt.
But on a dark night on the Syrian coast, Ahmad’s laughter stopped, and his life was brutally stolen, as was the life of his mother, Lara Al-Mashaan, who never left his side, even in his last moments. They were killed together in Baniyas as part of the brutal sectarian massacres on the Syrian coast that targeted innocent people for no other reason than that they were there, in their homes, living their lives away from the conflict.
Ahmed never carried a weapon, he was never part of any conflict, he was just a young man dreaming of a better future. But in a single moment, he disappeared from this world, leaving behind unspeakable sadness, and a page that was full of laughter turned into a sad epitaph that tells the story of an unfinished dream.
A message from Ahmed to the world
In a poignant post published on his page after his martyrdom, these words were written as if they were a message from his soul to the world:
“I am the martyr of the Syrian coast massacre, I was martyred with my mother on a day when the sky was covered with blackness, when the hand of injustice reached out to snatch our souls under the rubble of destruction. My mother was my refuge, her eyes were full of life and hope, and I was her son who dreamed of a better tomorrow, but the bullets and knives of injustice did not spare a mother’s heart or a small dream.”
“I am not a number in the list of victims, but a soul that carried hope and a memory that refuses to forget. The coast knows our story, and the earth embraces our memories, so do not be one of those who are asleep, and do not let our tragedy be wasted in vain. Be our voice, so that one day justice may shine and do justice to our blood spilled on this pure land.”
We won’t forget you, Ahmed.
Ahmed was a voice for life, a light in the darkness of this world. He believed in humanity, in love, in gentle sarcasm that mitigates the harshness of reality. He saw everyone as his brothers, and he never discriminated against anyone.
Ahmed is gone, but his memory will not go away. Ahmed is gone, but his laughter will remain in the memory of all who knew him. Ahmed is gone, but his voice will remain as a witness to an injustice that must not be forgotten, and a dream that was not completed, but will not be erased.
May God have mercy on Ahmed Akil, his mother, and all the innocent people who were unjustly killed. You will remain in our hearts, an unquenchable light.
