Syrian Father Teaches Daughter to Laugh when Bombs Fall
2020-02-27
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1Abdullah Mohammed would do anything to make his daughter happy.
2That includes forcing himself to laugh with her when they hear bombs explode.
3The game helps ease the young girl's fears.
4In Idlib, that means there is a lot of laughter.
5Idlib province in northwestern Syria is the last opposition-held territory in the country.
6It has been at the center of a military campaign by Syrian government troops since early December.
7The Russian military is providing support to the government offensive.
8More than 900,000 civilians have been forced from their homes since the end of 2019.
9Many now live in temporary shelters and in open fields near the Turkish border.
10As the troops neared Mohammed's hometown of Saraqeb two months ago, he fled with his wife and daughter to the town of Sarmada.
11They are now staying in a house there offered to him by a friend.
12Mohammed and his 3-year-old daughter, Salwa, have become internet celebrities after a video they recorded was shared widely on social media.
13In the video, Salwa is wearing a pink dress as she stands on a sofa next to her father.
14Mohammed asks his daughter: "Is that a plane or a shell?"
15"A shell," she answers. "And when it falls we will laugh!"
16As the sound of the explosion can be heard in the distance, the little girl bursts into laughter. Her father laughs with her.
17Mohammed said he thought up the game to help his daughter deal with her fear.
18Salwa had been hearing bombs all her life.
19As a baby there was no fear, but that changed after her first year.
20One day, the family was at home in Saraqeb during Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
21Children outside were celebrating with fireworks, and a big one exploded near the family's home.
22"She was frightened, but I took her out and showed her that children were playing and laughing," Mohammed said.
23That was how he got the idea to connect the sound of bombs with laughter and children playing, and to film himself laughing with his daughter every time warplanes hit.
24Mohammed said now every time they hear warplanes or artillery shells, Salwa turns to him and waits for his reaction.
25He pulls out his cellphone to record a video as the two wait to hear the loud noise. Then, they laugh.
26On a recent day, Mohammed sat and watched Salwa as she played with her toys.
27He said the war has destroyed the hopes and dreams of his generation and those of their children.
28"The most I hope for is to stay alive, along with my daughter and everyone else," he said.
29"We forgot about the bigger hopes, they don't exist anymore."
30Mohammed gets emotional talking about it.
31He says he understands that the bombs they laugh about could be ending someone's life.
32"Maybe it hit a tent or a child, and this is not funny of course. This is very sad," he said.
33"But I'm laughing so that my daughter doesn't get affected by this. And if the shell were to fall on us, better that we die laughing than to die scared."
34I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Abdullah Mohammed would do anything to make his daughter happy. That includes forcing himself to laugh with her when they hear bombs explode. The game helps ease the young girl's fears. 2In Idlib, that means there is a lot of laughter. 3Idlib province in northwestern Syria is the last opposition-held territory in the country. It has been at the center of a military campaign by Syrian government troops since early December. The Russian military is providing support to the government offensive. 4More than 900,000 civilians have been forced from their homes since the end of 2019. Many now live in temporary shelters and in open fields near the Turkish border. 5As the troops neared Mohammed's hometown of Saraqeb two months ago, he fled with his wife and daughter to the town of Sarmada. They are now staying in a house there offered to him by a friend. 6Mohammed and his 3-year-old daughter, Salwa, have become internet celebrities after a video they recorded was shared widely on social media. In the video, Salwa is wearing a pink dress as she stands on a sofa next to her father. 7Mohammed asks his daughter: "Is that a plane or a shell?" 8"A shell," she answers. "And when it falls we will laugh!" 9As the sound of the explosion can be heard in the distance, the little girl bursts into laughter. Her father laughs with her. 10Mohammed said he thought up the game to help his daughter deal with her fear. 11Salwa had been hearing bombs all her life. As a baby there was no fear, but that changed after her first year. One day, the family was at home in Saraqeb during Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. 12Children outside were celebrating with fireworks, and a big one exploded near the family's home. 13"She was frightened, but I took her out and showed her that children were playing and laughing," Mohammed said. 14That was how he got the idea to connect the sound of bombs with laughter and children playing, and to film himself laughing with his daughter every time warplanes hit. 15Mohammed said now every time they hear warplanes or artillery shells, Salwa turns to him and waits for his reaction. He pulls out his cellphone to record a video as the two wait to hear the loud noise. Then, they laugh. 16On a recent day, Mohammed sat and watched Salwa as she played with her toys. He said the war has destroyed the hopes and dreams of his generation and those of their children. 17"The most I hope for is to stay alive, along with my daughter and everyone else," he said. "We forgot about the bigger hopes, they don't exist anymore." 18Mohammed gets emotional talking about it. He says he understands that the bombs they laugh about could be ending someone's life. 19"Maybe it hit a tent or a child, and this is not funny of course. This is very sad," he said. "But I'm laughing so that my daughter doesn't get affected by this. And if the shell were to fall on us, better that we die laughing than to die scared." 20I'm Ashley Thompson. 21The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 22___________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24celebrity - n. the state of being famous or celebrated 25dress - n. a piece of clothing for a woman or a girl that has a top part that covers the upper body and a skirt that hangs down to cover the legs 26sofa - n. a long and comfortable piece of furniture on which a person can sit or lie down 27toy - n. something a child plays with 28tent - n. a movable shelter that is used outdoors, is made of cloth, and is held up with poles and ropes 29scared - adj. afraid of something : nervous or frightened