Gunshots at regular intervals, streets flooded with armed men and curfews and isolated roads are some of the horrific scenes being witnessed by a south Mumbai-based man, Mehdi Hasan, who has been stuck in Syria ever since the rebels started moving towards Damascus. Thirty-five-year-old Mehdi Hasan from Mumbai works in Iraq as a tour coordinator, arranging religious pilgrimages for Indians visiting the holy shrines of Imam Ali, Imam Hussain and the other martyrs of Karbala and other parts of Iraq.

Speaking to mid-day from Syria, Hasan said, “The situation in Syria is scary, the streets are full of armed men and curfews are being imposed. I can hear gunshots being fired at regular intervals.” “I was visiting the holy shrine of Syyeda Zainab for the mourning period to mark the martyrdom of Fatema Zahra, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad when I learned about the takeover of several prominent cities in Syria and since then there have been concerns here (in Syria),” Hasan said. Syeda Zainab shrine is located in Al-Sitt near the south of Damascus and it is some 10 kilometres southwest of central Damascus, the shrine holds immense religious and emotional significance for Shia Muslims worldwide. The shrine houses the grave of Syeda Zainab, the daughter of Imam Ali and granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad.