'We do not know what our destination, our fate is yet'

As Syria marks the overthrow of the Assad regime, Bel Trew meets Aleppo’s Christian residents beset by uncertainty

- Bel Trew

For the first time since the stunning overthrow of Bashar alAssad two weeks ago, Shoukri, a Christian man in Aleppo, is tentatively reopening his shop.

This street, in the Christian heartland of Syria's second city, is usually packed with bustling drink stores selling everything from French wine to tiny bottles of Jägermeister. It is so well known it is nicknamed "Alcohol Alley” and Christmas is the busiest time of year.

But all the shopkeepers shuttered their stores in the chaotic but jubilant aftermath of the stunning end of 50 years of brutal Assad family rule. Videos appeared online showing what looked like rebel fighters tearing down a nearby Christmas tree in Aleppo and trashing the alcohol shelves of the duty-free sections at Aleppo and Damascus international airports from an unknown group - have Shoukri says that armed men since appeared here on multiple occasions, warning them to hide any drink and even to close. For the Christian store owners, they say it is not really about alcohol but what these restrictions signify about their wider personal and religious freedoms.

"They came to this street and said that all shop owners should remove signs of alcohol, so we did that immediately," Shoukri says as he opens his store, making sure to cover the glass frontage with cardboard so no one can see inside. "We ripped down our signs or covered the rest with black bags as well.

Really, it is not about alcohol - but what it means for the future." Moussa, 55, who owns a shop nearby, explains that under the law of the old Assad regime, they had a right to open but now they are uncertain about what the new legal basis will be.

"There are nearly 400 families that work in this kind of trade, including Muslims. Christmas is near, so this a busy period, for us" he tells The Independent, looking worried. "We are waiting for instructions - all shops in Aleppo are waiting for instructions about whether we can go ahead with this," he adds.