An interesting article by Ramy Al-Asheq about the cultural cleansing in Syria appeared in the NZZ.
Here is an excerpt for you:
There are still writers who have stayed in the country; they live in the regions controlled by the Asad regime. Power cuts are part of their everyday life, the rising cost of living is just as difficult for them as the dwindling freedom and the feeling of being at the mercy of the security forces more than ever. Some hope for a chance to flee – “to exile, wherever”. Others prefer inner exile in Syria, their own house, the bosom of the family: They think that the refuge that one knows is always better than one in a foreign country. more