In Assad's hometown, few shared in his family's fortune. They hope they won't share in his downfall

On the walls of the palatial mausoleum built to house the remains of former Syrian President Hafez Assad — whose son, Bashar Assad, was ousted two weeks ago — vandals have sprayed variations of the phrase, “Damn your soul, Hafez.” While the Assads lived in luxury, most residents of the ousted president's hometown of Qardaha survived on manual labor, low-level civil service jobs and farming to eke out a living. Many, like Assad, are members of the Alawite minority sect. They sent their sons to serve in Assad's army, not out of loyalty to the regime but because they had no other options. Now they remain hopeful they won't share in repercussions from Assad's downfall.