Syria Feature: A Movement Trying to Bridge the Sectarian Divide (Mohajer/Bramley)

While the Syrian conflict has been characterised by fighting between the Sunni majority and ruling Alawite minority, it has also given birth to some movements which aim to bridge the sectarian divide.

Nabeel, a 24-year-old Alawite doctor from Homs, describes how he and other Syrian activists first decided to start campaigning against the regime of Bashar al-Assad in the summer of 2011.

"A bunch of us were having coffee in Homs," he said. "We wanted to have some influence on our revolution, so we tried to do something to express ourselves, to express our opinions."

The result was the creation of the Nabd (or Pulse) Gathering for Syrian Civil Youth --- one of the many cross-sectarian movements that have emerged from Syria's 18-month-long revolt.

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Syria Feature: Finding a Hip-Hop Voice Amid the Conflict (Mohajer/Rajput)

LaTlatehLaTlateh is a Damascus-based three-piece hip-hop outfit comprising Al Sayyed Darwish, Watar and Abu Koulthoum. They perform alongside producer Dab Snakkr, whose music documents the day-to-day struggle of the Syrian uprising.

"The situation in Syria is what motivates us to write. How can we sit by and watch all the pain and suffering that is going on around us and not speak out?"

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Syria Snapshot: The University Students Caught in the Conflict (Mohajer/Morris)

Students at Al Baath University in Homs burn their IDs and refuse to attend exams, 23 May 2011

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Wedged between the Sunni neighbourhood of Baba Amr to the west and Alawite areas to the east, the Al Baath university campus is at the heart of the conflict that has ripped apart Syria's opposition stronghold of Homs.

It is a university in turmoil. Alawite students, from the same sect as the Syrian president, Bashar Al Assad, are pitched against Sunnis, who make up the bulk of the opposition.

But amid the tumult, many students are still desperately trying to complete their degrees, dodging violence and checkpoints to sit their end-of-year exams.

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