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Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images
Mayanda Abud, a 27-year-old Syrian Druze bride from Damascus prepares for her wedding ceremony after she crossed the Syrian-Israeli border pass of Quneitra in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Nov. 3, 2011. Mayanda Abud left her family in Syria and entered the strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War to get married with Munjed Awad, 30, who lives in the Israeli controled area. The passage was facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Atef Safadi / EPA
Syrian Druze bride Mayada Abud, 27, and her groom Munjed Awad, 30, cross Quneitra checkpoint on the Israeli-Syrian border, with some of the groom's relatives.
Instead of walking down the aisle to her groom, Mayanda Abud walked through a checkpoint to reach hers. With the help of the International Red Cross, the Syrian Druze bride was able to get permission to cross the Syrian-Israel border to enter Golan Heights to marry Mujed Awad. After crossing the border, she was greeted by Awad's family.
With the recent news about the bloody crackdown by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government on protesters, it is nice seeing a positive story from the area.
Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images
Relatives wait as Mayanda Abud and her groom Munjed Awad cross the Syrian-Israeli border pass of Quneitra in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Nov. 3, 2011.
Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images
Relatives welcome Mayanda Abud.
Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images
Druze women prepare food for the wedding ceremony of Mayanda Abud and Munjed Awad.
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This is the 2004 film "The Syrian Bride" come to reality. Amazing!
And just then a plane flew by dropping what appeared to be anti-riot grenades.....
The Druze people are really a time capsule for the early, abandoned Christian beliefs such as gnosticism, that flourished during the Byzantine Empire era and the Crusades.
Truly a fascinating people.
Congratulations to the Groom (is he Druze as well?), and best wishes to the Bride.
I love the look of pride on the older woman's face in the first picture, as well as the beautiful smiles the bride and groom are showing each other in the second picture.
Congrats to this Couple, a long and prosperous life!
Your a complete ass liberalnewsucks... Drop dead @!$%#. Yay for the couple!
Unlike you who appears to be an illiterate one.
Just a bit surprised that some local equivalent of TSA wasn't there to spoil her big day with a pat-down.
Long life and happiness to the couple - it's good to hear that even a little bit of "normality" still occurs in Syria. Well done to the Red Cross for facilitating affairs - and, unless my eyes deceive me - the soldier with the blue beret would signify that the UN Peacekeepers were there as well. Thank you guys.
there are many druze who are serving in the israeli army, and living and prospering in israel. its a better life for them in israel then in syria
this is a nice story :)
Great pics too! That dress is really spectacular. A pity she had to wear it in the rain.
And, as always, the sad irony is that if you saw this couple on the street, you would say that they looked Jewish.
As another poster noted, The move "The Syrian Bride" which was quite good, and now come to life.
A hearty congratulations!
i like your style, every second word is "occupied", more frequently that the bride's name. i wonder, was Jesus also an occupied arab?
She looks gorgeous. Happy years for them!
Congratulations to the Bride and Groom. Live Long And Prosperous.
In my humble opinion, the safest countries for Muslim, and anyone else, are the USA, Israel, Western countries,
where each individual rights are protected. Can a Muslim shiite is safe from other brand of Muslim, let's say in Iraq or in Iran now called The republic of Islam. No, they kill each other for thousand of years already.