By Ahmed al-Jarallah
This commentary was published in The Arab Times on 29/04/2011
The dictatorial regimes seem to be reading from the same book, so they always fail in exams. The justification of the Syrian leader for the military raid on Dera’a City and the killing of its defenseless people is similar to that of Muammar Gaddafi when he attacked and cordoned off the Libyan cities in which the protesters took to the streets to demand freedom. The blood of the innocent flowed until the whole world denounced the act and intervened to protect the citizens in Libya.
The Syrian regime invented an enemy and named it the ‘Salafist Group,’ claiming that nearby and faraway countries fully support the group in its plan to establish an Islamic emirate in the cities where the massacres were and are still being committed by its forces against the unarmed protesters who are only demanding for freedom.
The regime thought these flimsy excuses are enough to convince the whole world that it is not responsible for the crimes in Dera’a, Duma, Baniyas, Jabala and other cities in Syria. The blood of hundreds of people, the thousands of injured protesters who are in agony, and many others whose means of livelihood have been threatened are not important to the regime.
Yes, it is not important that the people have freedom to protest against any wrongdoing and complain about corruption, repression and humiliation. The regime does not care if the people live in fear; if their tongues are tied and they are not allowed to think freely. What matters most for the regime is to remain as it is, so it can continue raising the slogan of resistance, cover up corruption and implement the instructions of Iran.
However, people have been asking, “What resistance, confrontation and foiling of Western, American and Israeli conspiracies the regime is talking about? Who are the targets of the alleged conspiracies when its own people have revolted against it to demand their basic rights like freedom of expression, security and curbing arbitrary arrests? Are the hundreds of thousands of people protesting across the country also conspiring against the so-called ‘resistance regime’? Do other nations provide these people with weapons and financial support to weaken the regime?”
Brutality and the killing of people can no longer stop protesters from demanding their rights because they have overcome their fears. The Syrian regime must learn from the events in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and come to terms with the reality that it is not immune from the uprising. It should listen to the people and stop justifying the massacres carried out by its forces.
Yes, some Arab nations are not comfortable with the Syrian foreign policy that opened the door wide for the Persians and gave Lebanon to Iran. Lebanon shares the feelings of the Syrian citizens. It has never sent weapons or money to protesters, contrary to the claims of the official media in Syria.
The Syrian regime has had enough opportunity to heed the demands of the people to prevent killings, or at least lessen the casualties. It should have fixed the damage caused by its internal and foreign policies. It would have remained in power if it has implemented reforms and allowed its people to choose their leaders. Instead of taking these steps, the regime resorted to barbaric and bloody repression, which has turned the table completely against it and exposed its destructive schemes.
Nevertheless, it is still not too late to make amends and all Syrians have agreed on this. The world has started listening to the cries of these people and it is now finding ways to protect them from the brutality of the security forces. Will the Syrian regime realize this fact before it is too late?
It will be pointless to run to the political sycophants in Lebanon, because they have mastered the art of crying foul to mislead the people, but they will be the first to turn against you once they see signs of weakness. They will be the first to applaud your successor. They have started singing another song, since the beginning of the Hezbollah project to put Lebanon in the Iranian political prison. The first sign was the action of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who has opted to remain in his hiding place. These people are like rats; they jump off the ship immediately after realizing that it is sinking.
This commentary was published in The Arab Times on 29/04/2011
The dictatorial regimes seem to be reading from the same book, so they always fail in exams. The justification of the Syrian leader for the military raid on Dera’a City and the killing of its defenseless people is similar to that of Muammar Gaddafi when he attacked and cordoned off the Libyan cities in which the protesters took to the streets to demand freedom. The blood of the innocent flowed until the whole world denounced the act and intervened to protect the citizens in Libya.
The Syrian regime invented an enemy and named it the ‘Salafist Group,’ claiming that nearby and faraway countries fully support the group in its plan to establish an Islamic emirate in the cities where the massacres were and are still being committed by its forces against the unarmed protesters who are only demanding for freedom.
The regime thought these flimsy excuses are enough to convince the whole world that it is not responsible for the crimes in Dera’a, Duma, Baniyas, Jabala and other cities in Syria. The blood of hundreds of people, the thousands of injured protesters who are in agony, and many others whose means of livelihood have been threatened are not important to the regime.
Yes, it is not important that the people have freedom to protest against any wrongdoing and complain about corruption, repression and humiliation. The regime does not care if the people live in fear; if their tongues are tied and they are not allowed to think freely. What matters most for the regime is to remain as it is, so it can continue raising the slogan of resistance, cover up corruption and implement the instructions of Iran.
However, people have been asking, “What resistance, confrontation and foiling of Western, American and Israeli conspiracies the regime is talking about? Who are the targets of the alleged conspiracies when its own people have revolted against it to demand their basic rights like freedom of expression, security and curbing arbitrary arrests? Are the hundreds of thousands of people protesting across the country also conspiring against the so-called ‘resistance regime’? Do other nations provide these people with weapons and financial support to weaken the regime?”
Brutality and the killing of people can no longer stop protesters from demanding their rights because they have overcome their fears. The Syrian regime must learn from the events in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and come to terms with the reality that it is not immune from the uprising. It should listen to the people and stop justifying the massacres carried out by its forces.
Yes, some Arab nations are not comfortable with the Syrian foreign policy that opened the door wide for the Persians and gave Lebanon to Iran. Lebanon shares the feelings of the Syrian citizens. It has never sent weapons or money to protesters, contrary to the claims of the official media in Syria.
The Syrian regime has had enough opportunity to heed the demands of the people to prevent killings, or at least lessen the casualties. It should have fixed the damage caused by its internal and foreign policies. It would have remained in power if it has implemented reforms and allowed its people to choose their leaders. Instead of taking these steps, the regime resorted to barbaric and bloody repression, which has turned the table completely against it and exposed its destructive schemes.
Nevertheless, it is still not too late to make amends and all Syrians have agreed on this. The world has started listening to the cries of these people and it is now finding ways to protect them from the brutality of the security forces. Will the Syrian regime realize this fact before it is too late?
It will be pointless to run to the political sycophants in Lebanon, because they have mastered the art of crying foul to mislead the people, but they will be the first to turn against you once they see signs of weakness. They will be the first to applaud your successor. They have started singing another song, since the beginning of the Hezbollah project to put Lebanon in the Iranian political prison. The first sign was the action of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who has opted to remain in his hiding place. These people are like rats; they jump off the ship immediately after realizing that it is sinking.
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