For months now, Syria is haunted by tragedy. Civilians have been tortured and killed by the armed forces; government repression has reached unbearable levels and appears unstoppable. The world is watching and the foreign powers—Russia and China on one side; the United States, the Arab and European countries on the other—are unable to find a solution or to agree on a way to put an end to the killings. The UN is helpless and the world looks on passively: hundreds of Syrians have been killed and the repression continues.
Anyone who dares to speak out, to write about the issue, is sure to be attacked by both sides. For some, to call for the end of Bashar al-Assad’s regime means support for America and Israel against the Muslims (especially the Shiites), the Iranians and ultimately the Palestinians. On internet and on the social networks, the attacks are extremely vehement and harsh: to support the divided opposition is considered a sign of dangerous political naivety at best and an act of high treason at worst. ‘Our enemies are supporting the protesters’ they claim, ‘so we should support the enemies of our enemies’. Hence, the only choice is to take the regime’s side. But in politics as well as on questions of human rights, the enemies of our enemies are not necessarily our friends.
It is quite obvious that the Americans, the Europeans and the Israelis have changed their position (they wanted first a reform within the regime): now they are demanding that Bashar al Assad to step down. It is no less obvious that they are in touch with opposition groups and leaders in an attempt to secure their interests in the region. The Western powers and Israel are not passive spectators; they are trying to remain in control whereas the Russian and Chinese are working to attain a more effective presence in the Middle East on several fronts.
All this is common knowledge; the shape of the new emerging Middle East is a matter of great concern in the light of recent events in Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and the constant pressure on Iran, where the potential of an attack is quite high. It would be dangerously shortsighted to accept at face value the kindly and humanistic intentions of the US or China, of the European countries, of Israel and Russia towards the Arab peoples in general and the Syrians in particular. Their lives have value only in terms of the economic and geostrategic interests they represent: nothing more, nothing less.
This much having been acknowledged, is the only remaining solution to remain silent and to support Bashar’s regime? He and his father were and are dictators who ordered the killings of thousands of civilians while torturing their opponents without mercy. These are facts; no sound heart and mind could support such tyrants and cruel despots. The tyranny should come to an end; Bashar al Assad should be arrested and judged. His record is dire, the work of a madman.
This is not a call for foreign intervention; few have been fooled by the Libyan operation of securing oil before people. The self-styled ‘international community’ should take a clear stand and put pressure on the regime to stop the repression—an unlikely outcome, it is true. In reality, it is the task of the opposition forces to arrive at a minimum agreement and to organize a strong united front that would lead the country towards pluralism, democracy and freedom: surely the most pressing and difficult challenge the Syrians face today. There can be no other way to convince the world that there exists a true democratic alternative to the tyrannical current regime. This means working with a broad spectrum of supporters and partners in America, Europe, the Arab world and Asia. In the long run it will be their ability to chart a course in today’s multi-polar world order that would secure them strong multilateral support for their legitimate resistance.
Today, such a perspective seems far away. The competing opposition councils together with the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and an activist Turkish foreign policy seem to be operating according to the old parameters against which no solution seems to be possible. The future is bleak.
In Homs, Hama and throughout Syria, civilians are being killed every day; people are humiliated and tortured. The regime’s guilt cries out, as does our silence. Our tears cannot be enough if our only support is to watch TV, and cry. Our hearts may weep, but our courage has failed us.
J’avoue que je me contente de regarder la TV et de pleurer le peuple syrien en priant pour eux. Je me sens si impuissante, et sens que le sang et la vie de nos peuples arabo-musulmans n’a plus aucune valeur. Je souhaiterais un conseil pratique sur ce que je peux faire?! Qu’est ce que je pourrais faire et qui pourrait avoir un impact???
Doua doua doua… La seule chose que l’on peut faire…
Bonjour Mr Ramadan,
Vous définissez très exactement et justement la situation actuelle, très difficile où se trouve enlisée la Syrie.
Une autre question suit votre logique, QUE FAIRE, si ce n’est, prier et être spectateur de massacres qui n’en finissent plus ?
Merci
Je pense que quelque soit la position qu’on adoptera, on joue le rôle de l’idiot utile pour la même partie. Et pendant ce temps, c’est le peuple qui paie de son sang….
I appreciated a lot the deep analysis you did in your article about the actual situation in Syria and in all the Middle East World. Someone must do something to stop the massacre in that lovely country. I think that time is over and a UN Peacekeapers’ action is necessary. You’re right : weeping doesn’t help but « indifference » kills every hope.
Asalamu’alaikum
Mr. Ramadhan. Your analysis was nice. But you pretty much just said nothing.
…
Stop being weak. As a Muslim you must be strong. Stop taking these tentative celebrity stances, like you did when Gaddafi was killed. War is upon your Ummah–now you must forget about your image and be strong.
Good night mister Ramadan. I also appreciate your insights, but my question for you would be how the opposition, who is very much divided, must form a united front? And also the political pressure on the Assad regime doesn’t seem to have any effect. In September 2011 all of a sudden Al Muallam, who was one among 30 Syrian officials who were forbidden to enter the EU by a European Union resolution, appeared in a hotel in Vienna. I would love to hear his opinion about this, because all the opinions I hear the last couple of days are pretty much the same. They’re all referring to the extremely difficult situation, which is a fact, but it’s about time that we stop the killing. No one seem to have the answer though…
Artículo que pasa por alto, una variable imporatnet.
Es la presencia de grupos irregulares, terroristas en sus actos(matan gente que no le son afines), y ellos son financiados por USA, Israel, Qatar, Turquía,…
No es una rebelión estilo Egipto ó Bahrein, sino como Libia, donde se arma a los opositores hasta hacerlo ingobernable, mientras tanto la prensa mundial en manos de pocos dueños maquillan las noticias a su antojo, minimizando a sus allegados y maximizando en las respuestas de un regimen que no es democrático, pero así tambien es el de Arabia Saudita(pero a esta ni se le piensa atacar), ni que decir de Qatar. El mundo al revés.
Un article sur la SYRIE signé par le grand écrivain TAHAR BEN JELLOUN est paru dans « Le Monde ».(à lire ci-dessous).
_
_ Pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas, Tahar Ben Jelloul est écrivain et poète francophone né à Fès (Maroc) en 1944. Il a enseigné la philosophie et étudié la psychiatrie sociale avant de devenir romancier. Il est membre de l’académie Goncourt depuis 2008. Il a reçu le prix Goncourt pour « La Nuit sacrée » (Points Seuil, 1987). Auteur de nombreux ouvrages, il prétend dans cet article être entré dans le cerveau du Président syrien, Bachar Al Assad et glisse ici et là 5 arguments que les opposants au régime syrien se doivent de méditer.
1- Le danger Islamiste:
Ben Jelloun fait dire à Assad : « Aucune envie de voir mon pays devenir une république islamique dirigée par des analphabètes. »
2- La défense du régime Bassiste:
Ben Jelloun fait dire à Assad : « Je rappelle que la Syrie est un pays laïque, comme la France qui, tout à coup me trahit et me fait la morale. »
3- Le danger d’une « Irakisation » de la Syrie:
Ben Jelloun fait dire à Assad : « Le pauvre Obama qui me condamne et parle d’atrocités ! De quoi se mêle-t-il ? Il n’a pas vu ce que son armée a fait en Irak et en Afghanistan ? »
4- La défense des minorités:
Ben Jelloun fait dire à Assad : « Je sais ce que les islamistes feront avec ma tribu des alaouites ainsi qu’avec les minorités chrétienne et arménienne. »
5- Le bras de fer avec Israël:
Ben Jelloun fait dire à Assad : « On m’en veut parce que la Syrie a toujours tenu tête à l’ennemi sioniste. Elle ne s’est jamais courbée face à Israël. »
Tahar Ben Jelloun en pointant du doigt Bachar Al Assad dessine subtilement les contours d’une réalité COMPLEXE… qui appelle à un traitement beaucoup plus nuancé que ce qui nous a été proposé jusqu’à présent par la presse occidentale.
Ne nous laissons pas manipuler même si, RIEN ne justifie la mort d’innocents et les massacres perpétrés en Syrie.
A méditer ! Et à partager pour éveiller les consciences.
http://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2012/02/18/bachar-al-assad-intime_1645263_3218.html
Mr. Ramadan,
I am trying to understand the real situation in Syria, then I read the information about Syria from different sides (occidental medias, arab medias, asian medias and alternative medias), and two contradictory truths are emerging : occidental and most of the arab medias says that Assad’s regime is killing pacific civilians who demonstrates against the regime, whereas the other medias says that there are not pacific civilians but groups armed to the teeth and trained by occidental agents…
Each side gives its own vision which is totally different from others.
Thus my question is as following : are you sure of your sources when you affirm « Civilians have been tortured and killed by the armed forces ; government repression has reached unbearable levels and appears unstoppable. » et « In Homs, Hama and throughout Syria, civilians are being killed every day ; people are humiliated and tortured. The regime’s guilt cries out, as does our silence. »
You do not give any verifiable fact or you do not cite any source of journalists who could have said that. Please could you clarify this point? I am getting very confused…
Best Regards,
Khalil from Malaysia
only people,syria nation is rigth. neither goverment nor opposition groups are right! Opposition groups are getting help from US,Suuds or Turkey but What for ?
yes all muslim nations are divided, burned and getting into smaller pieces and destruction.
so please stop taking a side on US,Suuds or Goverment. there are not two sides,there are many sides.