Category Archives: Syria

Ceasefire In Syria Or False One?

President Bashar al-Assad announced that his troops  were beginning to evacuate areas in Syria in order to comply with the c ease fire program desired by UN negotiator Kofi Annan. It appears that some troops are leaving areas where they have crushed all opposition, and in areas where they still have opponents, troops have retreated a few miles but are still ready and able to enter and take  care of opposition groups. There is no evidence that any of the thousands in jail  will be released nor whether any members of the Syrian military who murdered at will face any sort of punishment.

Cynical Syrians interpret President Assad’s “withdrawal” of troops as simply a ploy to appease the international community while making certain he has the power to crush any  group which opposes his one man rule. He might gain some trust by releasing from jail  thousands of people who are arrested, brutalized and tortured. We doubt such action will occur.

Death Of Innocent In Syria

Words can never express the horror of what daily transpires in Syria. New reports from Human Rights Watch describe how the troops of  President Bashar al-Assad entered a village, forced men, women and children out of their homes, placed them on a road and had this band of innocent people proceed into a new village in order to shield Syrian troops from getting fired upon. It happened yesterday, it will happen today and tomorrow.

There are American political leaders like Ron Paul who argue death of the innocent are of no concern to Americans. There are  imams all over the Midlde East who are worried about cartoons or pictures that depict the Prophet, but have scant interest in the death of fellow Muslims. There are those in the US like Mitt Romney who  blame President Obama for either doing or not doing something about these deaths. And, there is Prime Minister Medvedev of Russia who finally agrees something must be done in Syria to end the violence. He warned we are now at the “last chance for Syria to  avoid a protracted and bloody civil war.”

The bottom line is that no nation is willing to risk anything to save human lives.

Inside Assad Mind

Thousands of emails dealing with President Bashar al-Assad and his family and friends have been downloaded by the opposition Supreme Council of the Revolution. The emails depict a man who has absolutely no interest in the welfare of the people of Syria and is only concerned with one thing-power, and retaining it. Assad receives support from Iran and its leaders urge that he adopt powerful and violent language to quell any opposition. Based on its own suppression of opposition, Iranian leaders are expert at wiping out those who oppose their leadership. Emails show Assad joking about democracy and elections, “rubbish laws of elections” certainly do not impress the King of Syria.

As over 8,000 people die in Syria and thousands are wounded, Mrs. Assad spends her time purchasing designer clothes and items. However, her friend, Mayassa al-Thani, daughter of the emir of Qatar urged Mrs. Assad to work for peace in her nation because the end result would be death for her family. Naturally, such talk ended a friendship.

Russia Prefers Profit To Peace In Syria

Death continues in Syria as hundreds more civilians are killed and their bodies dumped in local mosques. Land mines are being placed along border areas in order to blow up those fleeing massacres in their towns. At least 8,000 are dead and the toll daily increases. Meanwhile, Russia insists on continuing to provide the murderous regime of President Bashar al-Assad with more and more weapons. Deputy Defense Minister, Anatoly Antonov joyfully defended his nation’s program of aid. “Russian enjoys good and strong military technical cooperation with Syria and we see no reason today to reconsider it. Russian-Syrian cooperation is perfectly legitimate.”

Legitimate yes, morally, no. Russia has no interest in ending slaughter of the innocent since it makes money from death and destruction. We call upon all Muslim nations of the world to cease any form of trade with Russia!

Death Does Not Take Holiday In Syria

If you wander the streets of Syrian towns the black suited man who walks through streets filled with bodies has a smile on his face at the prospect of new clients for his realm of death. Death has yet to take a holiday from the massacres which daily  lead to deaths of the innocent. UN Chief Kofi Anan got on a plane and left Damascus and even as his plane reached the skies, below hundreds were being killed in cities and villages as death squads of the government proceed to murder entire families including use of knives to slit their throats.

There are numerous sites on the Internet where one can see piles of bodies, women, children, elderly people, and those who tried opposing forces of evil. President Bashar al-Assad insists his men have not done the killing, but some strange group known as “terrorists” who are behind these deaths. Frankly, I place my bet on the dark suited man wandering Syrians towns.

Massacre In Syria

The ferocity of death in Syria increases with each passing day. At times one is left bewildered at the desire of President Bashar al-Assad to murder at will the citizens of his own nation. Syrian human rights activist, Hadi Abdallah reported about a massacre of women and children in the villages of Karm el-Zaytoun and Ali-Adwiyeh. The bodies of 26 women and 21 children lay on the ground. “Some of the children had been hit with blunt objects on their head, one little girl had been mutilated and some women were raped and then killed.”

The silence of imams is deafening. They are so busy running around worrying about cartoons rather than gathering in a march into Syria to defend the dying people of that land. We are all Syrians until this bloodshed ends.

Syrian Solutions Grow Fewer

War creates its own dynamic, it moves people and nations into directions they did not forsee or desire. President Bashar al-Assad began his crackdown on protesters with military force. At that moment in time, some minor political alternatives most probably would have stemmed mass protest, but Assad,  being a son of the man who murdered 20,000 fellow Syrians, thought his  father was  a better guide than was common sense. There is increasing fear in nations like Turkey or Egypt that the time for political solutions may well have been bypassed by events.

Some discuss the possibility of forming enclaves on the borders of Syria in which neutral forces would assume control in order to provide  sanctuary for Syrians fleeing death and destruction. If they do come to fruition it would be a matter of time  before they evolved into centers of opposition to Assad and then to centers of military forces ready to challenge the Syrian army. There is always the possibility of a “no fly zone” being created by US and NATO air forces.

In the meantime, death goes on, destruction of cities goes on, rhetoric about “foreign groups” goes on from Assad, and people die. Unfortunately, along with these deaths is the death of peace.

Syria Redeux

Each day dozens of people in Syria are murdered. Each day the Syrian government kills its own people in order to save them from evil people who want to kill them. Each day the murderous  campaign of President Bashar al-Assad continues and dead bodies fill the streets of this sad land. Naturally, political leaders in the Republican Party are ready to attack President Obama. If he used military might to assist Syrians, Ron Paul would be yelling. If he doesn’t use miiltary might, Romney, Santorum and Gingrich demand war. As you recall, this is the same political party which brought us war in Afghanistan and Iraq, but now blames President Obama for the wars they caused.

President Obama is exploring military options  as he pursues diplomatic and economic options. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and  General Dempsey of the JCS, told a congressional committe a military action was possible but also entailed risks.

One might note that during the Vietnam War, Mitt Romney was on a religious expedition to France and  avoided serving in the armed forces, there is no question that Newt Gingrich would never have survived basic training and Ron Santorum would have spent his time praying–for someone else to  get into combat. Why is it that those who  never risk getting into combat are so quick to urge actions that would get  others to die?

Bloody Days And Bloody Nights

Beatings, executions, shootings, burning homes, and bodies strewn on the ground is now a common  sight in Syria. The city of Homs which has been a major center of resistance to President Bashar al-Assad has been laid to waste due to artillery fire and tanks blasting their way through the streets.A resident named ABu Abdo, described men on the ground with hands tied behind their backs and faces pressed to the floor. Soldiers jumped up and down on their bodies hitting them with rifle butts. Finally, they used their bayonets to kill the men. One soldier grabbed a prisoner by the neck and slit his throat.

Mean while at this slaughter of Muslims was taking place in Syria, over in Afghanistan thousands were protesting because some copies of the Koran were burned. I am so glad Afghan Muslims understand the priorities of a Muslim.

Massacre Of Muslims In Syria

The massacre of thousands of Muslims in Syria by the government of President Bashar al-Assad continues without any let up in killing. An attempt by the Syrian Red Cross to bring supplies to the Baba Amr district in Homs was prevented even as reports emerged from the besieged area of house-to-house murder of men. Activists claim virtually any male over the age of 12 has been detained, dozens have been shot and there are even reports of 17 men being beheaded.

What is missing in this story is any evidence of protests by millions of Muslims in other nations. There is no delegation of imams in Syria. However, in Afghanistan and in other Muslim nations thousands are protesting because some copies of the Koran were burned. Is there something strange to this story-thousands of Muslims are being murdered, but the only major protest is over burning of religious books?

The silence of the imams is deafening.