Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page Administrator, Fidaaldin Al-Sayed Issa, Interviewed by Adam Almkvist

Interview with Fidaaldin Al-Sayed Issa, administrator of the Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page
By: Adam Almkvist
Translated for Syria Comment by Adam Almkvist


Fidaaldin Preaches about the Aqsa Mosque and Palestine

[Note from Joshua Landis: Syria Comment published an article about Fidaaldin entitled: The Man behind “Syria Revolution 2011″ Facebook-Page Speaks Out. This is Fidaaldin’s blog]

Interview:

It was when the content of the Facebook page Syrian Revolution 2011 was sabotaged when its administrator, whose identity had hitherto been concealed, posted a video in which he condemns what he believes is a hacker attack. Shortly after, the video, which is now posted on Youtube, is removed when the problem turns out to be caused by a technical error. The identity of the administrator identity turned out to be Fidaaldin Al-Sayed Issa, a Swedish citizen living in Eskilstuna, a medium-sized town close to the capital Stockholm. The Facebook page that Issa administers has over 170 000 members and has been identified as the most influential social networking tool in the mobilization of protestors against the Syrian regime.

As a follower of Syrian affairs, and fellow Swedish citizen, I decided to track Issa down and ask him a few questions. After some initial complications I managed to acquire his mobile phone number; what follows is an excerpt from a telephone interview in which Issa discusses the organization of the opposition, the recurrent efforts by the regime to discredit his name, and the imperatives and strategies of the opposition network.

Issa, who is called “the Imam” by members of the Eskilstuna Mosque congregation because of his knowledge of Islam, is currently studying for a PhD in Innovation and Product Design at Mälardalen University and is active in the NGO Sweden’s Young Muslims. He was born “in an Arab country” (he does not want to tell me which) and moved with his family to Sweden at a young age.

Is it correct that you are the administrator of the Facebook page Syrian Revolution 2011?

I’m the spokesperson of network that consists of at least 250.000 members and in which the Facebook is one part. We preside over 7-8 different social networking outlets.

Do you know anything about the nationalities of the members of the Facebook page?

We cannot know exactly where people are coming from because the people in Syria log in through “proxy servers” which means that it might look like they are in South Africa when they are in fact in Syria. We have analyzed the IP addresses of our users and about 35% are Syrian residing in Syria, 50% are from the Syrian Diaspora around the world and the remaining 15% are other Arabs in other Arab countries.  [Joshua writes: Of my 108 friends who have joined Syria Revolution 2011, 18 are none-Arab US citizens.]

The Syrian Revolution 2011 has been called the most “influential” in the mobilization of the anti-regime supporters. Would you agree?

We keep a wide focus. The Facebook page is indeed the most influential but it is only the multimedia section of the wider activities of the network which also consists of people on the ground in Syria. We guide young people down there. When we called for a Friday demonstration, people take to the streets – everyone follows. We determine the dates of the demonstrations with the help of people on the ground.

What does the internal organization of the network look like? Who is pulling the strings?

From the very beginning we have worked together in a democratic manner. We have different committees and different departments dealing with different aspects of our activities. I work with the multimedia part. The Facebook page is run by around 10 members while about 350 people are working in the network, around 250 in Syria and 100 around the world. We have people down there filming, collecting information on deaths, etc. Our business is not just about organizing the protests, but also to act as an information platform – a source – where media, such as Al-Jazeera, BBC, CNN, Al-Arabiya can retrieve information.

How has your activism affected your own situation? You risk never to able to return to Syria, right?

As an activist, I have had many problems with the regime. They have named my name on television several times, they say that I’m no longer a Syrian, that I have betrayed my country. They have phoned me and sent letters saying that they know where I live, what my wife and my son’s names are. But all that will not prevent me and my brothers to stop demonstrating. I’m not afraid, I’m sure that what we do will help our country and our children in the future. They say I belong to groups that I don’t, that I’m a Salafi and what not. We are tired of these lies, the kind of lies we’ve been hearing for 48 years. I’m just a Muslim, that’s all. My father was himself a Syrian activist and, therefore, our family was thrown out of the country 35 years ago.

How do you see the situation unfolding?

Everyone is sad at the moment, everyone is angry. When you see your Mom or Dad, brother or daughter getting killed, frustration will mount. We want the regime to listen to the people; we want elections and new solutions. People down there are positive and determined. They will go out on the street again and again until the government listens to their demands. Before, you were afraid to say what you wanted, afraid to tell the truth, now the barrier of fear has been crossed. We are happy that after 48 years of tyranny and injustice, people have had enough, they have woken up. First it was mostly students and young people but now old people, women, housewives, Christians, Muslims – everyone wants change.

*Adam Almkvist is a freelance journalist and as a project assistant for the Syria Research Project at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Lund University, Sweden

Comments (124)


Akbar Palace said:

13 more arab terrorists killed in Syria.

The STL should help shed some light on this criminal enterprise…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110511/wl_nm/us_syria

May 11th, 2011, 1:03 pm

 

محمود said:

اننا نكره حكامكم! نكره ممارساتكم! تدخلاتكم! نكره أسلوبكم! لن نشاهد منكم غير نتاج دمار مجمع التصنيع الحربي الأمريكي! هل تريدون أن نفرش لكم الزهور في ساحات سقوط صواريخكم؟ كيف تدعون الانسانية و انتم تنفقون أكبر ميزانية عسكرية في العالم! هل تعتقدون ان العالم ينسى بسرعة اجرامكم في تدمير هيروشيما و ناغازاكي؟ كيف تنادون بالديمقراطية و أنتم بحاجة دائما الى خلق اعداء افتراضيين لتبرير انفاقاتكم العسكرية! هل تعتقدون أنكم الوحيدون ماضيون العلوم في؟ انكم قمة في التخلف الأخلاقي! انكم عبيد المادة! سحقا لدهنيتكم! سحقا لعقيدتكم المدمرة!

May 11th, 2011, 1:08 pm

 

Wahabi said:

Can’t wait to the regime supporters like souri333 to start to rant about Wahabis. Put them on the frontlines to show their keyboard bravery!

May 11th, 2011, 1:11 pm

 

abughassan said:

this is an educated man who managed to mobilize a lot of people and seems to be an effective speaker, however, he confirms what many have said from the beginning which is that this uprising has a religious tone to it and many of its leaders are more like the new MB than the secular opposition most of us want. His facebook page is also filled with sectarian language and calls for violence.
As always,most syrians want the brutal rule of security forces and corruption to end but many are not willing to trust religious figures to do the job.

May 11th, 2011, 1:26 pm

 

5 dancing shlomos said:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=24659

.
An article entitled “U.S. secretly backed Syrian opposition groups” by Craig Whitlock (Washington Post, April 18) described in great detail the information contained in U.S. diplomatic cables that Wikileaks had sent to news agencies around the world and posted on its web site. The article summarizes what these State Department cables reveal about the secret funding of Syrian political opposition groups, including the beaming of anti-government programming into the country via satellite television.
The article describes the U.S.-funded efforts as part of a “long-standing campaign to overthrow the country’s autocratic leader, Bashar al-Assad,” which began under President George W. Bush and continued under President Barack Obama, even though Obama claimed to be rebuilding relations with Syria and posted an ambassador to Damascus for the first time in six years.

May 11th, 2011, 1:33 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

Hopefully the Syrian General Election Law committee will consider incorporating Political Parties Laws into the new Election bylaws, an article a subset or in the definitions perhaps. Otherwise, who these new elected candidates will represents? Which Political persuasion or interest groups will they represent in the absence of Political Parties operating in Syria?

It is not fair that Syrians will have to choose between Bathism, Brotherhood or even worse hell, the way Obama wanted it, there got to be a mechanism for Civil Societies to participate in ruling civilly, justly and progressively in Syria. Otherwise, the idea of splitting Syria into parts is welcomed. Baathist can have own State ( Syrian Arab Socialist Republic SASR), Brotherhoods can have theirs ( Syrian Islamic Republic, Al Wilayat Al Sunniey) You can have Houran and Darra for free with rest of the desert. The Progressive Syrians, those Politically-Socially Civilized Civil class can have one as well (the Republic of Syria, AHHHH Finally, no 4 letters foul word in the middle, at last). You will avert Civil War that way. It is working fine now in the Balkan.

May 11th, 2011, 1:57 pm

 

majedkhaldoon said:

The violent nature of the syrian regime,the killing of their own people who do not agree with them,they,the regime, do not believe with dialogue,all strongly indicate that they are the one who planned and killed Rafiq Hariri.this is their nature.
As for Nour ,Nour keeps saying that we should give up our right for freedom,because we want stability,Nour do not want chaos,so Nour accept to live in dictatorship,this is the opposite of what I believe, I believe stability without freedom , is only temporary and will not last,because dictatorship leads to corruption,which leads to anger and revolt.
The Arab are going through AWAKENING,True Baath,Baath that believe in freedom,not the one we have now that believe in despotism and corruption.

It is not true that all christians are pro regime, it is the opposite,they are good and smart people, who believe in freedom , they are quiet by nature,they know at the end they have to live side by side with the Musslems and they are just watching, they will join the revolution,some are already talking.

May 11th, 2011, 2:15 pm

 

Souri333 (formerly Souri) said:

I heard one speaker in Syria today saying:

عندما يتعلق الأمر بمصير الأوطان، الغباء والخيانة هما أمر واحد

I used to be pro-America when I was younger (I grew up outside Syria and I was naïve and brainwashed). At that time such extreme Baathi slogans would have outraged me. Now I can feel what these slogans mean and why people created them.

May 11th, 2011, 2:15 pm

 

abughassan said:

any new election law will be meaningless without abolishing the 8th article in the constitution. religious parties must be prohibited from participating in elections. presidents should have term limits and all PMs have to be elected. Our current Majles Al-shaab is a national embarrassment.I am waiting for the release of all political prisoners and real measures to control security forces,and punish those who broke the law,before I am willing to believe anything the regime says.those who killed and destroyed are NOT political prisoners, just to be clear 🙂

May 11th, 2011, 2:27 pm

 

Hourani said:

And who said that your beloved Syrian regime isn’t a treacherous or hasn’t colloborated with the West!

May 11th, 2011, 2:27 pm

 

Nour said:

Majed:

Please try not to put words into my mouth. I never said we should give up our right to freedom. I am merely questioning the idea that this “revolution” is the way to freedom, knowing that it is made up of many reactionary groups who do not even understand what freedom is. My position is that to allow chaos and destruction to befall Syria in order to go from one reactionary ruler to another reactionary ruler is not a course of action I am prepared to support.

May 11th, 2011, 2:28 pm

 

majedkhaldoon said:

Nour
Why are presuming that the future will be a reactionary rule, it is going to be free, free free and democratic.

May 11th, 2011, 2:34 pm

 

Nour said:

Abughassan:

I agree with everything you have been saying and appreciate your contribution to this blog.

May 11th, 2011, 2:37 pm

 

jad said:

The most important sentence of all this interview is this:

“We want the regime to listen to the people; we want elections and new solutions. People down there are positive and determined. They will go out on the street again and again until the government listens to their demands.”

It seems that the movement did lower the demands from ‘toppling the regime’ to ‘working with the regime and the government’ and he summarized all his demands in only two ‘election’ and ‘solutions’.
That is a major switch and an indication that in reality the regime is back in control and the uprising organizers actually lost the momentum they had couple weeks ago and they don’t know how to declare the end of the uprising and the starting of negotiation with the regime without looking weak after they promised of getting rid of the regime altogether as the only goal of their movement.

May 11th, 2011, 2:49 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

They should not have started on that wrong foot in the first place. Maybe he can spill the beans about who is really funding this Criminal Organization to bring Syria down. Honesty will pay now, separate the real intentioned revolutionaries from the real evil doer backers, spill the beans, he may be forgiven. Not sure if the dead 900 or so or the 9000 arrested on this false start will forgive him when they find out the truth behind this mess and who funds it, and why.

There is a problem here, with this fella; he is preaching about Haram Al Sharif (the Aqsa Mosque) which he reverent. On the other hand, I and most Christian Syrians and secular Nationalists would not giva a dam about that edifice. We all know its history and the fact that it does not belong on top of the Wailing Wall, It needs to be removed and the hill given back to what Moslems called “AHL ALKITAB” the Jewish faith people, it is theirs to keep and build on it whatever they feel holy to them.

His position on this issue as a Moslem brotherhood member is supreme; he will go to world war over its placement. On the other hand, others, like me, thinks it should be relocated to other part of Palestine to make way for genuine peace dividend between warring factions and to bring final peace to the region.

How can we reconcile this difference, his position has no legal or religious standing under Islamic or Civil laws, Our position is solidly backed by history, religions (all 3) and Civil, international laws. It is indisputable. For a Moslem Brotherhood, War, is the only answer to any violation. For Civil-Secular person, it is not something worth a fist fight over, it is proven that it does not belong there, and the hill is the site of the Jewish Temple when the Roman destroyed it in 70AD. This is well documented, a rare case for Jewish history documentations and authenticity. If the Moslem brotherhoods are ruling in Syria, this issue will mean assured nasty war in the Middle East. On the other hand, for non-=Baathist secular Sunni Syrians and Christians, as well as others, it is a peace dividend issue, not war.

What would the International and Regional Countries prefers to have leading Syrians into a new Horizon? Because there is no way that we can reconcile with the Moslem Brotherhoods on many issues, not just this single one. How can a secular Syrian who respects all faith, and the right of all to worship as they choose, manage to live in a state controlled by the Moslem Brotherhood.

May 11th, 2011, 3:26 pm

 

Souri333 (formerly Souri) said:

Interesting analysis of the recent Hamas moves:

Egypt’s military rulers promised Hamas’ political leader Khaled Meshaal to let him transfer his base, command center and residence from troubled Damascus to a new haven in the Gaza Strip as an inducement for signing the Palestinian unity agreement with Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah on May 4. This is disclosed for the first time by XXXXXX intelligence sources. In Damascus, Bashar Assad’s close confidante Rami Makhlouf threatened that Syria would go to war against Israel in reprisal for US and Europe backing for the uprising.

Makhlouf, an international business tycoon, is on the US and EU sanctions lists. In an interview with the New York Times Wednesday, May 11, he said: “If there is no stability here, there’s no way there will be stability in Israel. No way, and nobody can guarantee what will happen after, God forbid, anything happens to this regime.”

He advised the US and Europe not to “put a lot of pressure on the president, don’t push Syria to do anything it is not happy to do.”
The Syrian president is examining two strategic options, he said: “Going to war against Israel, and/or sending weapons shipments to the West Bank and to Israeli Arabs for use in terrorist attacks against Israel.

The tycoon would not have made his remarks to the NYT without the Syrian president’s nod. So they may be safely interpreted as a declaration that the Assad regime is holding Israel hostage for its survival against the groundswell of popular disaffection shaking it for more than two months.

Those remarks were also addressed to Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, the sources of weapons consignments to Syrian protesters which Damascus believes Saudi Arabia as well as the US and European nations are generating. If that influx is not stopped, therefore, the Syrian government threatens to respond in kind by secreting arms and money into the West Bank and Israeli Arab districts in order to foment an armed uprising against Israel. This step would also undermine another Western interest by menacing Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

According to XXXXXX intelligence sources, the transfer of Khaled Meshaal lock, stock and barrel, from Damascus to Gaza serves the diametrically opposite interests of the current Egyptian and Syrian rulers alike. It was agreed between them – out of totally different considerations – during several visits to the Syrian capital by the new Egyptian intelligence minister Gen. Murad Muwafi from mid-March to late April:

For Cairo, the relocation of the Hamas epicenter to Gaza is pivotal to Egypt’s return to an active role in the Palestinian arena, whereas Damascus sees the strengthened Hamas presence in Gaza as a key instrument for implementing Makhlouf’s threats.
Our sources say that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to these disruptions with two discreet steps:

1. The defense ministry’s political coordinator, Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad, was removed from the Israeli-Egyptian military-cum-intelligence track. The formal reason given for his exclusion was the removal from power of Hosni Mubarak’s intelligence minister, Gen. Omar Suleiman, with whom Gilad developed strong personal ties. He is now under investigation and partial house arrest in Egypt.

The real reason is that his evaluations and forecasts which formed the basis of Israel’s security policy in recent years proved erroneous. The Israeli government must now go back to square one to chart new courses in the face of radical changes around its borders.

2. Gilad’s place is taken by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s personal political adviser, Yitzhak Molcho, who earlier this week was sent to Cairo for talks with the new intelligence minister, Gen. Muwafi, to explore the new ties between Egypt, Syria and Hamas and find out what Cairo was aiming for by the reshuffle of these relationships.

Molcho returned to home just before Independence Day (Tuesday, May 10) with a very despondent report. The only ray of light he saw was the possibility of Syria and Egypt, each for its own reasons, leaning on Hamas to climb down on its price for setting the Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit free nearly five years after he was kidnapped on the Israeli side of the Gaza border.
While Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak were putting their heads together on tactics for grappling with the explosive new situation Egypt is helping to put in place in the Gaza Strip, Makhlouf put a message from his masters up front: The real danger to Israel of a military flare-up lies in Damascus which continues to call the Palestinian shots.

May 11th, 2011, 4:11 pm

 

Sophia said:

Souri,

Can you provide the link? Thanks

May 11th, 2011, 4:18 pm

 

Amir in Tel Aviv said:

I don’t give a hoot about what this dude say about Al Aksa or Palestine. Nor am I worried about his religious tone. Islam is a part of every day life of Arabs, and so Islam has a place in politics.

Trying to suppress Islam, will bring the opposite outcome. Islam should be integrated into politics, some how, other wise you’re creating another anomaly (that follows, if not mirrors the one party Ba’ath anomaly). Secularism will be rejected by the general public, in this moment in time. And no, I’m not naive.

How you do it? I don’t know. Those who have experience in drafting constitutions, will have to find the solution to integrating Islam, with the proper balances and precautions.
.

May 11th, 2011, 4:18 pm

 

Souri333 (formerly Souri) said:

It is true that Hamas may move out of Syria, but they will still need Iranian money and weapons. This means that the Hamas card will not slip out of Syria’s hands like many people assumed. Syria and Iran can still poke Israel with Hamas if they want.

Both countries also have Hizbullah and the Iraqi militias. Also the Taliban in Afghanistan. They can do a lot of harm to America without using any of their own forces.

May 11th, 2011, 4:19 pm

 

Souri333 (formerly Souri) said:

Sorry Sophia. This report is from a malicious and unprofessional Zionist website and I don’t want to link to it because I don’t want to publicize it.

May 11th, 2011, 4:25 pm

 

Amir in Tel Aviv said:

Here you have it Sophia http://www.debka.com/article/20920/

Read Debka-file, the same way you would read science-fiction: You’re fascinated with the author’s imagination and inventiveness, while you know, none of it is true.

Now I understand where the conspiratorial and reactionary mind of Souri90210, comes from.
.

May 11th, 2011, 5:02 pm

 

Souri333 (formerly Souri) said:

Syria is in desperate need for a new constitution. Now is the best time to write a new one. The opposition and its foreign sponsors are claiming that there are no Islamists in the opposition. We must take this chance and write a new secular constitution that lacks the ridiculous third article. If the opposition complains, they will expose their true identity and embarrass their foreign sponsors.

Assad must do like his father, he must form a committee to write a new constitution and then present it for a public referendum. We don’t need to elect a constituent assembly or any of that cra*. If they refuse the new constitution, then it will be obvious that they are Islamists and that we are facing an Islamist Revolution.

I know Assad is not going to do that, but if he had the foresight he would have done it.

May 11th, 2011, 5:10 pm

 

Mawal95 said:

#14 JAD makes a good point about interpreting the language of that Swedish Muslim guy at Facebook.

Here’s another item of evidence that next Friday’s demonstrations will be smaller than last Friday’s, taken from http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/05/11/345965.htm: As of 11 May, “2684 rioters from all of Syria’s 14 governorates have so far surrendered [on their own initiative] to police … and have been immediately released.” That’s a pretty large number of young men with some feeling of guilt and remorse about their conduct turning themselves in on their own initiative. One of the things that’s inducing them to remorse is that the overwhelming vast majority of people living in Syria are getting revolted by all the unassailably true stories of violent hooligans armed with deadly weapons — stories that are being aired on State TV day after day — such as the one today from Banyas at http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/05/11/346233.htm.

May 11th, 2011, 5:16 pm

 

Sophia said:

#20 Souri,

Yes but at the same time you are publishing their rant which I think is totally erroneous. And anybody can google a passage from what you have published and find the source which is by the way totally unreliable.

May 11th, 2011, 5:35 pm

 

Naji said:

Fascinating…but why does the video remind me so much of alqaeda and Saudi religous channels’ videos?! Well, anyway, this is no Wael Ghoneim…

May 11th, 2011, 5:35 pm

 

Sophia said:

When Bashar El Assad spoke of conspiracy he was right. Makhlouf’s statements to Anthony Shadid, although arrogant, should be interpreted within the context of the information below, as well as the rants of the owner of the Facebook syria revolution page above.

http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/11904

I don’t believe the current uprising is genuine. I believe it was manipulated and had Bashar offered all the reforms on earth, it could have resulted in nothing good for him. however, I believe also that El Assad and his entourage have greater responsibility toward the Syrian people knowing these facts and they have less and less margin of error for judgement on what to do next.

May 11th, 2011, 5:43 pm

 

Observer said:

Of those who fear chaos, I would say that chaos has been the lot of Syria’s daily life for a few years now:
1. Chaos if you fall sick and have to go to an emergency room
2. Chaos if you want to start a business and start investing for you never know who and how you will be blackmailed into bribery
3. Chaos if you want to get an education for if a professor wants to improve teaching it may interfere with the weekly Baath party meeting
4. Chaos if you are mistaken for some dude that committed a protest or an infarction for you may disappear into one of many deep cellars
5. Chaos if you do your military service as you may end up working the fields of some high ranking officer who expropriated some land for his personal use
6. Chaos if you want to educate your child in a modern decent school system whereby you want to insure that the sixth grade graduates can write their names without mistake for there is automatic graduation for the first six years of schooling and I can go on and on and on. As a matter of fact I tip my hat to the resilience of the Syrian and Arab peoples that have been able to make a meager living under such medieval and barbaric conditions.

The dilemma of the regime:
Use of force to go back to the status ante the protests is not an option for the regime agreed from that start for the need to reform. Going back to the rule of Hafez is not possible any longer.

Use of force to gain time to make cosmetic reforms is not a long term solution; it will just postpone the next round of protests and of more violence.

Use of commissions to study reforms has not worked and this by the way shows that the regime never seriously contemplated reforms in the first place as such commissions would have hard at work for some time now. If the work of the commission is to predetermine the outcome of any reforms and any true political freedom for the sake of preserving the regime then we are back to square one.

True and meaningful reforms implemented rapidly and fully with international observers means the end of the regime as we know it; it would mean the end of monopoly on the levers of power and the stranglehold of the economy in the hands of the few. It will mean the rule of law and the presence of genuine opposition.

There is still time but very little; many people in Syria want
Reforme Dans Le Regime instead of Removal of the Regime. This message the thick headed regime has not accepted or wanted to hear. They thought that they can fool people like the Soviets did in invading Hungary and Checkoslovakia in the past.

Many on this blog are arguing back and forth about the kind of outcome they desire for Syria.

I would say that everything is on the table: religious parties, political parties, greens, atheists, sectarians, ethnic, gay and lesbian whatever. May I remind the audience of this blog that the ACLU sued the state of Missouri or Alabama I am not sure which for denying the KKK the right to march. The idea is that allowing all speech and thought is the ACLU defense position even if the speaker/thinker is the KKK or the Nazi party or the White Supremacy or whatever.

Let the people decide. It will be messy but much less messy than the civil war that the regime may end up provoking.

May 11th, 2011, 5:43 pm

 

Mawal95 said:

Excuse me, today’s confession story from Banyas, which I linked to above, which I said was “unassailably true”, has been greatly expanded in content since I read it an hour ago, and the expanded story is by no means “unasasilably true”. It quotes someone confessing: “Yassin confessed that weapons were provided by external sides such as Abdul Halim Khaddam through al-Bayyasi, his partner and business manager, who assured them that weapons are available, giving him a machine gun.” The bit about Abdul Halim Khaddam as a supplier of weapons makes the whole confession hard to credit.

May 11th, 2011, 5:44 pm

 

Souri333 (formerly Souri) said:

#24 Sophia,

I said their analysis was interesting, and I think much of it does make sense.

Don’t take it personal. I just could not see myself linking to an ultra-Zionist website like that.

May 11th, 2011, 5:45 pm

 

Sophia said:

# 29 Souri,

You should instead focus on this.
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/11904

May 11th, 2011, 5:54 pm

 

jad said:

السفير الفرنسي في سورية: الفرنسيين يرفضون مغادرة سوريا لشعورهم بالأمان ويعيشون حياة طبيعية . وهناك مبالغة فيما يحدث بسوريا

قال السفير الفرنسي في سورية إيريك شوفالييه الأربعاء 11/5/2011: “إننا عقدنا عدداً من الاجتماعات مع أفراد الجالية الفرنسية في دمشق، وفي هذه الاجتماعات تحدثت كثيراً عن الأحداث التي تجري في سورية منذ شهر آذار”.

وأضاف السفير الفرنسي حسب ما ذكرت وكالة الأنباء الفرنسية: “إن أغلبية الرعايا الفرنسيين يشعرون أن هناك بعض المبالغة في الحديث عن الأوضاع في سورية، وعلى سبيل المثال استوقفني أحد المواطنين الفرنسيين أمس ليخبرني بأن نصائح واحتياطات الأمان التي نشرتها السفارة لا تتوافق مع الطريقة التي يعيش بها والتي لم تتغير منذ بداية وقوع الأحداث”.

ورداً على سؤال حول قلق بعض الفرنسيين من الأوضاع في سورية، أجاب شوفالييه: “أنا أحترم آراء الأشخاص الذين لا يشعرون بالأمان، ولكنني لاحظت أن كثيراً من الفرنسيين يرفضون مغادرة البلاد لأنهم يشعرون بالأمان ويحيون بطريقة طبيعية”، وأشار إلى إن السفارة تأخذ كافة الإجراءات للتواصل مع الجالية الفرنسية، مؤكداً أن هذه الأسباب هي التي دفعته إلى الاستمرار في المحافظة على المنشآت الفرنسية العاملة في سورية.

يذكر أن وزارة الخارجية الفرنسية بالاشتراك مع السفارة في دمشق طلبت من رعاياها الفرنسيين مغادرة البلاد إذا لم يكن وجودهم فيها ضرورياً.

May 11th, 2011, 6:04 pm

 

Souri333 (formerly Souri) said:

#30 Sophia,

Yes I saw it. It discloses no secret, at least to me.

The Americans always do that. They brought the Khomeini to Iran because they wanted to contain Soviet expansion. Next they are bringing now the MB because they want to contain Iranian expansion. I don’t know whom they are going to use later to contain the MB. Perhaps they are thinking that the MB and Iran will finish themselves off. Whoever told them that was stupid. The MB is unlikely to fight with Iran. The Americans think that all Sunnis are Wahhabis. This is wrong. The Sunnis (including the MB) have no reason to be enemies with Iran. The Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia are an exceptional case, and I don’t think they should be called Sunnis because there are very significant differences between the Wahhabis and the Sunnis.

The Wahhabis now are seeking to create a Wahhabi block (Gulf Council + Jordan) to oppose Iran. This is similar to the old Baghdad Pact that was created to encircle the USSR. Unfortunately for the US, they have lost both Iraq and Afghanistan. They won’t be able to encircle Iran.

May 11th, 2011, 6:15 pm

 

Sophia said:

#32 Souri,

You and I and many who visit this blog know this but to see it in an embassy cable is different.

In my opinion, the cable shows also a certain level of hypocrisy. Here is an example:

“Emphasizing Syria’s Iran/Shia Collusion
—————————————

3. (C) While being careful to avoid crossing the line into
encouraging sectarianism, Post strongly urges more focus on
Syria’s close relationship with Iran and Hizballah as Shia
focused on attacking the Arab world.”

This is so disingenuous that I think they are faking ignorance because they have been stirring sectarianism in the ME since removing Saddam.

May 11th, 2011, 7:01 pm

 

George Krikorian said:

If this guy is going to be one of the next group of leaders in Syria, I am afraid the country is going to be lost forever …

May 11th, 2011, 7:08 pm

 

Sophia said:

John Hannah advocating regime change in Syria.
http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/05/11/obama_and_syria_courting_disaster_0

It confirms my early comment on this post that the syrian revolution has been hijacked by neocons. I think there is clear struggle inside the Obama administration about what to do with Syria.

This is not to say that Obama is a dove, on the contrary. However he is stubborn when it comes to personal policy choices where he engages his prestige and mind. He for example declared Afghanistan as his war and did everything to reinforce military presence there. And I think Obama had every intention of engaging Syria thinking Syria is the Gordian node to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Now he is being pressured to abandon this orientation by the neocons. The neocons are going crazy about recent developments in Syria where the authorities seem to be winning.

Who will win the political struggle in Washington about the US Syrian policy?

Obama is stubborn but he can cave also to pressure where his political survival is at stake. He caved to Netanyahu for example on the settlements.

Nicholas Noe thinks the same when he suggest that Feltman, deep up to his neck in March 14th, has gone rogue on Syria:
http://mideastwire.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/apparent-split-in-obama-admin-or-feltman-vs-clinton/

A suivre…

May 11th, 2011, 7:17 pm

 

SANDRO LOEWE said:

Many syrians love to lie to themselves because they believe it is impossible to change the regime. They lie to themselves because they see no one is capable of finishing this regime. And they like to keep the hope that their beloved president is a reformer but corrupt politicians do not let him advance. Since no human is able to live without hope of a better life I find these syrians have a reasonable point of view. This is the Stockholm Syndrome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

But the problem today is that everybody is discovering the real face of the regime, there is no reform to come, no real changes with take place. And anyone trying to force a great change will be exterminated. So hope has vanished….

Then where will supporters´ hope go?

May 11th, 2011, 7:35 pm

 

NK said:

George Krikorian

Care to elaborate on your point of view, what exactly did this guy say/do that makes you so worried and so sure that Syria will be no more should this guy ever be one of its future leaders ?

May 11th, 2011, 7:47 pm

 

NK said:

I like how this reporter started his article with a lie

“It was when the content of the Facebook page Syrian Revolution 2011 was sabotaged when its administrator, whose identity had hitherto been concealed, posted a video in which he condemns what he believes is a hacker attack.”

We knew this guy was behind the Facebook page weeks before that incident, because the guy himself appeared on many TV channels saying he was behind the Facebook page weeks before the incident. Plus the video is still there on Youtube for those who want to check it out, his exact words were “we don’t know if it’s a hacker or a technical difficulty”. But of course reporting facts as they are don’t make for a good story, do they ?

May 11th, 2011, 7:53 pm

 

Mick said:

Anthony Shadid and his buds in the U.S. admin.

“One administration official said that some national security officials were hoping that even if Mr. Assad stayed in power, he would move away from the alliance with Iran because so many of the Sunni protesters wanted to see an end to that alliance. “There are some who think that because of that, Assad would have to back away,” the official said”

Boy, doesn’t that just ooze of pro-democracy’ism! And care for the average Syrian!

May 11th, 2011, 8:16 pm

 

Norman said:

الأربعاء 08 جمادى الثانية 1432هـ – 11 مايو 2011م

——————————————————————————–

قالت إن ظرف سوريا حتم عليها عدم الاستمرار
الإعلامية السورية زينة اليازجي تقدم استقالتها من قناة “العربية”
——————————————————————————–

دبي- العربية.نت

قدمت الزميلة زينة اليازجي استقالتها لادارة قناة “العربية “معتذرة عن عدم قدرتها على الاستمرار، وقالت في تعليق لـ”لعربية.نت: “بحزن قدمت استقالتي لادارة قناة العربية ، البيت الذي امضيت فيه نحو 8 سنوات”. وأضافت: “لا اريد ان تفسر استقالتي باكثر مما تحتمل ، فانا اغادر القناة وكلي محبة للذين عملت معهم ولم يكن خروجي عن خلاف شخصي، ولهم شكري على ما غمروني به من مشاعر جياشة”. وأضافت: “إن الظرف الذي تتعرض له بلدي سوريا حتم علي عدم الاستمرار أو التفرغ”. وكانت الزميلة قد التحقت بقناة “العربية” منذ بداياتها واشتهرت بتقديم نشرة الساعة السادسة مساء بتوقيت جرينتش (التاسعة مساء بتوقيت السعودية). وقد تميزت زينة بقدرتها الاعلامية وعرفت بين زملائها بأخلاقها العالية. وتعليقا على استقالة زينة اليازجي قال مدير “العربية” عبدالرحمن الراشد إنه يأسف على قرار الزميلة الاستقالة ويقدر ظروفها، وأضاف “نحن نثمن كل ما قدمته خلال السنوات الماضية ونتمنى لها التوفيق”.

——————————————————————————–

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لقناة العربية © 2010

May 11th, 2011, 8:18 pm

 

jad said:

NK,
No, your information are incorrect, actually he never admit that he is the person behind the Facebook page, the announcement on his Facebook ‘revolution’ site read that someone with the name on Fida Alsayed is going to be the spokesperson of the ‘revolution’ which is very different from saying that Fida Alsayed is the person responsible of the Facebook page.
His name was circulated behind the scene of palalk site only few days before his first BBC skype interview, the security start circulating all his personal information and they used all his personal Facebook pictures before he delete them as well as his preaching youtube videos and published them to show who is this guy, but all this information where still uncertain until they force him to go public when they managed to close the Facebook ‘revolution’ page which we all know how weird he looked like at that clip.
In short, the article doesn’t start with a lie as you state it actually start with fact.

May 11th, 2011, 8:21 pm

 

vlad-the-syrian said:

so this ZOMBIE is a revolutionary ?

what a shame ! this man deserves nothing but to rot on a khazouk (sorry)

May 11th, 2011, 8:47 pm

 

NK said:

Jad

with LOVE


Uploaded by SHAMSNN on Mar 18, 2011

Oh I forgot, Youtube is part of the conspiracy, they obviously changed the date …

May 11th, 2011, 8:51 pm

 

George Krikorian said:

NK

I do not believe in a theocracy, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish or else. I do not think it is advisable to have an Iranian-like regime in Syria. Neither a Saudi Wahabi-type. Nor an Israeli apartheid formula. Moderation should be the order of the day, not extremism, far rightism or fundamentalism. The guy portrayed in the video looks like a Torquemada of the Spanish Inquisition. He is more a Muslim Brotherhood-type of a person than a Wael Ghoneim.

May 11th, 2011, 8:51 pm

 

NK said:

George Krikorian

OK, I totally agree with what you said about what we want and don’t want in Syria, however it seems like you’re judging the guy based on his looks/religious beliefs, that’s both sectarian and racist.
If you have something against this guy (an article he wrote, or an interview) then please share.

May 11th, 2011, 9:06 pm

 

jad said:

NK,
Thank you for proving my point 🙂

May 11th, 2011, 9:17 pm

 

daleandersen said:

Fidaaldin Al-Sayed Issa is a caricature at best. At worst, he has no credibility. You don’t achieve an heroic stature by hiding out. And in Sweden of all places, the home of boring movies and bad furniture.

Imagine if Jesus had hidden out among the Parthians instead of putting his life on the line. The trouble with Facebook is, some people think a person who publishes bold pronouncements via an Internet Social Network is somehow a hero. It ain’t so…

http://playwrighter.blogspot.com/2011/04/arab-news-fox-news-style.html

May 11th, 2011, 10:11 pm

 

why-discuss said:

Russia rejects UN meeting on Syria claiming opposition ‘never peaceful’
AFP , Wednesday 11 May 2011

Russia on Wednesday rejected calls for a special UN Security Council meeting on Syria to condemn its crackdown on protesters, noting that the opposition was resorting to violence as well. …

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/11905/World/Region/Russia-rejects-UN-meeting-on-Syria-claiming-opposi.aspx

May 11th, 2011, 10:14 pm

 

Vedat The Turk said:

@ Akbar Palace
Please do not use terms such as “arab terrorists”. It’s a derogative term that plays on the worst stereotypes of Arabs and people from the Middle East. To use racist /derogatory terms has no place in any civilized discussion.

Also gloating about death in a celebratory manner is repugnant. Remember that you are discussing the deaths of ordinary people who are just expressing there desires for change. To write about it in jubilant terms is sickening – no matter whose side you are on. Remember at the end of the day they are all Syrians – regardless of whether they are Muslim, Christian, Druze, Sunni, Alawite, Armenian, Kurdish, Turkmen, Assyrian, Iraqi, Wahabbi, Atheist or Jewish. There is only one race and that is the human race!

@George Kirkorian
I could not agree with you more. What is needed in this forum is a civilized non-discriminatory debate. People who use racist terms or words of hate should not be allowed to participate in this discussion. If they have something to say, they should do so using proper decorum.

@ Blog Moderator
Someone should try and do something about the racist overtones that keep on reappearing on this thread. I understand that peoples passions are running high about what is happening in Syria but words of hate /racist terms should be dissuaded in this forum. This blog has a great reputation among those who follow events in Syria. By allowing people to use racist terms it is cheapening the sites brand.

May 11th, 2011, 10:25 pm

 

Nour said:

From al-akhbar today. Apparently even opposition figures are admitting there are armed groups in Syria.

في الجانب الآخر من المشهد السوري، ثمة صعوبة في الحصول على رواية واحدة، وحتى على تقويم موحّد لما يجري، ولما تقوم به السلطات. لكن يجب القول إن هناك صعوبة في الوصول إلى جميع المعنيين أو الأبرز منهم. فالجماعات السلفية المسلحة تعمل تحت الأرض. وثمة إجماع ــــ يبدو أنه العنصر المشترك بين المعارضة والنظام ــــ على وجود هذه الجماعات، وإن اختلف المعارضون مع النظام على تقدير حجمها وقوتها. لكن «الإحباط» يبدو حاضراً في المناخ الإجمالي للمعارضين، وهم يعتقدون أن «عمليات القتل التي نفذتها عصابات تركت انعكاسات سلبية على حركة الاحتجاج بمجملها»، ويرى بعض هؤلاء أن الرأي العام السوري «يقف الآن عند مفترق خطير»، إذ إن «اندلاع حرب أهلية بات خطراً حقيقياً، وإن التدخل الخارجي قائم، وثمة خشية من تطوره إلى ما هو مرفوض من كل السوريين، وإن منطق الإصلاحات صار أمراً واقعاً مهما كابر النظام، وإنه لا يمكن أحداً العودة بالأمور إلى الوراء، ولكن هناك خشية من بقاء الأدوات المسبّبة للانهيار في مواقعها لكي تتولى هي عملية الإصلاح، لأن في ذلك ما يؤدي إلى الانفجار».

May 11th, 2011, 10:26 pm

 

why-discuss said:

Why is he hiding where he was born? Is he ashamed to say he was born in Saudi Arabia for example, and brought up in a Wahhabi Medresseh ?

May 11th, 2011, 10:27 pm

 

Revlon said:

Just compare this man’s positive and peaceful manners, level of education, and respectability with the so-called seculars: Junior, his Bro., and his Coz.

The video of “ Fidaaldin Preaches about the Aqsa Mosque and Palestine” was Uploaded by multimediaofislam on Sep 8, 2009. Therefore, his demeanor and message can be considered unassuming and unrelated to the ongoing Syrian revolution.

The video message commemorated the incident of burning Al Aqsa mosque. Just compare the subject and object of his speach with the 100’s of spastic and delusional speaches served by the regime’s Imams on the same occasion.

Fidaa was borne, like thousands of Syrians, to families in Diaspora.
He carries the scars of callous, forced exile and the dreams to come back home.

He appeared in the video as soft spoken and mild mannered.

He is a conservative Muslem, probably Sunni. As such he represents the vast majority of young Sunni Syrians.

He is ambitious and is studying for a PhD in Innovation and Product Design.

He is the spokesperson of network that consists of at least 250.000 members

The Syrian Revolution 2011 has been called the most “influential” in the mobilization of the anti-regime supporters

He was phoned and received letters saying that they (Mukhabarat) know where he lives and names of his wife and children.

His assessment of the situation:
We want elections and new solutions. People down there are positive and determined.

Some have already misunderstood what he meant by elections.
It is not for the miserable cheer-leading circus, but for the post of presidency, which would lead to democratic, dismantling of the System as it stands!
That is what everybody is striving for in this revolution!

The way I compare Fidaa to the others:
A responsible citizen, against lawless gangsters.
A positive peaceful activist, against Zu3ran / thugs.
A mild mannered speaker, against spoiled brats.

May 11th, 2011, 10:41 pm

 

Dodz said:

all the talk about revolutions whether it is in Syria, Egypt, tunisia or any where else in the arab world … the truth it is about fanatic muslims: brotherhood, salafyeen or the same and all they want is not democracy as they claim but to rule this part of the world under the name of DEMOCRACY, all what you need to look at is what is going on in the streets of Egypt and Tunisia …. etc … the burning of churches in Cairo and alexandria is all done by those in the same category of Mr Fidaaldin …. this man and his group are extremist and their aim is that Islamic rule for all the Muslim world and not DEMOCRACY.
There in no such word of democracy in the muslim world those who rules are either with or against it … and if you have a free opinion then you are dead …. they don’t compromise ….
PLEASE don’t fall for what they are declaring and need to read the local papers of egypt, tunisia … to know what is going on exactly … on you tube there is a salafist who said that they want to burn all the churches …. is that DEMOCRACY ?????

May 11th, 2011, 11:08 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

2. محمودsaid:

اننا نكره حكامكم! نكره ممارساتكم! تدخلاتكم! نكره أسلوبكم! لن نشاهد منكم غير نتاج دمار مجمع التصنيع الحربي الأمريكي! هل تريدون أن نفرش لكم الزهور في ساحات سقوط صواريخكم؟ كيف تدعون الانسانية و انتم تنفقون أكبر ميزانية عسكرية في العالم! هل تعتقدون ان العالم ينسى بسرعة اجرامكم في تدمير هيروشيما و ناغازاكي؟ كيف تنادون بالديمقراطية و أنتم بحاجة دائما الى خلق اعداء افتراضيين لتبرير انفاقاتكم العسكرية! هل تعتقدون أنكم الوحيدون ماضيون العلوم في؟ انكم قمة في التخلف الأخلاقي! انكم عبيد المادة! سحقا لدهنيتكم! سحقا لعقيدتكم المدمرة!
.
May 11th, 2011, 1:08 pm

This is commenter Mahmood English Translation from @2 comment on top:

We hate your Rulers, we hate what you do to us, we hate your ways, and we did not see anything from you except the mass destructions by your military-industrial complex. Do you want us to cover the site of your destroying missile falling areas with roses? How do you claim that you are humanitarians and the largest part of your budget is spent on offensive weapons, you have the largest military budget in the world! Do you think the world and humanity will quickly forgive your crimes against humanity, Hiroshima, Nagasaki? How do you claim to have democratic ideals and uphold such when you always creating virtual enemies to rationalize your military budget spending! Do you think you are the only people that excelled in educations? You are the epic of moral degeneration and bankruptcy! You are slaves to the materialism! Let utter destruction befell your لدهنيتكم ( I don’t know this Arabic word), Let destruction befell your ideology of mayhem.

May 11th, 2011, 11:08 pm

 

syau said:

Revlon, #52

“He appeared in the video as soft spoken and mild mannered”

That description sounds like you are referring to Clark Kent, Fida Al-Sayed is not superman. He calls for demonstrations, knowing full well there is a violent element in them. He is certainly not interested in reform, otherwise he would have called for the demonstrations to stop in order to allow time for the reforms to be implemented and take effect. Instead the Syrian revolution continued to call for further protests highlighting their demands for the toppling of the regime at the cost of lives – Imams affiliated with the revolution have called for this in their Khitab.

You describe him as a ‘responsible citizen’ if that was the case, he would not call for demonstrations when it is known that violence, within, is involved while he is sitting in the safety of his house abroad. A responsible citizen would think of the ramifications of their actions.

‘A positive peaceful activist’ is a joke.

‘A mild mannered speaker, against spoiled brats’, he is anything but mild mannered. To me, he is a clown involved in a circus of a revolution. He also seems to repeat himself frequently. I think one “Iyak, summa iyak’ is enough.

Reforms are good for the country. They definately need to be given a chance to be implemented positively. Not be hijacked by violence, chaos, murder and further destabalisation.

May 11th, 2011, 11:10 pm

 

Revlon said:

On April 22nd, Diya Hazza3, a child, was shot in the shoulder by a sniper while out with demonstrators.
He was taken to Darayya Hospital for treatment.
A security officer at the hospital denied him medical services.
Instead, he repeatedly stamped on his head and face saying: You want freedom, This will free your soul!
The contusions on his face and head spoke for how brutally he was handled before he died.
16 minutes ago

A case for crimes against humanity
The Syrian Revolution 2011 الثورة السورية ضد بشار الاسد
مجزرة طفل .. تفاصيل قنص ثم تصفية الطفل ضياء هزاع في المعضمية يرويها أحد أقربائه
22/4/2001
سأحكي لكم قصة استشهاده بالتفصيل:
خرج الطفل وهو ضياء نعيم هزاع مع الشباب الذين يهتفون لمنع قتل أطفال في درعا يوم الجمعة 22/4/2011في المعضمية
ولكن أحد القناصين والذي كان يتواجد على الخزان والذي كان مدعوما من الأسفل بعناصر من الجيش والأمن والشرطة وب…شهادة الشهود, قام هذا القناص بقنص الطفل ضياء وجاءت الإصابة في كتفه الأيسر وكان هناك احتمال كبير في إسعافه . فأسعفه الناس إلى مستشفى داريا. ولكن قام ضابط مخابرات هناك بمنع أي طبيب من إسعافه وقام بضرب ودعس الطفل على وجهه ورأسه ورقبته وهو يقول:”بدكن حرية هي حرية. والله لطلع الحرية مع روحك”
أي أن الطفل ضياء لم يقتل برصاص القناصة فقط بل كان دعس وضرب ضابط المخابرات بحذائه رأس ورقبة الطفل ضياء هو السبب الرئيسي للوفاة . وهذا الكلام بشهادة الشهود في كل مراحل الوفاة بدءا من القنص وحتى تصفيته بحذاء ضابط المخابرات في مستشفى داريا. كما أن الكدمات التي على وجهه تؤكد ذلك فالرصاصة هنا أصابت كتفه فما سبب كدمات الوجه.
وأهل الشهيد وأقاربه يشكرون أهالي المعضمية الأبطال الرجال الذين كانوا أوفياء بحق لدماء الشهداء
أرجو من القائمين إرسال قصته لمحكمة جرائم الحرب وإلى منظمات الطفولة
فبالإضافة لشهود العيان الكثر هناك الفيديو الذي يثبت القصة . فالإصابة بالرصاصة بالكتف ولكن هناك كدمات على الوجه وأطباء الشرعيين يستطيعون أن يؤكدوا أن الكدمات حصلت قبل الوفاة وكيف ساهمت بالوفاةSee More

May 11th, 2011, 11:16 pm

 

jad said:

Aldendeshe,
لدهنيتكم means “Your Mentalities”

May 11th, 2011, 11:16 pm

 

jad said:

First, Ra7imaho Allh
Second, The person who deserve all the beating and to get shot is the criminal who brought a kid to a demonstration knowing very well that it will be bloody, this person crime is not less in any way than the criminal who shot the kid and the officer who hit him (If in fact that what happened)

May 11th, 2011, 11:27 pm

 

DerekJeter said:

Greek Melkite Archbishop of Aleppo, Jean C. Jeanbart, says if Assad allows each community to live in freedom and in liberty and say what they want, demonstrators won’t use religion for political objectives and in fact will lower the appeal to convservative Islam in Syria and hence lower the possiblity of a civil war.

Vatican Radio, in English:
Click on either Real or mp3.

http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=485904

http://212.77.9.15/audiomp3/00260932.MP3

According to his comments, one can likely come to the conclusion that further repression creates a fertile environment to Muslim fundamentalism, the very issue that the regime says it is fighting against.

May 11th, 2011, 11:30 pm

 
 

Aldendeshe said:

Thanks Jad, but I thought it needs a period over the DAL no? From ذهن like this : عقليّتكم لذهنيتكم

May 12th, 2011, 12:08 am

 

Revlon said:

The army was responsible for the shooting at civilian van, near Homs, a few days ago.
A surviving witness refutes the regime’s story.

He offers his version of the attack on the van that carried Syrian laborers coming back from Lebanon.
The attack left 11 civilian martyrs.

Here is translated description and excerpts of his statements from the video link below:

The witness was seated in the backseat, in line with the driver.
The car came from the direction of 3areeda and approached a bridge, at the outskirts of Homs, near Qattineh.
Without notice, and suddenly they were intercepted with a barrage of shooting.
Firing continued from 4 until dawn break, about 6:30 am.
We kept screaming: We are civilian laborers, with no avail.
Firing was from a distance of nearly 15meters.
Those firing were army troopers
As the dawn broke a militarty ambulance and a military vehicle approached the van and soldiers brandished their guns>
We screamed that we are civilians; they were surprised to find some one alive in the van.
I helped them in evacuating three wounded, some through the window.
I and a surviving friend were asked to stay with the dead.
I asked one soldier: Why did you do that to us? He said: I waved to the van to stop but it did not ; Thus acknowledging that the soldiers were the ones who did the shooting.
The witness exclaimed: You shot us, the van stopped, why did you keep shooting at us for more than two hours?
The unit had the emblem of 7aras (Guards) . I think it means the republican guards.
I was let go with my arms up, after some humiliation by one sergeant.
The area was like a military zone. There were no civilians to be seen.

May 12th, 2011, 12:12 am

 

jad said:

I agree, but as you know some area in Syria don’t pronounce all letters as it should be, for example, some Syrians pronounce A instead of Q and some people pronounce Gh instead of Q or SH with G and I heard before from some Syrians pronounce D instead of DTH as in the word we are discussing.
BUT, I may be wrong and Ma7moud means it differently, you never know 🙂

May 12th, 2011, 12:19 am

 

Mina said:

Contrast what we have read on the different internet activists on Landis’ blog with what is given by the bbc here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13168276

About the interview, I can’t think of a single country but Syria where an uprising sustained by young, internet active, pious muslims (and some extremists) in Europe and the US/Canada, would not have alreay been denounced as islamist and al-qaeda’s.

May 12th, 2011, 12:30 am

 

Revlon said:

#59 I am not sure what happened to the three surviving passengers that were wounded.
According to the witness, they were not in bad shape and they were evacuated by a military ambulance!

I am not sure whether they eventually died and how and why and then tallied with the dead.
Or, they are still alive, in detention.

Further information from this witness would be needed to shed more light on the event and account for the wounded victims.

May 12th, 2011, 12:33 am

 

Mina said:

55 Revlon
As you know a lot of material has been fabricated, and since 2 days a bunch of people like you are being agitated by Ziadeh (with or without noticing it) who is gathering his material for his UN ‘crime against humanity’ moment of fame. This is how i understand the fact that the last two days bring collections of videos of the children who died in these weeks of violence, victims of this large scale manipulation I see in the Syrian events (although I do admit that the ground of anger was there and that Syria desperatly needs reforms, but not by helping the US and the Vatican extract all the Christians from the Middle East);
so please, you could provide a link to any picture of Diya’, this kid who has been brutalized and killed on 22 april?

May 12th, 2011, 12:37 am

 

syau said:

Revlon, #59

A couple of questions for you; firstly, if there was so much shooting from a distance of 15 meters away, how would anyone survive, especially if the shooting continued for 2 hours? That ‘survivor’ seemed in very good health, not a scratch on him.

Secondly, how did the ‘eyewitness’ survivor of such a barrage of bullets know the emblem of the guards (the “republican guards”, you think he meant), was it actually the real republican guard emblem this time, or the emblem of Al sa3qua?

There is a large hole in this story, just as there was in the fake republican guard fabrication. I am inclined to believe that it was an attack by one of the armed gangs affiliated with the ‘revolution’as was reported initiallly. This is their work and the lies in this mans story, aired by Ugarit news prove it.
To any reasonable person anyway.

May 12th, 2011, 12:38 am

 

Mina said:

Sophia,
It is annoying that al Akhbar does not post the Wikileaks it publishes on the main archive of the different website (Wikileaks.org and its mirrors)where they are organized by date and place. The same was true for the cables about the Hariri trial. Still nowhere to be found in English. Only the articles in al Akhbar.
Or you have a link for the al Akhbar Wikileaks cables?

The timing of the Syrian events was as risk of derailing the Palestinian reconciliation process, and now, it is still the smoke screen covering other information such as this one:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/erekat-israel-s-cancelation-of-palestinian-residency-is-a-war-crime-1.361079

May 12th, 2011, 12:45 am

 

Jad said:

Sophia, Mina
you will love this flash news about the French asking the Hariri tribune to accuse the Syrian regime and Bashar Alasad in the assasination of Rafiq Hariri!?
What is this tribune that change the accusations every couple months according to the political weather.

May 12th, 2011, 1:35 am

 

Mina said:

Jad
Do you know that J. Chirac, ex French president, lives for free in an appartment belonging to the Hariri family with a view on the Louvre? Chirac has a pension of about 10,000 euros a month, but this is the way politicians get paid back for all the juicy contracts they enable while they are in power. When Chirac was mayor of Paris, he helped getting the Hariri contractor company a lot of business with the municipality.
There was several articles on this in the press, but of course, we shouldn’t call it corruption!

May 12th, 2011, 1:45 am

 

Sophia said:

#65 Mina,

You can find the cables in English by clicking on the cable number (it is usually in red as it appears in Al-Akhbar. You can also find it easily by searching the wikileaks site by city and subject and/or number.

Their website is not easily accessible sometimes.

Isn’t strange that a small newspaper like Al-Akhbar is exploiting the cables instead big news corporations like Al-Jazeera who doesn’t seem interested? (interested only by eyewitnesses from Syria)

May 12th, 2011, 5:38 am

 

Sophia said:

#66 Jad,

The STL is a travesty. The current judge, Bellemare, is someone who is very close to the Canadian conservatives and Stephen Harper who is obsessed by Hezbollah and very much an oilman, right wing christian conservative ultrazionist.

The STL irritates Lebanese whom many of them died during the civil war without being even noticed while the state is spending a huge amount of money on a highly charged political tool that serves only one party and spreads sedition in the country.

May 12th, 2011, 5:42 am

 

majedkhaldoon said:

STL will issue indictment of Assad and his clan soon,and SSNP will be indicted too,Assad clan are the primary suspect,It has been since the begining, it is now , and it will be in the future,STL never said otherwise.

May 12th, 2011, 5:57 am

 
 

Revlon said:

A mother accompanied by her son, on a motorbike, was on the way to renal dialysis. Both were shot and seriously injured be Asad forces.

Attempts at saving their lives by immediate evacuation by courageous civilians were criminally met with relentless shooting from the forces.

The rescuers persistence succeeded in pulling the wounded by using ropes and long sticks. The manoeuvre took over 8 minutes, which is the duration of the clip.

Another case for crimes against humanity.
Dar3a, 27th of April 2011

May 12th, 2011, 7:00 am

 

Revlon said:

19 civilians, including an 8 year old civilians fell martyrs to regime’s crackdown yesterday in Dar3a and Homs.

Al Fati7a upon their sools,
May God bless their families with solace and empower them with patience.
حركة سوريا شباب من أجل الحرية Youth Syria For Freedom
أوغاريت || نيقوسيا (ا ف ب) – قتل 19 مدنيا بينهم طفل في الثامنة من العمر الاربعاء في منطقتي درعا وحمص اللتين تشهدان تحركات احتجاجية ضد النظام السوري، على ما افاد رئيس المنظمة الوطنية لحقوق الانسان عمار القربي لوكالة فرانس برس ,,
..
3 hours ago

May 12th, 2011, 7:36 am

 

syau said:

Mina,

Theres more to this alliance, and, the Saudi king makes it a trio.

May 12th, 2011, 7:48 am

 

Revlon said:

The screws are tightening on Asad / Makhloof regime.
The secretary General, of the UN, Ashton of the EU, and senator Lieberman of the US issue renewed warnings
وقال بان -الذي أشار إلى أنه تحدث مع الرئيس السوري عدة مرات كان آخرها منذ أربعة أو خمسة أيام- إن “الأسد لم يف بوعوده بالتغيير”.

من جانبه حذر السيناتور الأميركي المستقل جو ليبرمان قائلا “الحقيقة هي أن العنف في سوريا قد تطور في الآونة الأخيرة ليقترب على نحو كبير من الوضع الذي دفعنا للتدخل في ليبيا، عندما كنا نخشى وقوع مجزرة في بنغازي”.
وصفت مسؤولة العلاقات الخارجية في الاتحاد الأوروبي كاثرين آشتون ما يجري في سوريا بأنه تطلع شعبي إلى الديمقراطية “وليس مؤامرة خارجية”, وقالت إنها أبلغت وزير الخارجية السوري وليد المعلم بأن عجز النظام عن فهم ذلك “يفقده الشرعية”.
وأوضحت آشتون -في جلسة للبرلمان الأوروبي الأربعاء- أن “القمع العنيف والتهديدات في الداخل والخارج أدوات عصر ولى”، وأعربت عن قلقها من الوضع في مدينة درعا بعد منع فريق تابع للأمم المتحدة من دخولها.

كما أعربت عن القلق من “استمرار أعمال القمع في بانياس ومدينة حماة التي دخلتها الدبابات”. وذكرت أن الشعب السوري لن يركع للدبابات، ودعت النظام إلى تغيير مساره “الآن”.

May 12th, 2011, 7:58 am

 

democracynow said:

This is a “confession” by a “takfiri salafist terrorist” broadcasted on Syrian TV. I think even if you don’t understand a word of Arabic you can still see that the guy is mad out of his mind. It’s actually hilarious:

May 12th, 2011, 8:09 am

 

A.D said:

REVLON,

you might have heard all these before, but here they are again…

You say all that, but why dont you ever consider the innocent soldiers, troops and bystanders that are being killed by your anti government people? Why do you not think about the soldier who just had his head cutt off? Why dont you consider that man who was being walked around by the violent, disgraceful and downright demonic anti-regieme morons, who were lashing at him with knives, machetes andother sharp object, untill they killed him? What about the soldiers who were in that van, coming home from their post in Lebanon? They got sprayed with bullets by people, sorry demons, who resemble the MB. How about that sheik in Saudi Arabia, who said to his followers that it is Hallal to kill all the Syrian soldiers and kidnapp their wives and children? What about all that? What about all that? Not to mention all the other atrocities that have been done by opposition.

I know you must have heard all that stuff befor, BUT THIS TIME, I HOPE IT SINKS IN!

May 12th, 2011, 8:12 am

 

syau said:

Democracynow,

Mad out of his mind, yes, but you would have to be to be involved in the violence of this revolution, because no sane person will betray his country and go on murder and shooting sprees like these psycho’s. Halarious, no. It’s actually quite sad.

May 12th, 2011, 8:28 am

 

Revlon said:

#76- Dear democracynow, Thank you very much for the link
Abu Nazeer and Abul3abd Gang story is hilarious!

This bloke is doped big time!

Listen to this:
Q: Did you have a gun
Answer: No!

Q: What kind of Gun did You carry?
Answer: Pistol 9.14, Pistol 8.5, and automatic rifle.

Their fabrications are becoming a good entertainment
W rabbi yasser!

May 12th, 2011, 8:29 am

 

Atassi said:

امير.mp4
http://www.youtube.com

‫لحظة القاء القبض على امير حمص السلفي قبل هروبه بطائرته الخاصة‬

May 12th, 2011, 9:13 am

 

محمود said:

شكرا على الترجمة و التوضيح ALDENDESHE ! صحيح Mentality !

May 12th, 2011, 9:27 am

 

Василий said:

оставьте Сирию в покое ! Сирийцы наши друзья !!!

May 12th, 2011, 9:38 am

 

Revlon said:

Syrian Mukhabarat have inadvertantly unearthed a gem, a natural comedian

I would argue that Mr Gassan Silwayeh’s piece of black comedy to be worth a lot more than the 500,000 SYP that he owes to his drug dealer.

I would also argue that he could easily star in a black comedy show that would easily compete with the current hit, Spot light.

I suggest it to be titled: Rabbi Yasser or LLazi Minno

May 12th, 2011, 10:39 am

 

Observer said:

Syria’s ambassador has a letter to the NYT.
The link is below.
In it he states that Rami Makhlouf is a citizen and that his declarations in no way represent the position or official statements of the Syrian Arab Republic.

Just as Ehsani asked, pray tell me in what capacity does he make the statements then and how does one interpret the letter to the editor below?

Once again either he is a citizen and is representing himself or he is a member of a shadow insider regime that is running the country.

This is typical of a Mafia style regime

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/opinion/l12syria.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

May 12th, 2011, 10:43 am

 

Revlon said:

Excerpts from a poem by Ahmad Matar:
“Resistant by words”

The Syrian Revolution 2011 الثورة السورية ضد بشار الاسد
هذه المقاطع من قصيدة لأحمد مطر بعنوان – ممانعٌ بالثرثرة

مقاومٌ يفهمُ في الطبِّ كما يفهمُ في السّياسةْ

استقال مِن عيادةِ العيونِ

كي يعملَ في ” عيادةِ الرئاسة ”

فشرَّحَ الشّعبَ..

و باعَ لحمهُ وعظمهُ

و قدَّمَ اعتذارهُ لشعبهِ ببالغِ الكياسةْ

عذراً لكمْ..

يا أيَّها الشَّعبُ

الذي جعلتُ من عظامهِ مداسا

عذراً لكم..

يا أيَّها الشَّعبُ

الذي سرقتهُ في نوبةِ الحراسةْ

عذراً لكم..

يا أيَّها الشَّعبُ الذي طعنتهُ في ظهرهِ

في نوبةِ الحراسةْ

عذراً..

فإنْ كنتُ أنا ” الدكتورَ ” في الدِّراسةْ

فإنني القصَّابُ و السَّفاحُ..

و القاتلُ بالوراثةْ !

50 minutes ago

May 12th, 2011, 10:55 am

 

Observer said:

An excellent article by Chomsky about the crass and real nature of US foreign policy in the world in general and the ME in particular is below and I believe that it is worth posting in of itself on this blog.
Now, is there a way for similar voices to be allowed in the Arab world? Will we have a Chomsky, a Nader, a Bricmont, to prod our conscience or a Chris Hedges or an Andrew Bacevich or a Juan Cole?
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ME13Ak01.html

May 12th, 2011, 10:57 am

 

Atassi said:

MUST SEE..

This regime MUST be brought to an international court “ The ASSAD crimes against humanity “

May 12th, 2011, 11:02 am

 

jad said:

الصين تدعو العالم عدم التدخل بشؤون سورية الداخلية والعمل للاستقرار والسلام
—————————

Talkalakh next?

شبكة أخبار حمص H.N.N
اعلنت اليوم الإمارة الاسلامية في تلكلخ : و اميرها الدكتور ناصر المرعي- وزير المالية سالم ابو عرب-وزير الدفاع و ضابط امنها ابوخضر و ابوخالد وهم ضباط متقاعدين من الجيش — مسؤول التظاهر مؤيد رجب و وزيرة الصحة لينا الكردي——هذا و قد تم توزيع نفس لباس الجيش السوري على جيش الامارة تحضيراً للحرب و كخدعة للتصوير حتى يقولوا ان الجيش يطلق النار على نفسه كما تم نشر قناصات شتايير الاميركية الصنع على الاسطحة

———————-

استقبال اهالي حمص لحماة الديار والاحتفال بهم حمص 11-5-2011
http://youtu.be/NoKzO1oKMnM

May 12th, 2011, 11:04 am

 

Atassi said:

Jad.. how could you !!
Amazing …..

May 12th, 2011, 11:10 am

 

why-discuss said:

Attasi

Why not indicting Al Khalifa of Bahrain, Ghadafi, Saleh and Ahmadinejad in one go! Maybe consider China and Russia’s leaders too

May 12th, 2011, 11:10 am

 

jad said:

Atassi,
– Check the time of your post and mine, they were posted almost at the same time.
– No need to take it personaly but we need to show both sides of the conflict.
– There are hundreds maybe one thousand victims until today many civilians and some from the army, if we need to put their graphic pictures one by one there wouldn’t be any time to think or discuss or do anything.

May 12th, 2011, 11:24 am

 

Revlon said:

82# Dear Observer, thank you for the link to the brief Syrian Envoy’s letter to the NYT editor

In an earlier post, I offered two scenarios to explain the context of RM statements to the NYT as follows:

Scenario 1: RM set/accepted to be interviewed by Mr Shadeed without consulting with Jr.
This would signal the beginning of a rift, and an attempt to apply more pressure on Jr. to stick to current hard line policies. If this were to be true, I would not be surprised if he is gradually withdrawn from the top ruling circuit.
This possibility, I still think to be unlikely.

Scenario 2: The interview and the message were discussed beforehand with Jr.
This would go along with his claim of the joint-decision making.
As such, RM could be regarded as an unofficial messenger with a verbal, yet official message.

In the build up to his first speech, his confident Aunty Sha3ban and the Veteran F Al Shara3 gave highly positive previews of Jr’s impending speech!
Alas, his official advisers were shown to be poorly informed.
That incident lends support to RM claim of a tighter decision making circuit, that includes him and M Asad.

I still believe that Jr authorised both the message and the forum, without consulting with his official advisors.
Having delivered the message, He either was forced, or chose to distance himself from its diplomatic implications!

May 12th, 2011, 11:30 am

 

atassi said:

Complex truths in the battle for Homs

MARTIN FLETCHER
THE TIMES
13 May 2011
The Australian
English
Copyright 2011 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved

HAVING been in Homs on Sunday, I have no reason to disbelieve the reports of tanks shelling the city. There were tanks inside Homs and encircling it when I was there, and more than 100 in reserve on its northern fringe. The security forces were also rounding up young men in droves.

I spent six hours in detention there, and from the windowless basement where I was held, I twice heard protracted bursts of automatic gunfire. Protesters and soldiers had been killed, and Homs was the proverbial tinderbox.

Two aspects of the reports of tank shelling, however, made me uneasy. The first was that the regime does not have a monopoly on misinformation. The protesters have an agenda of their own — a vested interest in portraying the government in the blackest possible light.

One “witness” cited as a source for yesterday’s reports claimed the regime had shut off supplies of water and electricity to parts of the city, and was refusing to let residents enter or leave — but I saw no evidence of that.

The regime is undoubtedly brutal, and it invites misrepresentation by barring foreign journalists from the country, but there is a tendency by the media outside to accept without question the claims of opposition activists, to treat them as facts.

The second is that headlines of “Tanks shelling Homs” give a misleading and simplistic impression of what is happening. They suggest the country is engulfed in a straightforward civil war between the regime and its people, whereas the truth is much more complex.

Certainly many Syrians hate President Bashar al-Assad, but many others support him. Many fear his authoritarian state, but others fear that if he goes, their disparate country will descend into the sort of sectarian civil wars that have engulfed neighbouring Lebanon and Iraq. There is widespread anger at the regime, but anger also at the protesters causing such disruption.

The protesters are incredibly courageous, and their aims laudable. They are mounting the most serious challenge to the Assad dynasty in its 41 years, but their numbers probably do not exceed 100,000 on any given Friday.

They mostly come from the poorer Sunni Muslim areas, and do not represent a broad cross-section of society.

The notion that their revolt is spreading like wildfire, or that the regime is close to losing control, is wrong. Large parts of Syria, including most of Damascus and Aleppo, its second city, remain calm and life goes on as normal.

A particularly striking video that emerged this week purportedly showed a few dozen young men protesting in a Damascus street. The shoppers and pedestrians completely ignored them, and did nothing to prevent them being bundled into a police van.

I am no apologist for this pernicious government. I have no doubt that it is butchering opponents. But having just spent six days in Syria, largely cut off from “the news”, I am surprised at the discrepancy between the complex situation and the rather simplistic picture being presented to the outside world.

Most right-minded people would like to see Syria attain real democracy, but wishful thinking alone will not achieve that.

==================
==================
Syria crushes dissent in ‘barbaric’ crackdown
12 May 2011
Mail & Guardian Online
English
© 2011 The Mail & Guardian. All rights reserved.

Damascus, Syria

Syria’s security forces are pressing a deadly town-by-town crushing of dissent and mass round-up of opposition leaders, rights activists said, as Washington slammed the “barbaric” repression.

Thousands of students meanwhile defied the crackdown to stage a protest in Syria’s second-largest city Aleppo late on Wednesday before being dispersed by baton-wielding loyalists and security force personnel, a rights activist said.

At least 19 civilians were killed on Wednesday as troops and unknown gunmen assaulted protest hubs across the country, shelling and firing on some and encircling others with tanks, according to accounts by human rights activists.

Among the dead was an eight-year-old boy, said the head of the National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria, Ammar Qurabi.

Sniper fire killed 13 people, including the youngster, in the village of Al-Harra, near the protest centre of Daraa, south of Damascus, Qurabi said.

Tank fire killed five people in the Baba Amr district on the outskirts of the central industrial city of Homs. Another civilian died in Jassem, near Dara’a, he added.

Two soldiers were killed and five others wounded in clashes with “armed terrorist gangs” in the protest hubs of Homs and Daraa, state news agency Sana reported.

The deadly confrontations occurred as troops and security forces “arrested dozens of wanted men and seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition in the Bab Amr neighbourhood of Homs” and in Daraa.

Another a human rights activist said shelling and automatic weapons fire had rocked Homs, Syria’s third largest city.

The army also kept up its sweep of the flashpoint Mediterranean town of Banias, scouting for “protest organisers yet to be arrested”, said Rami Abdul Rahman of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Between 600 and 700 people have been killed and at least 8 000 arrested since the start of the protest movement in mid-March, human rights groups say.

The Syrian authorities insist they are pursuing “armed terrorist gangs”.

In Washington, the State Department denounced the crackdown as “barbaric”.

‘Repressive measures’

Syrian authorities “continue to extend their violent actions against peaceful demonstrators,” State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said.

“These repressive measures — namely the ongoing campaign of arbitrary arrests, the denial of medical care to wounded persons, the inhumane conditions of detainees — are barbaric measures that amount to collective punishment of innocent civilians.”

Toner added that “we don’t throw the word ‘barbaric’ around here very often” but that in this case, “the window is narrowing for the Syrian government to shift focus from its outright repression towards meeting the legitimate aspirations of its people”.

Analysts said the Obama administration is still reluctant to call for an end to Assad’s increasingly violent and repressive regime fearing that a revolution in Syria could bring chaos to a key part of the Middle East with significant repercussions for Lebanon, Iran and beyond.

Russia, a traditional Damascus ally, rejected calls for a special UN Security Council meeting on Syria to condemn the crackdown.

In the face of the persistent violence, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees suspended operations for 50 000 people in central and southern Syria, while UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for an end to “excessive force”.

“I urge again President [Bashar] al-Assad to heed calls for reform and freedom and to desists from excessive force and mass arrest of peaceful demonstrators,” the UN Secretary General told journalists in Geneva.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the bloc will look at fresh sanctions this week against Assad’s regime after already homing in on his inner circle.

“We started with 13 people who were directly involved” in cracking down on protests, she told European MPs pressing her to explain why al-Assad was spared.

“We’ll look at it again this week,” she added. “I assure you that my intention is to put the maximum political pressure that we can on Syria.”

The government said it formed a commission to draft within two weeks a new law to govern general elections that meets “international criteria”, Sana reported.

“Our goal is to draw up an electoral law that is similar to the best laws across the world,” said Deputy Justice Minister Najm al-Ahmad.

Protesters are demanding free elections, the release of political prisoners, constitutional changes that would strip the ruling Baath party of its hegemony over Syria as well as new media and political parties laws.

Last month, under pressure from the international community, Assad lifted nearly five decades years of emergency rule but the heavy-handed crackdown on pro-reform protesters has continued unabated. –

May 12th, 2011, 11:46 am

 

norman said:

to all of you,

So how are we going to end this ? .and try to make the lives of the people better.

May 12th, 2011, 11:53 am

 

edward said:

funeral of Maher Nakror, shot dead by security forces, at Arbeen church Homs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LIJDg00bO8

was he a salafist Islamist armed gang member too???? The lies of the regime are getting harder and harder to defend and keep up.

May 12th, 2011, 11:55 am

 

why-discuss said:

ATTASI

I really appreciate the escalation of adjective in the media : “Brutal”, “Ruthless”, “Bloody’, “Ferocious”, now we have “BARBARIC” which is spreading like fire in the medias avid of more labels to violence, blood and dramas.

It wonder what will be the next buzz word…
‘Vicious’? ‘Inhumane’ ? ‘Monstruous’? ‘Fascist’, ‘Nazi-like’, ‘Pogroms’, ‘Hama-like Massacre’, what else?

Soon the “devastation” of Homs and Deraa will be compared to Hiroshima.

May 12th, 2011, 12:11 pm

 

jad said:

Clinton: US, allies to increase pressure on Syria
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=220256

“US secretary of state says Assad is increasingly isolated; “We are going to hold the Syrian government accountable,” she states as violent crackdown on anti-regime protesters continues.”

“We are going to hold the Syrian government accountable,” she said after meeting the Danish foreign minister. “The United States along with Denmark and other colleagues are going to look for ways to increase the pressure.”

““The Syrian government’s actions are neither those of a responsible government, nor a credible member of the international community,” Clinton said in a statement – though she stopped short of branding Syrian President Bashar Assad’s rule illegitimate.

“We will continue to hold to account senior Syrian officials and others responsible for the reprehensible human rights abuses against the Syrian people,” Clinton continued.”

May 12th, 2011, 12:13 pm

 

N.Z. said:

It does not really matters whether RM had consulted w/jr. or not. The interview depicts a mafia that is ready to unleash its power against its peaceful citizen, the moment they feel the slightest threat.

Just listened to Professor Landis and Anthony Shadid interview with Jim Lehrer on WNED. The Latest On Syria.

http://www.wnyc.org/popup_player/#

I agree with Landis, and I truly think this regime is digging its grave sole-handedly.

May 12th, 2011, 12:17 pm

 

atassi said:

Norman,

I am sure your remember from video above, Arbeen church Homs !! .. Allah Yerhamou .. I know his family and many of the Nakror’s
why-discuss…
Not enough words can descriptive of this Inhumane regime

May 12th, 2011, 12:24 pm

 

why-discuss said:

N.Z
#96
Thanks, its a very thorough discussion, recommended to all SC commenters, (I corrected the link and it is not Jim Lehrer, but Bryan Lehrer)

My understanding is that the bottom line of the interview is that only the economy and the economical sanctions from the international community are the serious long term threat, otherwise on short term, the army, the majority of the Syrians are supporting or tolerating the crackdown.

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2011/may/12/

May 12th, 2011, 12:47 pm

 

N.Z. said:

WD,

You seem to understand your bias only.

This regime is a sectarian one that is controlled by the Allawites elite.

This elite built the country of 22 million on nepotism. They are doomed to a free fall like the ones before.

It is harder in the case of Syria, but nothing is far fetched.

When you talk about the Salafis and MB, you should keep perspective, and ask for a shared power governance of a country we all call ours.

Not one sect is above the other, we are all equal when the rule of law prevails, not the rule of the barbaric elite.

May 12th, 2011, 1:41 pm

 

Nour said:

The people that keep arguing that this regime is sectarian have no idea what sectarianism is. This regime, in the way it holds power, is a mere reflection of our unfortunate social reality. In order to maintain control, they can only surround themselves with people they trust, who happen to be from their own clan, which happens to be Alawi. In that way, they are a reflection of the sectarian and clannish condition of our society. However, the regime is NOT sectarian in its view of Syrian society or of the concept of citizenship in the national state. The regime does not differentiate, in its treatment, between Alawis, Christians, Sunnis, Druze, etc. Alawis are not afforded benefits that others are not and they are not treated as a different class of citizens than members of other sects. Salafis and Islamists, on the other hand, are highly sectarian in their very view of society and the concept of the state. They believe that they, as a majority sect, should have the right to impose a Sunni Islamist state on the other “minorities” who should accept the fact that they should come under their understanding of majority rule. They differentiate between different citizens, as they believe that citizenship should be based on an individual’s religious background, not their national one. In fact, if there are any sectarian aspects of the current Syrian states, they are those laws and constitutional provisions that were implemented in order to appease the Islamists.

May 12th, 2011, 1:52 pm

 

norman said:

Well Said , Nour.

May 12th, 2011, 2:11 pm

 

Atassi said:

Well said what.. the bottom line to what Noure said, The Assad is an Alwai controlled, Mafia type Family .. That is it..!!! Stop the BS about ” In order to maintain control, they can only surround themselves with people they trust, who happen to be from their own clan, which happens to be Alawi.”…
We will not buy it…

May 12th, 2011, 2:24 pm

 

N.Z. said:

Ironically, they are dealing and trumping with the same card. The sectarian one. Syria is not a sectarian society, the regime/mafia is.

May 12th, 2011, 2:35 pm

 

edward said:

Wife of the former leader of the Democratic Party in Syria was thrown out of the window from 8 stories high…

http://eimana.tumblr.com/post/5422524071/yesterday-my-uncle-shiblys-wife-amal-was-found

May 12th, 2011, 2:42 pm

 

norman said:

Atassi,
Who are (( WE )) The homsies, You and I., I do not think we have a say.
Nakror, from what i heard from Syria , died of a stray bullet, the origin not known.

May 12th, 2011, 2:43 pm

 

Mina said:

##107-108
Can you give ONE exemple of an Arab or Muslim-majority country governement that has such a diversity of people represented in its higher officials and gov ministries? Alawi, Ismaili, Sunni, Christians are all there.

May 12th, 2011, 2:50 pm

 

NK said:

Mina

Umm, Lebanon (even though their system is eff’ed up!) ?

Honestly though, I don’t understand what does that have to do with anything. Before the 1963 coup, Syria did have a secular system, no ?. Plus, just because the Arab countries have been governed by dictators for decades DOES NOT make it normal nor optimal to have a dictatorship in any of them, dictatorships are bad regardless of how they portray themselves. Not to mention that all those officials representing all sects and religions of the Syrian society are in fact completely powerless and a Sergeant in Mukhabarat have the authority to pull any of them from his hair and throw him in a cell never to be seen again!. The Syrian regime is indeed not sectarian, but to suggest that the royal family shares its power with others is deceiving.

May 12th, 2011, 3:22 pm

 

N.Z. said:

The Syrian regime is actually divisive, however, the Syrians are not. They are nationalists, first and foremost. They are survival and non-violent.

The regime is showing its true colour in this pivotal time of Arab awakening.

This mafia have a liability on their shoulder, this mafia and their cronies must separate themselves from the Alawites who are part and parcel of the Syrian fabric, and whom percentage wise had suffered no less than the majority.

Other wise I fully agree with NK.

May 12th, 2011, 4:03 pm

 

Solitarius said:

I really really hate to be that guy.. and I’m not sure exactly what kind of a life Mr. Nakror led, but Christians of Homs know what, at least, the famous of the Nakror family do.. they are, and again I’m sorry to resort to this kind of talk when a man just lost his life, but they are the scumbags of the Christians of Homs and they deal drugs and they are the only of few families that are known to carry guns regularly (like also Naddour and Sarah). Not so long ago a competing gangster climbed into their famous Arabic home and shot dead one of them Nakror brothers, and an innocent passer by on a bike was shot dead, probably in an exchange of fire. I remember passing by their mysterious large walled Arabic home everyday when I was back in elementary school. They used to have a large beautiful German shepherd at the door that scared the hell out of me once. All in all, I don’t want to say about Mr. Nakror what I don’t know.. but it’s not very hard for me to verify this information with one little email. All likelyhood, given the nature of the reputation of this family name, is that he might have been killed in a regular gang operation or by the government for the same reasons (but I doubt they would want to assassinate him at this moment and risk this kind of media attention)

May 12th, 2011, 4:21 pm

 

why-discuss said:

N.Z

Now what? All analysts are unanimous: The question is not if the regime is sectarian or not or if it will survive or not (it seems that most Syrians and foreign countries want it to survive for the sake of stability) the question is how long would it survive in the aftermath of the crisis.
Shadid and Landis agree that the economy will fall in a very serious crisis because of lack of investments and that may bring the fall of the regime.
What do think?
I wonder if Russia, China and many Gulf countries who dislike Qatar and Saudi Arabia ( i.e Kuwait and the emirates) will not put their weight to save Syria’s economy. Syria’s economy went through hell during the Hariri crisis and it survives, so nothing is said.
The final outlook is that not only the regime may survive but may become even get stronger if the sanctions don’t bite enough (they usually don’t), What do you think?

May 12th, 2011, 4:23 pm

 

Louai said:

i like his older video when he thought he lost the facebook page he was more funny 🙂

he said ‘We cannot know exactly where people are coming from because the people in Syria log in through “proxy servers” which means that it might look like they are in South Africa when they are in fact in Syria’

then
‘We have analyzed the IP addresses of our users and about 35% are Syrian residing in Syria, 50% are from the Syrian Diaspora around the world and the remaining 15% are other Arabs in other Arab countries.’

the IP shows location ,it dose not show nationality ?i am correct ?

in all the other pages the average number of users is 10000 -20000 usesr ,when i joined them i got a lot of messages to join ALL other pages ,and i also received an email asking me to create 10 or 15 fake account (to avoid MUkhabarat)

250000 member!! the littel boy knows that the vvast majority of that page are arabs not Syrians even that every one has 15 fake accounts .

May 12th, 2011, 5:39 pm

 

Alex said:

A few comments about Mr. Fidaaldin Al-Sayed Issa, the administrator of the Facebook page, the most influential social networking tool in the mobilization of protestors against the Syrian regime.

He is obviously a passionate, dedicated and capable individual. Despite living in a small city in Sweden, he has big dreams about liberating the Aqsa Mosque, Palestine and Syria.

But I would like to share some of his posts with you and explain why I am finding him (and his mentors) to be not exactly an upgrade to the mentality of those in power that he would like to liberate Syria from as he is spending his day trying to motivate the people in Aleppo and Damascus to join his revolution in order to gain freedom and to expose the lies and stupidity of the Syrian regime.

1) From the video that Joshua linked above we can see that Mr. Issa seems to be not that different from other,standard, fundamentalists who define their honor in terms of protecting their women. To motivate his listeners to want to liberate the Aqsa Mosque, he had to ask his audience if they accept it if their women were violated.

2) In the following post on their page the day before a few million Syrians demonstrated across the country FOR President Assad, Mr. Issa posted the following:

“for all those who will be taking part in the Pro-Bashar demonstration tomorrow … we know that you are WITHOUT ANY EXCEPTION forced to take part and that you have received threats from Syrian security. Therefore, we call on you to flip, at noon, (from pro Assad slogans to pro revolution slogans). If that does not work at noon, try again at 1pm then at 2pm … When all of you do that then security forces will lose control and we might have our million demonstrators tomorrow!!! … be confident that the Syrian people will burst in anger at Assad instead of supporting him.”

The result? …. Millions demonstrated for Assad, no one paid attention to to Mr. Issa’s plan.

Wasn’t that delusional? … is this how mature the highly structured Syrian revolution network is?

3) The following post says “99.99% of the Syrian people are not with the regime .. we hope you will participate next Friday to join millions across the country God willing”

Again, delusional. If they don’t like Bashar’s 97% popularity, they should not claim 99.99% popularity .. at least the Syrian regime got over confident after decades in power. These people surpassed them in a few weeks.

4) The first two weeks they posted clips from many demonstrations that chanted implied anti Shia (and anti Alawite) slogans. If they learned later to stop doing that, surely they did not get the sectarian feelings out of their minds that fast, it is just that they learned that for now it is not politically correct to sound sectarian.

5) During their first few days they posted many stories that seemed very unrealistic in order to motivate people to start demonstrating.

6) “the employees of the Damascus stock exchange (10 or 20?) were threatened to take part in the Pro Assad demonstrations (where millions showed up) or else they will be killed!

7) For over a month now, every day they tried to use guilt, or insults, to get the men of Aleppo to demonstrate. If they feel that non-stop manipulating people into demonstrating is legitimate then they should not complain about the regime’s official media tactics in scaring people from the revolution’s ills through generalization (they are all armed gangs).

Here is an example:

May 12th, 2011, 8:30 pm

 
 

Louai said:

ALEX

thank you , very good job but we can add thousands of his comments to prove that those people will use any thing to prove popularity ,i never linked the killing of Mahe Naqroor(the christian man) to any political view ,i honestly thought it was a normal murder till i saw the revolution website mourning him …those people have no boundaries at all,they can easily kill a christian man and use his blood in their fabrications ,but it shows how much they are detached of the reality about Christians and the vast majority of the Syrian people

Didn’t Fedaa al sayed posted that he is finally will reveal his identity and he wrote an emotional post stating that he was a girl who he parents forced out of the country in the 80s !!! i wish i did a print screen to that one as it was a desperate try to wear a mask and attract female supporters .

May 13th, 2011, 7:54 am

 

Alex said:

Louai, I missed that interesting post. The posts I have been screen-capturing (especially from the first week) were really not impressive. Especially the exaggerations and the dramatic tone and the over confidence in predicting a million demonstrators each Friday …

May 13th, 2011, 1:27 pm

 

Dodz said:

Mohamed Essam Barakat
Dear Mr Adam….all the talk about revolutions whether it is in Syria, Egypt, tunisia or any where else in the arab world … the truth it is about fanatic muslims: brotherhood, salafyeen or the same and all they want is not democracy as they claim but to rule this part of the world under the name of DEMOCRACY, all what you need to look at is what is going on in the streets of Egypt and Tunisia …. etc … the burning of churches in Cairo and alexandria is all done by those in the same category of Mr Fidaaldin …. this man and his group are extremist and their aim is that Islamic rule for all the Muslim world and not DEMOCRACY.
There in no such word of democracy in the muslim world those who rules are either with or against it … and if you have a free opinion then you are dead …. they don’t compromise ….
PLEASE don’t fall for what they are declaring and need to read the local papers of egypt, tunisia … to know what is going on exactly … on you tube there is a salafist who said that they want to burn all the churches …. is that DEMOCRACY ?????

May 13th, 2011, 4:45 pm

 

Alex said:

Dodz

Most Syrian Muslims have nothing to do with extremists or with their violent nature.

The problem is that a small number of extremists (Salafists, the more unreasonable of the Brotherhood types) can destabilize a country.

Salafists in Egypt are estimated at 10%

May 13th, 2011, 11:29 pm

 

Rezk said:

This man, Fida Al-Sayed is a criminal against Syrian people. I am a Syrian and most of the Syrians I’ve spoken to wish that this man knows the amount of harm he is doing to them. Syrians and all foreigners who visited Syria know that they have enjoyed peaceful and beautiful life in Syria ever since Hafiz Assad became president. Development in Syria is going in the right direction, not all freedoms are available in Syria to be honest, the freedom of killing each other just because they belong to a different minority group does not exist in Syria. The freedom of majority dictatorship is not available in Syria. The government consists of people from different religions and sects and life in Syria is secure to all Syrians and non-Syrians except for those who try and change this secure environment. Fidaa is a criminal for mobilizing armies against the Syrians’ will although he is not even Syrians and have never been to Syria. Those who call for Jihad has no place in Syria and they are not welcomed. Europe and the US can take them under political correctness and “humanitarian” prospects (which will only harm them badly in few more years time – although it already started in London, Newyork and other places).

I invite all readers who would like to support Syrians, to keep supporting them but by knowing what we as Syrians really want.

We have all real freedoms in Syria, more of political freedoms will come with time and after we complete securing all other essential grounds for our beloved Syria.

May 18th, 2011, 11:08 am

 

BDOUR said:

I would like to say that this person who is swedish and islamic extremist suddenly comes now to protect syrians from misery and terror.Ask him what he knows about syrians?and who accepts him in syria .all of us hate him.his page in facebook 90% not syrians.donot come to sell us your democacy and freedom through false videos and false calss.you are responsible for every drop of blood in syria.

May 23rd, 2011, 3:21 am

 

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