Amarji

A Good Rally!

Well, it was not exactly a revolution but we did it. We rallied in front of the Syrian Embassy on Saturday and we did manage to make some noise. We were about 50 people in all at one time, but some counts around 75 people did show in the three hours period that we spent. The crowed was pretty diverse, and represented Syrians from various backgrounds, ethnic and political. There were also some American and Arab participants who wanted to show their support of our cause. For this, they have our lasting gratitude. Some photos of the event can be found on the Syrian Elector blog, but the picture above shows the heretical family in action: my daughter, Oula (21), holding the sign on the far left, my wife Khawla holding the sign on the right, I am holding, but not hording I swear, the loudspeaker, and my son, Mouhanad (17), holding the sign on the far right.

Much work still lies ahead for this weary soul though. But, in this, I am comforted by the fact that we have a really nice and active team in Syria who are now busy trying to assess the degree to which our call for boycott seems to have had an effect on the thinking of the Syrian people.

But let me quote here a note from the Syrian Elector English site that I think is relevant:

“this battle is not about actual figures, which, judging by the extant of the popular boycott of the legislative elections, will probably favor the opposition. The battle is about appearances and will be fought in the media. Here the Syrian regime has much under its disposal and will surely try to convince everyone that the position of the Assads is quite secure and that they are firmly in control. Our main task, therefore, at the Syrian Elector, will be to try to assess the factuality of the rosy picture that the regime will paint for itself.  People should remember here that even if the regime managed to put a few tens of thousands on the street in different parts of the country, Syria has over 12 million voters, their attitudes cannot be assessed by what we see in government-orchestrated rallies and celebrations.”

Updates

Preparations for the Freedom Rally are proceeding as they should. We wouldn’t know, however, how many people will turn out right until the final moment. The rally will take place on Saturday May 26th, 12-2 pm in front of the Syrian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and to be specific, right on 2215 Wyoming Ave., N.W.  There will be some media coverage involved as well. Hopefully, it will be worse it, if not, well, at least we have tired to do something.

Meanwhile, our virtual presidential race is heating up. It’s now a dead tie between Mamoun al-Homsi and Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni. The voting is taking place on the pages of Syrian Elector. There are two other sites where polls are taking place as well.

The 99%? Site and Your Opinion Matters blog-poll, both has certain problems though. The 99%? tends to act up, often showing a server error message. But when it works, it does allow for 4 votes from each IP, in order to accommodate single-computer families, which is pretty much the norm in Syria.  People voting “No” for Bashar also get to write in the name of their favorite candidates, if they want. But people spell the names of candidates differently, and so tallying up the results is a messy thing.

Your Opinion Matters looks better, and people can vote for their candidate, but then, they can vote as many times as they like and for more than candidates, a good release for those who hate Bashar, and they are legion, but it does not allow us to get something that looks professional.

The good thing about the Syrian Elector poll is that it gives a feel of a real poll. People can vote only once from the same IP, as such, manipulating there it requires some leg-work I guess, or some advanced technical capabilities. For this reason, frequent visits to the site will allow people to follow the poll as though it reflects a real presidential race involving candidates from diverse ethnic and political backgrounds. This augurs well for the future, I hope. 

How does it work?

How does the regime manage to get so many thousands of people to take part in its sham “popular” demonstrations of support to the President? Well, take the candle light vigil, for instance, in which a reported 50,000 students took part, though actual on the grounds estimate put the number at 20,000 only. All the authorities had to do in this case was to collect the ID of the students from different Syrian university all over the country, the IDs they have to sue in order to gain entrance to the exams hall, and voila.

Of course, the exams themselves were postponed because the referendum was conveniently timed to take place around the same time. This gave the authorities certain leverage over the students, who are being told these days that unless they showed that they have taken part in the referendum by showing their stamped electoral cards they will not be allowed to take their exams.

Government employees and all those working with the public sector are hearing the same song. All those who expect to have any kind of paperwork that would require governmental approval, and almost everything in our wonderful socialist state would require that, are now being told that proof of participation will be required. The same rumors were heard around the time of the legislative elections, but this did not stop people from boycotting them en masse. Will the same happen this time around?

Well, we can surely expect some boycott to take place, and we will hopefully be able to document it to the world. But, whether we can accomplish as large a boycott as the one that took place with the legislative elections is anyone’s guess. We are willing to be happily surprised in this regard, and for his reason we should simply focus on the task at hand, while planning to tap into whatever popular currents that have boycotted, their size notwithstanding, in order to help organize themselves into more effective units for civil action in the days and months following the referendum. In all cases, our real work will begin after the boycott. 

Meanwhile, the rally will take place in front of the Syrian Embassy on Saturday 26^th starting 12 pm. Please, do show up, the more people take part in this exercise the stronger the message that will be sent to the Assad regime, the Syrian people, and the world. 

Meanwhile, Lebanon is dancing more "energetically" than ever to the drumbeat of the jungle that the Assads continue to foster.

Update: Akhbar al-Sharq reports here on another way for gathering potential demonstrators: the authorities in al-Hasakeh province withdrew the licenses of all taxi drivers in order to "convince" them of the wisdom of taking part in the spontaneous demonstrations of support that took place there. Meanwhile, our reporters in Damascus has reported several spontaneous demonstrations organized by preparatory school teachers, who allowed their students to roam their districts chanting songs of support to Bashar.

And in a place not too far away, the Tharwa Team is busy fighting another battle for freedom. More from our new office there. For English speaker, this short report will give an idea.

Bahrain hit by a second night of unrest
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
May 21, 2007 Monday 10:20 AM EST

The Gulf island of Bahrain witnessed a second night of violent clashes between protesters and police Sunday night, which concentrated mainly in Shiite villages. 

The clashes mark the second night in a row of violence between supporters of the opposition movement Haq (Right) and police.  

Police moved to break-up a solidarity gathering attended by Haq general secretary Hassan Mushaima, and the executive director of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who were about to face trial on Monday on security charges including the call for the overthrow of the regime.  

Supporters gathered in front of Mushaima's home in Jidhafs, on the outskirts of the capital Manama Sunday night and attempted to link-up with a march from near-by al-Masala village when police intervened.  

Clashes broke-out between the police and opposition supporters in Jidhafs village before it spread to the nearby Shiite villages of Sanabis and Daih as similar violent clashes broke out in villages in the country's north and east.  

Protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at police who entered the villages to clear the roads and drive away protesters. There were conflicting reports about injuries on both sides.  

The clashes come just a night after Ibrahim Shareef, the secretary general of the second largest opposition grouping in Bahrain the National Democratic Action Society also known as Waad (promise), was injured Saturday night during clashes with police.

"No" to Bashar = "Yes" to Syria

Indeed, but the best way to say “No” to Bashar is when we choose to boycott the entire system that was set u to allow someone like him to lord over us, to reject the whole Baath-imposed referendum system that deprives us of a real choice, to refuse to take part in the farce that is played on our expense.

May 27^th should be the National Flu Day, or whatever you want to call it. And despite the fact that we, of the opposition, seem to be issuing the call for boycott, in truth, it is the Syrian people who are taking the lead here. Reports from various parts of Syria are showing that, despite attempts at intimidation and mobilization, people are not showing up in massive numbers to take part in the “popular” demonstration of support for the President. In the city of Suwaida, the whole event was a failure from start to finish, even the security people petered out of the event at a steady pace, and the streets became empty within a few short hours.

Let there be no doubt about it, though, our National Clown will claim victory at the end of the day, and will claim his usual 99% of the votes and officials will report massive turnouts at the polling stations, and they might eventually succeed in arranging for a few mass demonstrations, by mobilizing army recruits, security personnel as well as Iraqi and Palestinian refugees, still, by day-end, the Syrian people will also be victorious, and they will emerge more empowered than ever, because by day end, many will have broken the barrier of fear, and we will have established networks on the ground that we can use to make life increasingly difficult for Bashar & Company.

Life may not have been smooth sailing for Bashar over the last few years, but from now, he is going to have to fight for his survival every day, and the challenge will come from the inside.

Regarding our Rally in DC, preparations are proceeding at they should, we are leaning towards holding the event between 9 and 11 am, to give people enough time to go on their long weekend. I should also point out that some people will be coming from as far away as Seattle to take part in the event and will leave on the same day. I am glad to see that there are those who seem to understand the importance of this event and are willing to go to some trouble in order to take part in it. It is really that important.

For Arabic speakers, here is a link to my recent interview on al-Hurra. I shall be more vociferous from now on.

Yes, It Has To Be Done!

What else is the dissident to do when presented with a once in every seven year opportunity but take it? I mean, how many seven-year terms are left in my life anyway? So, all uncertainties about eventual outcomes aside, and all considerations of potential embarrassment notwithstanding, I cannot but make the call: the call for a protest rally in front of the Syrian Embassy in Washington, DC, on Saturday May 26^th?

Why Saturday, and not Sunday, the day of the referendum? Because other protest rallies elsewhere in this world are planned on the same day, and I think it a good idea for us to be on the same page. But, the main idea behind this choice is to give an added push to the Syrian people to boycott the referendum on the following day, by showing, no matter how tentatively, that other Syrians all over the world feel the same way.

This means, of course, that our efforts should not appear too pitiful: we need to make a respectable show, we need numbers. For if Saturday came and there happened to be more representatives of the media in front of the Syrian embassy on Wyoming Avenue than actual protesters, especially Syrian protestors, then we are really in trouble, and there will be no paucity of gloaters around, including a certain asshole back in Syria who just needs to feel our growing contempt of everything he stands for.

So, the risk of a poor show notwithstanding, we really have no logical alternative but to forge ahead with this call and this plan – our own freedom rally, our second political coming of age. Let’s make it right this time this time around.

Yes. It has to be done my friends. Blogging is simply not enough here. A case of the phantom flu is good for our compatriots in Syria itself, it might be good for us as well, on Sunday. But on Saturday, May 26, 2007, we need to be out there, in front of our local embassy, standing up to the real half-man in our midst, Bashar Coeur de Frog, and his coterie of dimwitted thugs.

We cannot let these people represent us to the world anymore. We cannot let them continue to confuse so many of us as to where our loyalty belongs. It belongs to Syria, while theirs belongs simply to themselves, no matter what they happen to conveniently believe about themselves.

Yes, the decision to take part in such an event is not an easy one. It involves a certain element of risk, but, there are ways to deal with that. For instance, people who cannot afford to be identified can always wear a kufiya. No, it is not full proof, but it’s effective enough. It creates deniability and confusion.

Anyway, at the end of the day, each one of us will have to follow the dictates of his/her conscience. This is a unique opportunity, and if we want to make it the last such opportunity, we cannot afford to let it slip from our fingers.

So, if you are sold on the idea of the rally, and you want to take part, do send an email to the Syrian Elector Team at [email protected] to register and get on our mailing list. You don’t have to identify yourself to us. We just need to get an idea of the numbers we should expect, so we can be prepared.

Please, do also indicate whether you can do anything to help us get this thing started. We don’t have a lot of time, as you know.

And no, you don’t have to be a Syrian to take part in this activity. All freedom-loving people, regardless of their ethnic background, can take part in the event. After all, this is about supporting human freedom and dignity. The Syrians need to know that they are not alone, and it really does help when “average” Americans show up and prove that they do give a damn. Not to me, because I know. But to them, over there, in that beautiful country held hostage still to the whims of rapacious wolves.

________

PS. The event will not be held under the auspices of any one particular opposition group. In fact, we do encourage people not hoist any partizan slogans at this stage. The purpose of the rally is to show our unified rejection of the Assad regime in Syria and our continued support for democracy and human rights activists in the country at a time of a worsening crackdown.

May 27 - The National Flu Day!

The first step towards a peaceful democratic revolution in Syria might just be as easy as staying home for a day.

Indeed, what if the entire country had the flu on May 27, 2007, and no one managed to leave home to take part in the presidential referendum? Wouldn’t that be something? Wouldn’t that be a logical extension of earlier poplar boycott of the parliamentary elections?

Could there ever be an easier expression of patriotism than developing a case of the flu on a certain given day?

Indeed, let’s make May 27, 2007 our National Flu Day in Syria. Let us by willingly succumbing to one group of hypothetical germs willfully combat the oppression and corruption of a real group of perennial germs.

On May 27, let the campaign for our freedom begin. 

More ideas to come. Suggestions welcome.

And don't to follow our reporting on Syrian Elector.

The Monarch!

So I was wrong. I admit. However moronic Bashar had been at one point, he has now very much proven to be his father’s son. Or, at least, as it might be easier for some of us to believe, “fate” seems to have conspired to make him so. Still, no matter how about we put it, the end result is the same: Bashar is now a full-fledged autocrat, worthy of our full-fledged contempt.

The trials of the past seven years were not centered on reform, as some have imagined, but on the consolidation of power, with the specific purpose of continuing the transformation of Syria into a virtual family estate, as evidenced by the activities of the regime’s new business elite.

The trials of the past four years to be specific also serve to demonstrate that unless there is a consistent long-term international consensus for isolating such rogue regimes, the situation will almost always end in their favor, for managing external crises is a skill that these regimes have had plenty of time to develop and hone. Meanwhile, the situation can always be used as an excuse for a continuing internal crackdown on basic liberties, and all signs of dissent. 

So, and as the US gradually turns its attention inward and gets immersed again with the usual partisan politics of the elections, the belligerence of the Syrian regime, and all others in the region, just look at the continuing crackdown against bloggers in Egypt and Bahrain and the arrest of Haleh Esfandiari in Iran, will only increase. The lion will continue to devour the flock, with an appetite rendered more voracious with rage.

Do all dictators have to look like Saddam or Ahmadinejad to be convincing? Isn’t their record of misdeeds enough, especially when it reads more like a rap sheet?

No. Not in partisan America, where image is everything. So long as the voracious lion looks like a lanky smiling gentle-looking giraffe, who is often accompanied by an equally lanky smiling gentle-looking wife, the American public can be allowed to be fooled. The pundits have spoken.

It is clear now that Bashar is going to have a joyride though the American media over the next few months, and will receive a kiddy glove treatment by most pundits even while his goons deliver stiff jail terms to dissidents in contravention to all international norms in this regard.

And why should they not behave with such impunity, they have just been “engaged?”

Anwar, Kamal and soon Michel, are the first casualties of engagement. And that’s only the beginning.

But this is only a crashing wave, and it will have to break against upon our resistance for it. For, in the final analysis, it all boils down to one thing: there is a group of ravenous predators on the prowl, and we have to protect ourselves, our children and our homes from it. This is an existential battle. It is either us or them, they have made that quite clear now. So, we now have to plan for a confrontation at one point, and let’s see who will this time around (no violence intended or suggested, on my part).

_____________

To Kamal

I can see you smiling even now

in your dark prison cell

laughing in the face of your tormentors

and their promises of hell to come,

yes, an even more hellish hell

than the one they put you through

before…

before you became a symbol for us

all, that is,   

a living symbol,

immersed in that special aura

uniquely reserved

for those who took it upon themselves

to show us the way.

---

Statement by the Spokesman Sean McCormack

Syria: Sentencing of Kamal Labwani

The United States condemns the government of Syria for its harsh and unjust sentencing of political prisoner Kamal Labwani.  This action against Mr. Labwani reflects the Syrian regime’s contempt for human rights and a legal system devoid of legitimate legal standards. We are also concerned by reports that Mr. Labwani has been subjected to inhumane treatment during his imprisonment.  We call upon the Syrian government to live up to its obligations under the Arab Charter for Human Rights, which it ratified in February 2007, and immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience.

---

Kamal was sentenced to 12 years in prison just as the Grand Asshole was delivering his speech to the People’s Assembly vowing not to cooperate with the international tribunal should such cooperation demand a concession on sovereignty. "The abandonment of sovereignty,” he said, “means that Syrian law no longer protects Syrian citizens." A friend of mine just wrote wondering whether Syrian law does indeed protect Syrian citizens. For as we just observed, Kamal, and before him Anwar, were really given the full protection that Syrian law can afford, which did them a lot of good.

What if Bush met Bashar?

Many of my colleagues tend to feel quite disheartened whenever a Syrian-American or a Syrian-European rapprochement seems to be looming, and with good cause. After all, their freedom and the quality of their lives, not to mention their very lives, seem to hang in the balance, their particular stands vis-à-vis US interventionism, the West in general and West-assisted efforts at democratization, notwithstanding.

In this regard, and though I have to admit that I do share my colleagues’ growing frustration on occasions, I am not always inclined to feel this way.

Why? Because to me the battle to conserve the isolation of the Assads, the one that it unwittingly imposed upon itself to begin with, has always been a side issue really, or, at most, an important card that we can occasionally play, so long as we have it in our hands. But I have always been wary lest we end up confusing this one card for the entire deck. Our “game” should not be made to hinge solely upon this card, no matter how important or useful it seemed to be, or actually was, at one point. After all, there is so much here that is simply out of our control. The isolation of the Assad regime was due to its behavior and the policies of the US administration, not our lobbying.

Now, the regime may not have changed its behavior, but it has embarked on a different public relations strategy, in consultation with major companies and known experts in this regard. Meanwhile, the increasing problems that the current US administration is having in Iraq and at home has encouraged many voices to appear in all different quarters, including the administration itself, calling for a change in tactics and policies, if not in the basic strategic vision behind US involvement in the region. The recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton Report have helped crystallize this trend, and have made a major impact on the scene. The meeting between Mouallem and Rice could easily be traced to them, and the entire Rice strategy at this stage seem based on a desire to play Iran against Syria, and see if the Alliance can indeed be broken. 

Like it or not, and regardless of what we think, this strategy is going to play out over the next few weeks, and months. Our main task here should not be to try and impede it, as this will lead us to being classified as being hawks, extremists and radicals (for while one American faction have hijacked the cause of reform and democratization to justify their invasion of Iraq, the other have just hijacked the cause of peace and moderation to justify their attempt at retreat). As such, the best thing we can do at this stage is to make sure that our concern for democratization and human rights is not forgotten, using the very discourse of moderation, realism and peace-building that have become in vogue again.

Meanwhile, we have our work cut out for us in the real battlefield: the hearts and minds of our people, not to mention the streets of our country – when the right moment comes, and it will. Hopefully, it will mark a peaceful turnaround, just like most of us want. And hopefully, the “outside,” will be more attentive to our presence and needs, when we make ourselves more relevant on the ground.

So, what if Bush met Bashar, and not simply Rice Mouallem? Will that denote the endgame for us? It will make things rather difficult, that’s for sure, but authoritarian regimes are most vulnerable when they pay too much attention outside, and when it’s attention inside is focused on the usual suspects.