5 June 2011

ANOTHER DAY IN DAMASCUS

Well, we had a scare here but it looks like we're back; the internet was down for virtually the whole country for a day and came back on yesterday. Before posting again, I needed to be sure of safety (as well as giving highest priority to those who had greater need than me of internet use!) and here I am …

In my ever humble opinion, the regime shut down the internet out of desperation; they are beginning to really feel how far they’ve fallen. I’m not the only one who thinks that they will not be able to get back up from this. However, the days and weeks and months ahead are not going to be simple ones. We know that they will be pushing back as much as they can and, among them, there are elements who’d rather pull the whol edifice of our society down than hand over power to anyone else.

Shutting down the internet failed for them because, they realized, that by doing so they were admitting that they were losing and getting desperate. Syria is no longer a country isolated from the world and where they can do as they wish. No, when they shut down the internet, they faced the ire not just of dissidents and oppositionists but of every Syrian involved in business. The merchants who rely on credit card sales, the financiers and exporters, all of them are put up against the wall. And if the regime wants to lose its last bits of support beyond clan, tribe, and sect, those are the people they cannot alienate. They’ve succeeded in just a few short months in alienating nearly everyone else; they cannot afford any more.

They lost by being inflexible and intransigent; they lost by not realizing that times have changed. That will be their epitaph; they lost because they could not change.

They thought that the methods of the past made sense. In years gone by, Syrian regimes worried about conspiracies that worked to undertake a coup. Those sorts of conspiracies – and there were many in those days – formed inside the country but sought aid from outside. Sometimes, they sought aid in Amman or Baghdad, other times further away. The years from independence until the triumph of the Baath are a kaleidoscope of such conspiracies: Baathis, Syrian Nationalists, pro-Hashemites, Communists, and every flavor found here tried and sometimes even succeeded. The CIA bragged of pulling off a coup in Damascus; others tried as well. And, when the Lion of Qardaha took power in his paws, he made sure the regime was strong against such coups from inside or outside the regime. Even now, such thinking persists; there are those parties that were not invited to Antalya and whose presence wasn’t welcome who still hold close to that model: Rifaat & Son, Khaddam, Ghadry, all three go by the model that the road to power in Damascus lies through having the correct foreign sponsors and a few well-placed bullets, without thinking that the fact that 2 of those 3 are more despised here than ever Hafez or Bashar have been (and the third can only claim reflected glory). But they are already yesterday’s men, more even than this regime.

The regime tried on the foreign conspiracy theory of this revolution: it failed for the simple reason it is not true. Yes, we have supporters and friends outside, but are they so deaf as not to hear what nearly every one of us says? We want a free and independent Syria; we reject foreign intervention, whether Persian or Israeli, Russian or American.

They have tried on other theories; that there is a salafist conspiracy to create an Islamic state somewhat more conservative than the Afghan Emirate or the Najdi Realm. And we wonder, do they even know their own people? Such has never been Syrian Islam. But, even if it were, there is no evidence. They want to claim that the opposition are retreads of 1982, under secret guidance from the Ikhwaan (and all dupes of Bin Laden (note to self: avoid catty comment abt how UBL and BHA are kin)) but that, too, misses the facts. The Brotherhood here, just as in Egypt and Tunisia, is not the moving force and is only one of many parties trying to play catch up. Al Qaeda – well, they are so 2001! -- has more support in Wisconsin than it has here … in other words, none.

So all their planning has failed because they do not understand what has happened. The roots of this revolution are not to be found in bread shortages or droughts, not to be sought in audiotapes of sermons or in secret cells … no, the roots of the revolution lie in something else completely, something that one might even give a little credit to the regime for doing:

Once, these lands were full of illiterate peasants and nomads and schools were only in the towns. Things changed. New generations were born and grew numerous. Now, half of all Syrians are under twenty (though the birthrate has steadily been falling, we still have the effect of the massive baby boom of my age cohort) and virtually all above 5 or 6 have gone to school, can read and write, can do arithmetic, and so on and so forth. Not even a year ago, if I recall, the regime was proud to announce that illiteracy had been totally eliminated in the first province; that, they should have known, was the moment this revolution became inevitable.

A nation that was no longer ignorant and where everyone, rich and poor, knew that there were other ways of governance and that, in other lands, things were better, could not forever be held down. They should have seen the signs coming for a long time; the return to Islam was a first symptom, for, when a people first learns to read, the first book they wish to read is their own scripture. And, when the people read the scripture for themselves, be they Muslim or Christian, without the mitigation of priest or imam, they will begin to form their own ideas. And they will rebel against despots.

But they didn’t catch on to that … and we kept learning and seething at our loss. New media gave us ever more windows on the world; I remember arriving in Damascus and seeing DVDs on sale on the street for films that had opened the same day I’d departed from the US. I’m up to date with Doctor Who and Game of Thrones, able to watch them here (no SPOILERS!)

Syrians have always traveled and traded and settled all over the world; in Roman times, Syrian expats set up shop beneath Hadrian’s Wall and our presence excited Henri Pirenne to form his thesis. Now, as many Syrians are in the diaspora as at home and there’s not a family in the country that doesn’t have a member in the Gulf, in Europe, in Australia, or in the Americas. Those who have stayed home, too, have reached out and ‘seen’ the world virtually. We are no longer walled off from the world.

And that was where the revolution came from. No conspiracy, no diabolical plot, but the slow accumulation of grievances and indignities and a people who’d outgrown its rulers. We were still sleeping, but barely. And a spark was all that was needed to awaken us. Bouazizi first lit the spark that set the Arab world aflame. Now, it is not 1982 nor 1958 nor even 1925. It’s not the Arab 1968 or 1989. It is far greater than those. Want a facetious historical analogy? Try this one on for size; it is 1848 and the Springtime of Nations redux. Then, the rulers blamed Freemasons and such and could not comprehend that the Age of Kings and Emperors was over, that a new age had dawned. We’re that and we’re moving far faster; the old world is crumbling and a new one is begun …

But they push back. They kill, they torture. I personally doubt that they have fully twenty thousand armed men that they can truly count on; the rest are either consigned to barracks, melting away or will leave if pushed too hard. They know it, we know it. They are losing and can only lash out here at the end.

But it is far from over; the world has seen what they did to Hamza al Khatib and we know that we could be next. Now, we have rituals that we do before Friday prayers, new rites of ablution. I keep my nails trimmed shorter than they have ever been lest I be captured and they try and pry them off. I clip down my father’s toenails for the same reason and we dye each other’s hair. I write my name, my identity numbers and phone numbers on my arm freshly every Friday. And so does my father. I write out in English and Arabic on his back and his chest; he does the same for me. Yes, it is odd … but it is safety. When, if, I am dead or he is, before they wash me down and wrap me in a winding sheet, I’d like it if someone knew who I was and tells the world. Or, if we end up in mass graves, when they disinter us, someone will know ‘that’s what became of them’.

I hope I am wasting my time with that; I hope I wasted my time seeking inks that were hard to wash off. I hope it’s something I soon will laugh about.

But I cannot be sure. Today or tomorrow might be the last one for me; or, tomorrow might be the first day of the new Syria. Ben Ali is gone, Mubarak is gone, Saleh, they say, is gone as well. Assad has not much longer and I plan to see him go.

We went up north and helped spread sparks, in the cities of the plain and by the banks of the Orontes; we listened and we carried messages. Some were sent beyond this land, others were carried here in turn. And we heard people talking of frustration; we’ve been pushing so long, they said, and they kill us and we just die…. Why not take matters in our own hands and let them know? Take up the guns which are buried, uses bombs and make revolutionary justice.

I for one pushed back against that; we want a new Syria, a break from all that’s come before. If we take power by killing and torturing, if we make summary justice and examples of Them, how are we different? All we will have done was trade the Tribe of Lion for another Tribe, and nothing will have changed, nothing will be different, except who it is who rapes the land and who is beaten down. No, we must not.

Some people say you fight fire with fire: no, you fight fire with water, not with fire. We will put out the blind hatreds of sectarianism not with sectarianism of our own but with love and with solidarity. We must remember that. We must remember that, in overthrowing this regime, we must not replace Alawi-Aflaqi sectarianism with a sectarianism of our own. We must not simply change the names on the doors of the ministries but remake this whole society.

And I fear; already tales of lynchings have started to begin. How long before there are more? Each day that goes on like this sees more anger at the regime, more justice that is demanded and not given. If I were them, I’d realize this. They cannot go on this way; they will lose, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps next month, but, when the Eids roll around, other names will be said in prayers and all of them will be dead or fled … if they do not break soon, there will be oceans of vengeance and rivers of blood spilt when they do. For their own sake, for their kin and their sect, they need to stand aside while there is still hope for them. We are a forgiving people, a hospitable nation, and with great hearts; we will still forgive them their crimes now … but we are also a nation of long memories. And we are growing impatient.

They must go, they must go soon. That is all there is to say.

25 comments:

Drowning in Paper said...

So glad to see you back. I am awed by the courage of those who demonstrate and those who report from Syria. May God keep you safe and bring you freedom to choose your own government soon.

Anonymous said...

Al-hamdu-lillah, you're safe. Hilarious to hear about the internet shutdown failure. Muslims in Texas, gay and straight, support you.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your courage. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Syrian people in their struggle against brutality and corruption.

Anonymous said...

salam alikom


I'm trying to read your article but cant get over the "an openly gay etc etc"


Thank the Lord that I'm not one of those who يتبعون زخرف القول
so doesn't matter how "smart" u r, I'm not going to be impressed by your smartness once u display an act or words that are potentially supporting what is haram. Why would u make your sexual orientation to seem like the most appealing/unique character about your self?

U are free to be gay, but since u claim that you are a Muslim, u should know that u r spreading temptation by declaring tht ur lesbian and making a big deal out of it..

Many ppl would subliminally think about lesbo pornography, indecency etc..mama u r responsible for what u r putting up out there..

"Openly gay" can stand for a lot of unlawful things and organizations that have been trying to inject temptations and turmoil within the ppl's mind so they can profit from them too..


I hope u r NOT one of those who follow the westernized, commercial, to-your-taste, shape-it-as-u-like, take-what-u-like-and-leave-the rest kind of Islam..so may Allah guide u benti..fear Him..

Just think about it..I know u thought about it before..think about it again please..


Islam didn't denounce sexuality especially when it's done within the borders of marriage.

'The fornicator shall not marry any but a fornicatress or idolatress, and (as for) the fornicatress, none shall marry her but a fornicator or an idolater; and it is forbidden to the believers.' Q(24:3)


'And if you fear that you cannot act equitably towards orphans, then marry such women as seem good to you, two and three and four; but if you fear that you will not do justice (between them), then (marry) only one or what your right hands possess; this is more proper, that you may not deviate from the right course.' Q(4:3)

'Bad women .are for bad men and bad men are for bad women. Good women are for good men and good men are for good women' Q(24:26)


And (We sent) Lut, when he said to his people: What! do you commit indecency while you see? (27:54)
What! do you indeed approach men lustfully rather than women? Nay, you are a people who act ignorantly. (27:55)
But the answer of his people was no other except that they ~s said: Turn out Lut's followers from your town; surely they are a people who would keep pure! (27:56)

isn't that enough?

I'm here to enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong..


kind regards,
Hebatullah

AMg said...

Spreading the word on message boards and other social networks on this data to allow the Syrians to connect to Internet via modem, bypassing the block:
Dial up access for #Syria: +46850009990 +492317299993 +4953160941030 user:telecomix password:telecomix #syria #killswitch by @telecomix
a warm greeting and solidarity from Alba

SpiralDragon said...

Hebatullah; you are free to interpret the Qora'n any which way you like. but please have the decency not to ram it down our throats as the only possible interpretation. and further more, any interpretation of a religious text has to be don in manner that takes into account the current time and age that we live in. ignorance is also haram, and one of the things that the the Qoran values more than anything is education. the Qoran was written to educate. if the education being administered does not take in to account new discoveries, new understandings, new advances in technology, new understanding of history, new understanding of traditions, if we do not take into account the understanding of tolerance and existence, then we consign ourselves to ignorance. and to be ignorant is to renounce the very teachings of Islam. reflect on that.

SpiralDragon said...

Amina, glad you are safe and writing. our thoughts and prayers are with you and the Syrian people. you have managed to capture the essence of the spiral of history very eloquently. one day soon, real change will come, and it will come from people like you.

Anonymous said...

I don't think he said it was the only interpretation... and by the quotations I can understand how he reached his conclusions. The one about Lot and the gay guys who should die is pretty blunt.

SpiralDragon said...

blunt but taken out of context and time. we have evolved much since then, this should be reflected in our religious beliefs and understandings of the text or we risk becoming ignorant and stagnant as a people.

Anonymous said...

Good luck. It appears the regime was involved in the events at the Israeli fence so I don't doubt that will be their next tactic, trying to unite the populace under them against Israel instead of against itself.

kenny said...

Hebatullah, those that believe they are all knowing and all seeing, having the the ultimate power of Allah to judge Amina are blasphemous.

Amina, A bird in a cage still sings.
we will carry your message until you are home - Inshallah

Anonymous said...

freedom for Amina

Anonymous said...

Amina, all my thoughts and prayers for you. Thank you for your courage. It is a proof that real courage is not just something you find in a fictional book. I hope you are safe and I hope that Syria as well as every oppressed nations will find their own way to freedom.
Until then, keep praying, God isn't deaf and please know that others are praying for you.

Anonymous said...

Amina, I hope and pray to God you are safe.
Peter K.

Anonymous said...

Who cares about freedom, especially when thoughts are oppressed and facts are twisted? I do not care, "freedom" is a thing more than voting per 5 years and multiple parties, the biggest weapon is manipulation. It wouldn't be measured by such things.
In Israel case, it's a fact that Syria is one of the countries which are against Israel actions, that's an issue to speak. And this issue is used in any country, especially in Saudi Arabia etc., to make the folks united. But that may turn eyes blind about economical cases for example, as it can be seen. Being from a minority group does not make any sense about "freedom". It has nothing to do with being Sunni or Alawi, it's about not letting division to find any excuse. When the aims are not strong enough, it would not go away from replacing some initial and non-initial faults to more serious corruptions.

Anonymous said...

Amina, I pray for your safety and truly admire your courage, though I am not sure whether you’re simply delusional or a compulsive liar. Either way, I kindly beg you not to insult us by portraying a “forgiving” and magnificent image of the Sunni clan. I can give you my personal opinion on the matter, but let’s stick with facts for now… history has shown (and you seem to know your history well) the brutality and discrimination the Sunni people have inflicted on outsiders, be it a Druz, a Jew, a Christian… even a non-Sunni Muslim. Not sure how you missed a few things in your history lesson to all of us.

My point is: should a Sunni take over in Syria, I will pray for every minority there, just like I pray for you and every person in Syria today. If you want to get righteous with us, look in the mirror then give us something that is objective and fair, let us walk away with a shred of inspiration or common sense.

May God bring you home safe!!

Anonymous said...

When will people stop hating each other and killing each other and being afraid of each other because of their own closed minds? Humanitarianism is gradually creating a wave of enlightenment in the world. But I hope it is not too late.

Slavery, forced child marriages, honor killings and fear and hatred of gay people are diminishing everywhere except for the most superstitious, fearful and uneducated uneducated outposts of humanity.

Trying to force people to conform to another's rules of behavior in clothing and to whom to love is fading away to a smaller and smaller population. Places like Western Europe, South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are leading the way.

But while the adherents to dogma are becoming fewer in number, their fanaticism is becoming more toxic and dangerous.

Al Qaida, Glenn Beck, the Likud party, Sarah Palin -- these types of extremists who seem to be welcoming a religion-driven violent end to the world through a grand and glorious war are the ones who really need to take a deep breath, think, listen to wiser people, and see the light. Some of these people do not act as if they are capable of understanding humanity, but let's all hope that they can.

Chris said...

You Syrian people are whack and living under a rock.

interlude said...

It's a lot like how the British Empire fell (well, one reason). They colonized so many places, and because they had a small army, they would hire locals as soldiers. They also eventually brought medicine and education. Naturally, the ignorant, baffled peasants under their rule learned. They learned to read and write, they learned how to organize, and the British taught them not only how to fight and use weapons and military strategy, but also the weaknesses of British military. The British built their own rivals. Not the first time that has happened, and certainly not the last!

As for Syria, and everywhere really, how powerful can a regime be if they rely on the ignorance and weakness of their people? I wonder if they even see how pathetic that makes them.

Anonymous said...

Amina, we pray for your safety and the right of all people of the world to live in peace and democracy.

Anonymous said...

I have prayed for your safety. The world is a sick, sad place run by terrible people. I know your testament here will forever stand out as a beacon against oppression. Soon, you shall be free.
-Alejandro

Anonymous said...

Amina, I must be honest and say that I have never heard of you before today, but I have since read several of your entries and realized how special you are. You are very intelligent, rational and brave. I pray for your safety and hope for the best. I pray for the freedom of your people and for all those oppressed worldwide. Please stay strong, you serve as hope for thousands.

-US citizen

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the inspiration.

Anonymous said...

BULLSHIT!!!

Anonymous said...

Are you all idiots? Amina is an over-weight Syrian guy who fled Syria (for whatever reason) and now he’s an “activist” cowardly hiding behind a keyboard eating peanuts and drinking diet Coke, while the real Syrian people are hitting the streets of the entire country fighting bullets with their words. Come on now!!!! The story makes no sense and full of inconsistencies… do some research…
A few inconsistencies to mention:
Amina’s picture turned out to be a hoax (okay, so someone made a mistake and used someone else’s picture ALL OVER the place)
The Mukhabarat (security forces) in Syria (I know because I am Syrian) don’t have to cover anyone’s mouth when they arrest them, they just take them in day light and no one dares to get involved.
The Mukhabarat don’t drive “red” cars there, it’s always black and the locals know it when they see it… there are only 4-5 brands they use
80 to 90% of cars have stickers/pictures of Hafez, Bashar or Basil on them... not just the Mukhabarat.
Amina’s partner now suddenly retracting her story and saying “oh no, we only met online”..
And there is much more…
Get back to your lives, people, and don’t believe everything you read… this is a sham!

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