Wednesday 8 June 2011

Prayers for Syria

First it was President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, overthrown after 23 years in power. Then Hosni Mubarak lost out to the peoples power in Egypt, after 30 years of absolute control. This week President Ali Saleh looks likely to have been ousted from Yemen after 28 years.

Where will the Arab spring take root next? Libya has been brought to a complex military and political stalemate, with Gaddafi holding on for now. In Bahrain, King Hamad has shored up his power base with troops from Saudi Arabia and looks unlikely to fall. All eyes now look to Syria.

President Assad is prepared to use all the force at his disposal to stay in power. Up to 750 protesters have lost their lives already, but it looks likely that may just be the tip of the iceberg. In 1982, Bashar al-Assads father slaughtered over 10,000 protesters in the city of Hama.

Now it looks like the town of Jisr al-Shughour is preparing for horrific showdown with the army, after claims that 120 government troops were killed in the town a few days ago.

The future for the ordinary Syrian citizen looks grim, but there are signs of hope. Non-violent resistance in the country is stronger than in Yemen and Libya, this has proved to be a much better tool at dislodging the giants than simply violent insurrection. Put simply, you can't use guns against these people. They know about guns, and they very well armed. But it is the peoples outrage to the murder of children that will make them fall eventually. Assad is losing his legitimacy daily.

I pray for my Syrian friends, they have a right to live in a free and noble country. And one day, it will be insha'Allah.

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