Dominoes, the game presented to Chinese emperor Hui Tsung in the 12th century,
traveled slowly before it finally reached the Middle East. These days, however,
it appears to be the game of the hour – starting in Tunisia and Egypt, cascading
through Yemen, Libya and Bahrain, and now in Syria.
The Middle East’s
reality, however, is not a game, but a struggle for survival. Like the
old emperors of China, the remaining old guards – the voices of the past – are
desperately fighting against their own people, who seek a different
future. And the voices of the past appear clearly aligned. It was Syrian
Air Force pilots who were flying some of the MiG fighter jets ordered to attack
rebel-held towns in Libya. An official Syrian funeral for one of them, killed
fulfilling his “duty,” took place in Damascus against the backdrop of the
anti-Syrian demonstration there. Turkey recently stopped two Iranian planes for
“routine inspection,” only to find rocket launchers, mortars and automatic
rifles intended to rearm Assad’s security forces and his Hezbollah allies in
Lebanon. Assad, according to opposition sources, has approved the deployment of
hundreds of fighters to Libya, as well as air and anti-tank munitions to
Gaddafi. There were reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has been
seen working alongside the Syrian military to curtail the demonstrations. The
Iranian assistance might have contributed to the increasing brutality of the
Syrian security forces who managed to kill 50 more demonstrators this last
weekend. But it did not stop the masses, about 500,000 of whom marched in about
nine Syrian cities this past weekend.
Over 200 people were killed and
dozens wounded in a wave of demonstrations that began in the southern Syrian
city of Deraa. Although Assad was quick to blame “foreign conspiracy,” it
appears that his real enemies are loyal Syrians, including women and children
like Mundhir Masalmi, an 11-year-old child who died in Deraa as a result of gas
poisoning, or Moaamin Massalmeh, 14, who was shot there. Pictures and cellphone
videos show brutal use of force that includes snipers and gas. One film shows a
demonstrator shot in the leg, captured and later beaten by some 50 security
guards. Another shows bodies on the floor with no medical help in sight. Syrian
security forces did not even spare mosques in their pursuit of
demonstrators.
Although Deraa was the focal point, other cities in Syria
have recently joined the fracas, including Aleppo, Homs, Jassem, Latakia and
Banias, where demonstrators shouted, “Down with Bashar.”
In Duma, a
suburb of Damascus, police fired on about 20,000 people gathered in a major
square chanting “freedom.” Demonstrators also gathered opposite the Interior
Ministry building, demanding the release of political prisoners. Thousands of
such prisoners are held in Syria, and more have been added during these latest
demonstrations. Tal Mallohi might be the youngest one, arrested at 7 for
blogging on human equality.
Hoping to ease tensions, Assad dismissed his
government and indicated his readiness to lift the state of emergency that has
been in place since 1963. But to the Syrian opposition, it will not be enough.
“Deraa is Syria,” chanted protesters next to the Omayyed Mosque in the center of
Damascus.
AS IN other places in the region, this was another affirmation
that when the ground is ready to burn, a small spark might be enough to start a
fire.
“It is not about dominoes,” Bassam Bitar, a former Syrian official
who has been active in the opposition for over a decade, told me last week. The
opposition planted the seeds for this moment and dreamt for years about this
chance. Speaking from Damascus, Yassir tells me about tribal and civic society
leaders who have mobilized to act. “Please tell our story,” he asks, knowing
that some Western attention will help put some wind in the sails of hope of
those who face an uneasy struggle against the gunships of gas and
fear.
While Gaddafi, Ahmadinejad and Assad continue to cling to the past,
Libyans, Iranians and Syrians are among those willing to risk their lives in the
hope of a different future. Following years in which brutal violations of human
rights received little more than Western lip service, the expulsion of Libya
from the UN’s Human Rights Council and the intervention in Ivory Coast serves as
an important precedent. Human rights may yet be taken seriously – but not
if world leaders choose to remain silent as they have, starting with President
Barack Obama, in the case of Syria. We should not underestimate the
importance of words that carry the potential to add some wind to the sails of
hope of those marching in Tehran, Sanaa, Manama, Tripoli and Damascus. Many have
already lost their lives because dictators were given a free pass to brazenly
disregard the rights and lives of citizens. The world should stand with
the people of Syria and support their calls for freedom – and the US should be
the first to speak out.
Dominoes sometimes need a push.
The writer
is the co-founder of CyberDissidents.org.
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