| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| Syrias Muslim Brotherhood threaten civil disobedience | |
| 2011-02-04 | |
| [Asharq al-Aswat] ... Asharq Al-Awsat spoke with former Syrian Mohammedan Brotherhood Secretary-General Ali Sadreddine Bayanouni who confirmed that the situation in Syria is far worse than that in Egypt, which this week witnessed huge anti-government protests resulting in Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak pledging not to stand at Egypt's next presidential elections, scheduled for September. Bayanouni told Asharq Al-Awsat that at the very least, the Egyptians have a media outlet and are able to talk about and demonstrate against the situation in the country, whilst it is dangerous for a Syrian citizen to even whisper such concerns. He also made reference to human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... lawyer Haitham al-Malih, aged 80, who has been imprisoned for more than a year in Syria for pursuing human rights cases. Bayanouni also spoke about a young Syrian blogger Tal al-Molouhi, who was nabbed last year for making statements against autocracy. Bayanouni also told Asharq Al-Awsat that there are thousands of political prisoners in Syria, and he denounced government restrictions that include a travel ban on hundreds of government critics, Syria's emergency laws, as well as the prohibition of any [political] opposition. The Syrian Mohammedan Brotherhood statement discussed 10 points, including "constitutional change to ensure the end of totalitarian rule, removing Article VIII of the constitution that imposes single-party rule; removing the emergency laws and the martial laws; eradicating corruption and prosecuting the corrupt, as well as recovering any money, and quickly resolve the problems of poverty, unemployment, starvation, and illiteracy."
The Syrian Mohammedan Brotherhood statement also called for all imprisoned Syrians to be released, and an immediate end to Syrian citizens being imprisoned for their ideological or religious beliefs. The Mohammedan Brotherhood also demanded the formation of a national government that reflects the will of the people and which represents every segment of Syrian society. The Syrian Mohammedan Brotherhood said that they believed that the Tunisian revolution could prove to be the spark that would incite the Syrian people to demand their rights if the Syrian regime continues to ignore them. Syrian Mohammedan Brotherhood Secretary-General Mohamed Riyadh Al Shaqfa has called on the Syrian regime to learn from what happened in Tunisia and return to popular decisions for the sake of national interests. He said "if the [Syrian] regime continue to ignore the views of the people and corruption and discrimination continues, we will incite the people to demand their rights until this reaches the point of civil disobedience." Al-Shaqfa also threatened to resort to the street and civil disobedience if the Syrian regime continues its policy of restricting and suppressing the freedoms of the people of Syria. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Hmm. You'd think they'd already figured out if the younger Assad was likely to repeat his father's Hama performance if pushed, and they haven't eaten him alive yet. Maybe this is their kabuki-style flyer on trying to leverage the Egyptian chaos for some patronage concessions from the Syrian regime? |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2011-02-04 08:40 |