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2011-03-26 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Protests spread against Assad rule in Syria

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Posted by Fred 2011-03-26 00:00|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top
File under: Govt of Syria

#1 why aren't we actively fomenting revolt and covertly arming resisters in Syria? Radio Free Pencilneck.Must.Go

Posted by Frank G 2011-03-26 12:07|| 2011-03-26 12:07|| Front Page Top

#2 Its' worth recalling what happened in Hama.

Hama became a major source of opposition to the regime during the Sunni Islamist uprising that began in 1976. In Spring 1982, Government forces led by the president's brother, Rifaat al-Assad, quelled the revolt with very harsh means. Tanks and artillery shelled the neighbourhoods held by the insurgents indiscriminately, and government forces are alleged to have executed thousands of prisoners and civilian residents after subduing the revolt. This became known as the Hama massacre. In the clean-up operations after the end of the fighting, large districts of the city, including most of the Old City, were levelled by bulldozers and later rebuilt, permanently changing the face of the city. Deaths in the Hama massacre have been estimated to range between 25,000 to 30,000, with no reliable figures available. (Regime opponents, particularly the Syrian Human Rights Committee, put the figures at 30,000 to 40,000.)

Posted by phil_b 2011-03-26 19:59|| 2011-03-26 19:59|| Front Page Top

#3 those damn Joooos shelling Hama

Posted by Frank G 2011-03-26 20:19|| 2011-03-26 20:19|| Front Page Top

#4 Syria's Alawite leadership understands that the protesters are not non-violent; they're just disarmed. From Rubin Reports:

As for Syria, can anyone tell us why the Syrian army will stand by the regime? Okay, Iâll do it. Syria is run by the Alawite minority who simply arenât real Muslims but pretend to be Shia when that suits them. The Alawites know that a revolution would almost certainly produce an Islamist takeover and certainly a Sunni Muslim one. And such a regime would line a lot of the Alawites up against a wall andâ¦bang, bang, bang.

Thatâs a good incentive for shooting down unarmed demonstrators. Kill or be killed.

Why did Hafez Assad shell the town of Hama, home of the Ikhwan? Alawites would have been massacred if the Ikhwan had taken power. Better to be called a war criminal than be slaughtered at will like Iraq's Christians and Yazidis.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2011-03-26 23:55|| 2011-03-26 23:55|| Front Page Top

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