The struggle to throw away the despot, Bashar Al-Assad, has become the longest and the most protracted struggles among all the struggles that got the cue from Tunisia. The domino-effect engulfed the whole of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and spread to different countries including Syria. To assess the present situation in Syria and to predict how things would shape up in future, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind organised a talk on ‘Present Situation in Syria’ on 29 December.
In his speech, Professor Mohsin Usmani Nadvi, while comparing the condition of the people as that of mere slaves under the rule of Assad family, said that the chances of victory are seemingly near and the Bashar regime would soon be defeated by the opposite group. He however maintained that one must not ‘expect or anticipate a radical and a sudden change’ but he assured that ‘it is now destined that the government will change in Syria.’
He further lamented that the most hurting role at this point of time is being played by Iran and said that the slogan during the time of the Iranian revolution “La sharqiyya wa la gharbiyya…La shiyya wa la sunniyya” (No east and no west and no Shia and no Sunni) was nothing but a facade. He also said that the local people of Iran are in favour of overthrowing Assad but the ruling elite, including Ahmedinejad, is however adamant to bolster the corrupt and faltering regime.
“Bashar Assad is in such a desperate situation that he could not even travel to Damascus from his place of hiding through land as all the roads leading to it are full with the rebels,” he said. Bashar’s sister has left the country and has sought refuge in Dubai. His mother and wife are also in another country. He further added that if the path to Halab is closed and the rebels take over the Damascus airport then it will become very difficult for Assad to save himself. Syrian Air Force is however comparatively strong and giving a fight back.
Basing his argument on the international political manoeuvrings, he maintained that it is in the interest of Israel that the present Syrian regime remains in power and though the west is providing weapons for the rebels so as to maintain its image as freedom-loving, yet it is not providing the rebels with those weapons which are sufficient enough to fight back with the full-fledged state army. The primary reason for such reluctance is that the west now knows that those who are fighting the war with the Assad regime are the ones who love Islam and once they will come to power they would form an Islamic government which would be a threat to Israel.
The other reason why the west is supporting the rebels, half-heartedly though, is because they want to eliminate the influence of Russia in the whole region of Middle East as the Baath Party of Assad, which is nothing but the carbon copy of the Communist Party, is indebted to Russia of millions of rupees, because of which the latter has influence in the region. “The situation has now changed in favour of rebels so much that even the Foreign Minister of Russia has said that now Assad will not be able to take control over Syria,” he added.
The rule in Syria had always been very bloody. In the current uprising thousands of people have laid down their lives. Official records claim that a total of 45,000 bodies have been counted and 25,000 people are reportedly missing. Earlier the tyrant Hafez Al Assad, during his regime, slaughtered around 30,000 people. Hence it is the brutal oppression and repression under which the Syrians have lived their lives all through these years. He further narrated the result of defecting from the army. If anyone would defect from the army, then the person’s whole family and even the far-off relatives were ordered to be killed. This was the gruesome repression in Syria against which the people have now decided to stand and they are now in no position to budge. The current political situation is that the rebels are adamant that they will not give their consent to any talks until Assad leaves the throne. It is only when he goes the talks would resume.
The state used to have strict control over any kind of gathering and it was prohibited to hold any meetings in public. Prof. Nadvi narrated his own incident where he was once invited for the programme on Seerah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). He was taken to a house and the programme was conducted secretly behind the doors. When he said they could have organised for a big gathering for the Seerah programme, he was told that there is a ban for the past 40 years to hold any meeting in public. He narrated another incident when he asked another person as to what the building was meant for, pointing figure toward a building. He was immediately stopped and told that he should not raise his hands towards government buildings as the intelligence people would see him as a potential threat planning to attack any of the buildings.
Religious minded people suffered the most all these years. Ikhwani identity was the worst sufferer as any affiliation with Ikhwan would mean nothing except death penalty. For the past 40 years or so the situation was such that the bearded men were oppressed and ridiculed and burqas were snatched from the bodies of the purdah-observing ladies.
He even mentioned the special place Syria enjoys in Islam, and narrated many sayings that give glad-tidings about Syria. It is said that one would find maximum religiosity in Syria and at one place it is also said that glad-tidings are for Syria as the angels send down blessings on Syria. Syria has got the maximum number of graves of sahabas including Abu Hurairah, Bilal, Khalid Ibn Waleed (may Allah be pleased with them all), etc., he added.