Unrest in Syria

Syrians want the security services to stop oppressing them. They want the emergency law lifted. They want their property rights respected. They want freedom of speech. They want..... 

Throughout the forty years since the Ba'th Party seized power in Syria in March 8, 1963, Hafez's rule has looked unshakable. Syrians have always seen him as a committed, albeit cautious, reformer. But how do they see him today?

Opposition parties are banned in Syria and scores of political prisoners languish behind bars! Even though a few thousand protesters in the towns of Daraa and Latakia are not a proxy for a country of millions, it is the beginning of a new hope. 

President Bashar Assad, during the early days of the Tunisia revolt, was quick to say that such people power would never occur in his country because "Syria is stable." 

He told The Wall Street Journal, "If you have stagnant water, you will have pollution and microbes." -- "You cannot reform your society or institution without opening your mind" 

 Assad says he will not reform as a result of what happened in Tunisia and Egypt because "it is going to be a reaction, not an action; and as long as what you are doing is a reaction you are going to fail." Translation: "If protests were to spread to Aleppo or Damascus, there will be blood."

Well, Assad, an ophthalmologist by training, is talking about microbes and pollution!!! as if Syria were somehow immune to infection!

Arab League, Bouteflika, Syria, and the no-fly zone

The Arab League, and its chief Amr Mussa, has officially called on the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. The League has also opened contact with the rebel Libyan National Council in Benghazi.

The United States has supported the Arab League for a United Nations no-fly zone over Libya, where government troops backed by fighter jets are battling rebels seeking to remove Muammar Gaddafi from power.

Algerians were schocked when they heard that their president has voted against the Arab League's decision for a no-fly zone over Libya. Algeria, Yemen, and Syria have voted against the Arab League initiative to impose a no-fly zone in Libya. The no-fly zone would have provided the regional support which NATO needs for any military action. 

"Bombed Lebanon anchor wins award"

A Lebanese television journalist who was badly maimed in a car bomb attack last year has been awarded Unesco's annual World Press Freedom Prize.

Since losing an arm and a leg in a bomb blast meant to kill her, Lebanese journalist May Chidiac returned this summer to television and her trademark criticisms of Syrian involvement in her homeland. She has received two major press freedom awards.

On the day that changed her life in September 2005, Chidiac hosted her regular morning political talk show on the privately owned Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, one of the country's most influential and respected news providers.

As she often did, she addressed Syria's possible involvement in the murder of Rafik Hariri, the anti-Syrian former prime minister who was killed in a massive explosion along with 22 others on Feb. 14, 2005.

A few hours after the show, 500 grams of explosives detonated under the driver's seat of her Range Rover. The explosion blew off her left leg below the knee and shredded her left arm, which was subsequently amputated. Her face was spared, largely because she had turned toward the back seat when the bomb went off.

"I knew I was disturbing them," she told Women's eNews recently, referring to Beirut's ruling pro-Syrian class and their mentors in Damascus. "But I never thought they would have been able to consider killing me," she said in an interview at her home in a leafy Christian suburb overlooking Beirut. Her attackers have not been found.

Syrian troops occupied Lebanon from 1976 to 2005, after entering as a peacekeeping force. They soon became a party to the bloody civil conflict that raged from 1975 to 1990. But in a country where dissent against Syria often meant death or disappearance, Chidiac didn't shy away from asking difficult questions, even during the Syrian presence in Lebanon.

Chidiac is largely dependent on her wheelchair until she learns how to walk again on her prosthetic leg. Her two bodyguards double up as assistants. She can't get ready in time to host her morning show, which she's put on hold, but she is still teaching two broadcast news courses at a university and fronting her evening program.

"My body is different but my mind is still the same," she said, pointing to her bejeweled, French-manicured prosthetic arm. "I'm still as tough as before, maybe tougher."

This article has been written by Rania Abouzeid. She is a freelance journalist based in Beirut. She has covered Lebanon for the last seven years.

Syria, the Cradle of Civilization

I have been twice to Syria and I have found some of the friendliest people in the world! I have discovered the myriad charms of this country and I have taken pictures of some breathtaking scenery.

The Old City is encircled by high walls and oval in form. The main access from the new city is via the covered Souq al-Hamadiyya. The souq leads us to the centrepiece which is the Umayyad Mosque. It is one of the most magnificent buildings of Islam. We have visited the Shrine of John the Baptist in the prayer hall of the Umayyad Mosque and the shrine of Hussein, son of Ali, and grandson of the Prophet. He was killed by the Umayyads at Kerbala in Iraq.

On the first day of our arrival, my two teenagers and I were already heading straight to the Old City and then right through the Souq al-Hamidiyya. We have walked through the spice souq, the gold souq, and we visited the Azem Palace.

Souq al-Hamiddiya is a long, covered market that leads into the heart of the Old City. It is a cobbled street lined with brightly coloured clothing, small family businesses that specialized in copperware, handmade furniture, carpet, and crafts.

We made sure to stop at the ice cream place called Bekdach! It is indeed the souq Al Hamadiyya highlight!! We have eaten an extraordinary ice cream made with sahlab (like semolina powder). The ice cream is gooey and elastic and it is topped with crushed pistachio nuts!! And it costs only 25 Syrian pound.

Inside the old city, we have eaten at Beit Jabri. It is a wonderful relaxing place nestled in the shadow of the Umayyad Mosque's eastern wall. We have ordered hummus, baba ghanoug, tabbouleh, bastoorma, chicken and lamb kebabs, barbecued on charcoal!! and it arrived on the table with the warm Khoobz el Arabi!

We have visited Aleppo, Bosra, Krak des Chevaliers, Homs, Hama, and Palmyra... and all by Bus!!
In Hama, we have visited the norias; wooden water wheels up tp 20m in diameter standing there since the 5th century. The Norias were built to supply water to places near the Orontes river. They are still in operation and I have seen young people jumping from the top of the norias and diving...incredible! The city of Hama is said that it dates to the 4th millennium BC.

All major cities have a local bus and microbus system which work perfectly well.

In Damascus, I have visited beautiful churches where I could listen to the Aramaic language (Jesus original language)!! It was amazing!

The Syrian people are genuinely friendly. They are always ready to help and my two boys made many friends in the neighborhood where we lived (Rukn ad deen). Rukn ad Deen is a popular area and the apartments are very cheap, no power cuts, no water cuts but we had only a fan! During the summer, the boys were feeling quiet hot with just a fan and 48 degrees outside!!!

The kindness of the people shows in many ways: the vendor at the market who will let you taste all his fruits before you decide to buy or not, the lady at the shop who will invite you in for tea and will have a real discussion with you, the young boy who will help you carry your water melons up to the 4th floor...
I have visited many areas in Damascus: Baraamike, Al-Muhaajireen, Mazzah, Jabel, Kafr souse... and many other areas but Rukn ad Deen was interesting because you could get very close to the population, have interesting discussions with them, have tea with them...

The Syrian people are hospitable. They invite you to their house and the men are separated from women. The women will serve you their best food and they will make you feel at home. The people are generous, warm, and friendly and peaceful!

It is indeed one of the most beautiful destinations in this planet!