The Syrian author and blogger Ammar Abdulhamid is calling for the blogosphere to unite in an email campaign to the Syrian Embassy in Washington, advocating “Freedom for the Attasy 8!” and other political prisoners of the Baathist fascist regime of his country. I don’t think we have any choice but to give our wholehearted support to this brave man who writes to us on his blog in Damascus:
At one point a couple of months ago, when I was going through that period of interrogations and travel ban, some of my fellow bloggers offered to flood the Syrian Embassy in DC with emails on my behalf, now I urge them to do it on behalf of the Atassy 8 and all the other prisoners of conscience in Syria. On the even of the Baath Conference, the President, and other elements in the regime, are trying to play it tough. I think we should do so as well.
This regime needs to be isolated like never before. While dissidents need to be empowered. We are the source of legitimacy and credibility of any regime, without us, without an active and vibrant dissent movement, no regime in the region should have any credibility whatsoever.
As for the international community, no country or government in the world who claims to be democratic and to be in support of democratization and human rights in our region or anywhere in the world, could maintain its credibility if it gives up on any of us, regardless of our political affiliations, so long as we are committed to basic principles of democracy and civil liberties.
As such, the Atassy 8 may not be known to you, you may not know what they have done over the years, you may not know what their exact political philosophy is (I don’t think they know that themselves really), but suffice it to know that they were committed to democracy, committed to reform and committed to dialogue. That should be enough for them to deserve our support.
So, flood the embassies with your emails, this is the least that we can do. Student groups that can hold vigils for their sake are more than encouraged to do so. Those who can write articles, op-eds or blog entries about them, go ahead and do so. Freedom for the Atassy 8 and all prisoners of conscience in Syria should be our rallying cry from now on. No reform package will be accepted from this regime if it does not include strict guarantees for our basic freedoms. We will not live at the whim of anyone.
Wow.
Some interesting information on the human rights situation in Syria here and here. The email address of the embassy in Washington is syrembas@syrembassy.net. Other email addresses are here, including the Syrian Mission to the U. N. It’s worth reading all of Ammar’s post linked above for its humanity.
UPDATE: Martin Larsen reports that syrembassy.net address did not “send” for him. It did for me (so far), but please report any problems below. Also, feel free to add any recommended email addresses below (no jokes, please).
MORE: Thanks to Dymphna in the comments for pointing to this other terrific Syrian blog. We all know from the history of Eastern Europe and Russia that totalitarianism can produce great writing, some of it like this blogger Karfan wildly funny in the dark comic manner.
Wow is right.
I wonder who these people are?
Syria’s government doesn’t strike me as one that can be changed openly from the inside. I hope I’m wrong.
Please, if you haven’t read him, see “Karfan Knows.” He posts at:
http://syriaexposed.blogspot.com/
There hasn’t been a post since May 2nd, but his stuff doesn’t stale-date. It’s so Kafkaesque and utterly funny. The man should be free and writing over here.
The rumor is that he can only post when he manages to leave the country. No wonder; he’s quite subversive. Here’s a sample:
Back when Karfan was forced to serve his country and waste two years of his already-useless life in the army, he was assigned to a radar unit in Lebanon. That was because his degree was in electronic engineering and all, although he himself did not have the slightest idea what did he study during those years he spent at university. Regardless of that fact, service at a radar station was both the most useless and most dangerous service in the Syrian Army. They were not allowed to ever turn on those junk backward radars the Russians had bullied Syria into buying. If they operate them, the Israelis would detect their location, send missiles and blow the whole thing up. You cannot think of any more useless way to spend a year and a half of your life: you have to sit inside a dead piece of junk that is supposed to detect enemy’s airlines, but you cannot turn it on because if you do, it would be blown away, with you in it of course. The biggest fear was that one asshole up in the upper command, might actually take the risk and order them to turn the radars on one of those days. Every one there knew what would happen then; they code named it: The Suicide Order.”
Read the whole thing. With all my heart, I ask, read the whole thing.
Guess it’s time to quit referring to ‘Syria’ and start distinguishing between the Syrian government and the Syrian people.
“Onward Through the Fog!”
ìSyria’s government doesn’t strike me as one that can be changed openly from the inside. I hope I’m wrong.î
You are half right. It is very doubtful that the Baathist Party can be pushed out of power solely by the efforts of Syriaís political dissidents. Outside pressure is also required. And thatís occurring at this very moment! Our military success in the region will ultimately force Bashar al-Asad and his cronies to behave themselves. Iíll be very surprise if the situation in Syria doesnít dramatically improve before the end of the year. Why am I so confident? The Baathists are secularists and little more than gangsters similar to Tony Soprano and the Mafia. They are not suicidal and will seek the best deal available.
In addition to emailing, faxing, calling, and raising a ruckus with the Syrian tyranny, might it also be a good idea to let President Bush and Vice President Cheney know we support their foreign policy, and take them at their word when they say they will stand with people taking a stand against tyranny; and hope they take this opportunity to use their bully pulpit. Send the White House e-mails with links to Ammar’s post and a small plea? I did.
president@whitehouse.gov
vice.president@whitehouse.gov
Dymphna link good
Dymphna post good too.
Why we talk like this?
Me don’ know. Fun tho.
Gateway Pundit has some interesting stuff on Syria’s internal crackdown.
The median Syrian is 20 years old. This likely foreshortens Baath’s future, it would seem. Here’s a good history up to the recent.
Charlie and Buddy
Your exchange just above reminds me of the famous “Werewolf”/ “There wolf” Gene Wilder/ Marty Feldman exchange in “Young Frankenstein.”
Jamie Irons
Buddy and Charlie are talking like that because they’ve fallen under the stylistic spell of Karfun and his Boswell:
But for those people angry at us we would like to say that they don’t have to worry much about the continuity of our humble contribution to ?The Anti-Arab Zionist-Imperialistic Crusaders Campaign? (the usual name for anything that is not to the liking of our Lords and Clerics and the idiots who believe them). Karfan and I are sure that despite the fact that I am posting from a nearby country, which I happen to visit very frequently, the geniuses of the uncountable mukhabarat organs of our lord “King Lion the 2nd” will sooner or later track me down. Karfan made me promise not to confess his name if that happen until after the fifth slap on the face in respect to our friendship. After which, we will be both thrown into jail and this outrageous scandalous site would be shut down. Only then, all would be fine and happy again and Syrians angry with us should be relieved that our society would go back to its solidarity and unison.
Since we will end up there for sure, we take this opportunity to deeply appreciate the incredible improvement in prison conditions under the rule of “King Lion the 2nd” in comparison to the days of our “Eternal Leader King Lion the 1st”. Apparently the prisons were fully refurbished so much to the extent that they were compared to Five Star Hotels by a past prominent comrade who had the privilege of visiting the prisons in both prosperous eras. What this left-over-comrade forgot to notice is that at the time when our new ruler was improving the Inside-Of-Prisons, Out-Of-Prison conditions have been deteriorated and became below those of prisons. Under the rule of his father the Eternal Leader, we could steal electricity and water to our heart content to compensate the dirt semi-salaries we used to be given. Now we are blessed with ?Law Rule? like all advanced nations. We are supposed to be lawful citizens and pay for every bloody service that “King Lion the 2nd” and his gang in ministries and private enterprises bless us with while still getting dirt semi-salaries. So actually, we will be more than happy to leave the barn-like slum we live in and have a five star hotel accommodation since Karfan and I never sat foot in such hotels before. We appreciate if our comrade instruct us whether towels are provided or should we take ours with us?
It’s rather like reading Manolo and adding extra article to your sentences. Not to mention novel assemblages of syntax…
…and so does the language change.
I say, keep it up Buddy and Charles. You provide some verve and polish to the endeavor to communicate.
~D
I say, keep it up Buddy and Charles. You provide some verve and polish to the endeavor to communicate.
And here I thought we were just being goofy.
Hell, I didn’t even know we were being goofy. I was just chewing is all.
That Manolo is very funny to read. The shoe blog. Sheer genius.
…and Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman, what a string of cracked hilarious movies that crew put out!
Damn. I read the whole thing. Loved the Laughing Cow cheese bits.
Tribalism lives! Hey, they’re not even Syrians. That’s a problem.
I think the only solution is to have the new Iraq invade and liberate the peoples living in the geographic area known as Syria. Oy. If Americans do the job, another Zarqawi and goons simultaneously invading from elsewhere would be the result.
Hate to say that.