Bashar al-Assad may claim his opposition are violent Islamists, but the birth of the Syrian National Council shows otherwise
Comments (24)
Mohanad Hage Ali
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 19 October 2011 10.59 BST
Article history
Burhan Ghalioun, the opposition Syrian National Council's most prominent leader and spokesman. Photograph: Christine Olsson/AFP
The birth of the Syrian National Council in Istanbul earlier this month challenges the Assad regime's claims that the opposition is Islamist, backward and violent.
Since the uprising began seven months ago, the regime's media has been trumpeting reports of clashes with Islamist extremist gangs to undermine the revolution internationally, and to nurture a fear of change inside Syria. The relative absence of a unified voice for the opposition and the revolution has played into the regime's narratives.
But the emergence of the SNC largely demystifies Syria's opposition map, which is mostly divided into the old guard and the revolutionary youth organised under co-ordination committees.
The old guard are pre-revolution opposition groups and independent dissidents, whether secular or Islamist (including the Muslim Brotherhood). The new youth groups, also represented on the SNC, are the revolution's "engines", officially known as the local co-ordination committees and the Syrian Revolution General Commission.
These committees date back to a month before the uprising when Syrian activists organised solidarity sit-ins at the Tunisian, Libyan and Egyptian embassies. The meetings they held for co-ordination turned into a national phenomenon through Facebook and other social networking sites, and gave birth to a network of loose organisations.
While co-ordination committees and opposition groups inside Syria secured 60% of the 230 seats on the SNC, the remaining positions were distributed among the exiled groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
The SNC also encompasses the various communist, pan-Arab, Kurdish, Assyrian and independent dissidents who include Burhan Ghalioun, the council's most prominent leader and spokesman.
The recent increase of violence due to splits within the military and the security services has considerably raised fears of civil war. Any militarisation of the revolution would jeopardise this rare opportunity to overthrow Syria's dictatorship. In the early 1980s, the Muslim Brotherhood embarked on a campaign of violence against the regime of Hafez Assad, the former Syrian president, and the father of the current leader. The Islamist uprising ended dramatically with the massacre of thousands in the city of Hama.
Ghalioun – a Paris-based professor and popular dissident – has outlined the SNC's commitment to peaceful revolution, in spite of the regime's escalating repression. He wants intervention to be restricted to allowing foreign journalists and international observers into Syria as witnesses.
So far, the Muslim Brotherhood has been largely absent from the Syrian revolution. The lack of any Brotherhood slogans or symbols is noticeable in the hundreds of videos from the uprising. There are many reasons for this, but above all, the Brotherhood has been severely repressed since the 1980s.
The Brotherhood's apparent weakness in Syria also has a demographic dimension: the recent demonstrations originated in tribal and rural regions, such as the agricultural south-western province of Hauran, where strong familial ties impede the rise of the urban-led pan-Islamist Brotherhood (the former and current leaders are respectively from the cities Aleppo and Hama).
Also, Syria's ethnic and religious demographics do not serve this Islamist group's ultimate aim: to establish an Islamic republic through the ballot boxes in a post-Assad Syria. Ethnic and religious minorities constitute 40% of the population, while the Arab Sunnis' 60% majority is clearly diverse in its political affiliations.
The SNC has moved quickly to assert itself on the regional and international scene. It communicated with the Arab League in the revolution's name, detailing its demands and intensifying pressure on the regime.
The Syrian opposition now has a somewhat unified voice. What remains unclear is how the confrontation will unfold. In the words of one Syrian dissident: "The regime's fate is known; the two unknowns are only the time and the heavy price we have to pay."
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Comments in chronological order (Total 23 comments)
NHSNotforsale
19 October 2011 11:09AM
" In the words of one Syrian dissident: "The regime's fate is known; the two unknowns are only the time and the heavy price we have to pay.""
And in the meantime the world stands by and watches that price being paid as we speak. What can we do - Avaaz has just issued its latest petition which might make something of a difference......
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_horror_in_syria_c/?aViGUbb
saaaaajojo
19 October 2011 11:28AM
I think we can assume that if the CIA is involved, their proxies will be substantially Islamist, certainly in the long term. Even if the Muslim Brotherhood aren't directly involved as they are in Egypt.
CanTheHype
19 October 2011 11:30AM
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn't abide by our community standards. Replies may also be deleted. For more detail see our FAQs.
concernededucator
19 October 2011 11:33AM
I welcome the formation of the SNC, along with the silent majority of people I am sure, and Burhan Ghalioun is well-respected here, however, we need more direction as to how to show our support. “The SNC's commitment to peaceful revolution, in spite of the regime's escalating repression” is all very well, but we are being killed daily. In Aleppo, it’s impossible to gather for more than minutes at a time, before being attacked by shabiha thugs, or being arrested by the security forces. What “peaceful” things can ordinary citizens do?
retsdon
19 October 2011 11:53AM
Strange, I could swear I've heard oppositions described as 'unified' and 'peaceful' before. Of course, this one might very well be - but the words wolf, wolf, wolf, spring to mind.
benad361
19 October 2011 11:55AM
Assad's "armed gangs" rhetoric is obvious nonsense.
The only significant armed elements are the Free Syrian Army, who are fighting to protect civilians. "Terrorists" is a byword for armt defectors.
As concernededucator said, what peaceful things can people do under these circumstances? The revolution needs an armed wing. Thank god it has one.
hoddle1
19 October 2011 12:21PM
You do wonder sometimes whether the despotic religious dictators/imams who rule countries such as Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Yeman, Pakistan have the slightest idea of the power of the internet.
Mind you, the present UK coalition government seems to be equally ignorant.
George Osborne is Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Lagrange1945
19 October 2011 12:25PM
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They Killed many innocent people who were not connected to the Baathists. They attacked alawites and christians.
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They are keeping a low profile because the government would not hesitate to kill all of them.
Ononotagain
19 October 2011 12:46PM
Good luck to the Syrian and Yemeni people with overthrowing dictators. Ms Clinton has made it clear that there won't be any help beyond nice speeches - as always, some dictators are more useful than others.
Some people a very long way away in nice safe non-dictatorships find it very easy to be scornful, but many of us also safely far away wholeheartedly support those people fighting for freedom. I sincerely hope for the Syrian and Yemeni people's sake that once they gain their freedom they won't allow it to be stolen again by voting the MB or other religious fundamentalists into power, which would simply mean another repressive dictatorship, as MB outfit Hamas has already shown in Gaza.
Lagrange1945
19 October 2011 12:52PM
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn't abide by our community standards. Replies may also be deleted. For more detail see our FAQs.
usini
19 October 2011 1:16PM
It is unfortunately not as simple as this. While I applaud your resistance the Assad and do not doubt the credentials of the SNC it also has to be acknowledged that Saudi Arabia is involved in the situation and its agenda is partly to promote its own conservative brand of Islam.
jonniestewpot
19 October 2011 1:43PM
@Lagrange1945
It's better the Baath party remains in power instead of those muslim bortherhood coming to power and butcher, alawites, druzes, christians and ismails.
You're just an apologist for these murderous thugs. They've lost all legitimacy no excuses like yours will give it back to them.
jonniestewpot
19 October 2011 1:53PM
I'd like to see an article by Feeda Kardous on how she can still support this regime while they execute demonstrators in hospital. On why she still supports them when her fellow interviewee who was shot by the security forces tells her he witnessed the shooting of 3 children by the same forces.
It's imperative the country doesn't slide in to civil war the way to stop that is for Assad and the apparatchiks that supports him steps down.
Irishman45
19 October 2011 2:06PM
@Lagrange1945
In the early 1980s, the Muslim Brotherhood embarked on a campaign of violence against the regime of Hafez Assad, the former Syrian president, and the father of the current leader.
And the response of the Assads dictator father was to order the army to slaughter everybody in Hama. Men, women and children, be they Muslim Brotherhood or not!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hama_massacre
Mohanad
19 October 2011 2:21PM
saaaaajojo
I might agree that Islamists serve as better proxies than other groups, but I don't see the Brotherhood as a decisive force due to the both the demographics, and their long absence from Syria. The regional and international powers are surely interfering to better serve their interests, but I still think that there influence is weak if not minimal inside Syria.
concernededucator
Reports from inside Syria show signs that the regime has actually started to crumble. I think the peaceful protests, in spite of the severe repression, are capable of the following:
1. Delegitimizing the regime internationally, and legitimizing the opposition.
2. Demoralizing the regime's institutions, and cracks have indeed started to surface in the Army, Security Services, the ruling Baath Party ...
3. Widening the uprising's base into Aleppo and Damascus, again, in spite of the repression. The economic deterioration is a helpful factor.
benad361The Revolution's so-called armed wing, merely constitute of small-scale defections within the military. While I expect this to grow, I still think that if the revolution was dominated by armed confrontations a' la Libya, there is a high risk of a Sectarian war. That is dangerous.
Lagrange1945
I fully agree on the MB's military experience. These acts were Sectarian killings and violence. Those acts undermined the MB, and are a constant reminder of its failure during that era. But please allow me to say that this regime has a worse record in murder and bloody repression. Both are not an alternative, the Syrian National Council is, for now.
benad361
19 October 2011 2:27PM
@johnniestewpot
It'll be civil war then. Assad will NEVER step down. He has nothing to lose now; he knows he can never go back to making the people live in fear, so this is all he can do.
If it turns to civil war, the Assad's will lose. 10,000 soldiers have defected so far and started an army. Imagine how many more would do so if they could?
Irishman45
19 October 2011 2:40PM
@usini
it also has to be acknowledged that Saudi Arabia is involved in the situation and its agenda is partly to promote its own conservative brand of Islam.
Care to back up this claim, with credible INDEPENDENT evidence?. By independent, I mean not reports from Syrian regime, or its obvious allies, but from reports by neutral countries.
Awaits the links to Sana news, PressTV, Al-Manar, IRIB LOL
missvirtuality
19 October 2011 2:52PM
peaceful, really? What about the 'Free Syrian Army' staged attacks?
http://www.france24.com/en/20111004-2011-10-04-0122-wb-en-webnews
Irishman45
19 October 2011 3:25PM
@missvirtuality
Shame on those army defectors and other taking up arms to protect themselves are the regime's army and its armed thugs.
Remember who started the armed violence first this time. Defending oneself is allowed!!
usini
19 October 2011 4:18PM
@Irishman45 I am not a troll and not against the movement to overthrow Assad. In the early days in February and March, a lot of the resistence seemed to be centred in Sunni mosques.
I believe that in general Saudi Arabia is playing a counter revolutionary role in the region. Just as it is funding the Salassis in Egypt I think it is legitimate to question openly its role in Syria.
lardyscotsman
19 October 2011 4:23PM
Syria's opposition is unified and peaceful
Unfortunately the Syrian government most definitely isn't
Ales10
19 October 2011 4:35PM
Could you please explain what was the reason to delete Lagrange1945 comment? I have read it and found nothing what would be against your " community standards".
"Hate speech" is becoming more and just a convenient excuse for censorship.
jonniestewpot
19 October 2011 4:36PM
@benad361
It'll be civil war then. Assad will NEVER step down.
Despots can't give up the drug of absolute power even now he believes his people love him. There's only one thing that will make this murderer jump and that's knowing he hasn't got long to live.
_______________
What do you think ?
Các anh chị nghĩ thế nào , có ý kiến phê bình gì chia sẻ qua bài viết "Syria's opposition is unified and peaceful" và 23 ý kiến phê binh từ "23 Comments" của độc giả ?
Các anh chị nghĩ thế nào về bọn cầm quyền độc tài với chính sách sắt máu với người dân BỊ TRỊ của chúng ?
Các anh chị có nhận xét gì về phản ứng, thái độ của các cường quốc trên thế giới đối với Cuộc Nổi Dậy của người dân Libya và Syria và tại sao ?
Tự Do, Dân Chủ, Nhân Quyền không thể cúi đầu van xin mà có được, lại càng không thể ngồi im đợi người khác tranh đấu cho mình, hay dựa vào người khác, chờ đợi họ lên tiếng cho mình .
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"Trí thức", "kẻ sĩ" VN cố tình duy trì chế độ xuống hàng chó ngựa của cộng sản VN để vinh thân phì da, để tiếp tục hưởng ân huệ của lũ phản quốc BÁN NƯỚC này có biết NHỤC là gì không ???
Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc .
Kính chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị .
conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
20102011
___________
CSVN là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là đồng lõa với TỘI ÁC
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