A collapse into civil war and regional strife is at odds with historical aspirations towards a secular parliamentary democracy
Rime Allaf
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 27 November 2011
"...The Damascus spring was abruptly cut short with the Syrian regime's usual brutal methods; by 2001, civil society forums had been forced shut, and the main protagonists were charged in state security courts and given long jail sentences.
When they emerged years later, all pretence of political reform had already been abandoned by the regime.......
Regime cronies, unenthusiastic about losing their privileges, tirelessly recite Assad's mantra of "after me, the deluge," but their visions of civil strife and regional horror are at complete odds with Syria's recent history. Some may be suffering from an acute Stockholm syndrome, or are weary of neighbours' experience in hasty changes, but most Syrians know that the country can produce a very decent system....
Regime supporters alarmingly brandish the spectre of fundamentalist Islamist rule as a hellish scenario for minorities, but this would be a first in Syria, blessed with peaceful coexistence long before the Assad regime's claim to fame on secularism.
For all the attempts to flaunt it as a dangerous party, the prospect of a Muslim Brotherhood dictatorship in Syria is far-fetched; it is impossible to know how much support the party enjoys, but few Syrians supported its past violence. Moreover, while religiosity and conservatism may be increasing in some Arab societies, this happens in parallel with a secular lifestyle that has become the norm in Syria. Youth-led revolutions are paving the way, demanding civil society and free expression, and making fundamentalist rule redundant....."
Rime Allaf
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 27 November 2011
"...The Damascus spring was abruptly cut short with the Syrian regime's usual brutal methods; by 2001, civil society forums had been forced shut, and the main protagonists were charged in state security courts and given long jail sentences.
When they emerged years later, all pretence of political reform had already been abandoned by the regime.......
Regime cronies, unenthusiastic about losing their privileges, tirelessly recite Assad's mantra of "after me, the deluge," but their visions of civil strife and regional horror are at complete odds with Syria's recent history. Some may be suffering from an acute Stockholm syndrome, or are weary of neighbours' experience in hasty changes, but most Syrians know that the country can produce a very decent system....
Regime supporters alarmingly brandish the spectre of fundamentalist Islamist rule as a hellish scenario for minorities, but this would be a first in Syria, blessed with peaceful coexistence long before the Assad regime's claim to fame on secularism.
For all the attempts to flaunt it as a dangerous party, the prospect of a Muslim Brotherhood dictatorship in Syria is far-fetched; it is impossible to know how much support the party enjoys, but few Syrians supported its past violence. Moreover, while religiosity and conservatism may be increasing in some Arab societies, this happens in parallel with a secular lifestyle that has become the norm in Syria. Youth-led revolutions are paving the way, demanding civil society and free expression, and making fundamentalist rule redundant....."
No comments:
Post a Comment