Arab Silence On Syria Shameful

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

The Syrian government’s security forces and its other monsters have been massacring people for the past four months, but no Arab voice has condemned the action or even demanded its end. The advanced countries have been issuing empty verbal statements which have been bringing more suffering to Syrian victims than alleviating it. The victims have been facing killings, arrests or forceful exile to neighboring countries.

The stance of Arabs and the international community on the current incidents in Syria is shocking in comparison to how they dealt with the former Egyptian government, which was more democratic, transparent and fair to people than the Syrian government. In spite of this, the demonstration at Tahrir Square hardly entered the second week before Arabs took a position against ex-president Hosni Mubarak. The US President Barack Obama also demanded immediate ouster of Mubarak with his popular ‘Now.’ Neither Obama nor did any other Western or Arab president say this to President Assad regardless of the unfortunate scenarios being reported from Syrian cities in the media.

It is no longer acceptable to support a government that uses its arsenal against its citizens, who tolerated oppression for 40 years, instead of using it to fight the common enemy. It is also unacceptable to expect reforms from the Syrian president who did not fulfill his promise during the past 10 years of leadership. He always intensifies arrests, killings, and expels people when faced with opposition. He consolidates instruments of aggression in villages and cities by stationing machine guns and gets people shelled with helicopters. Will the United Nations (UN) wait for the government to kill the entire populace before taking any action?

It is really shameful for the world to procrastinate action while blood letting is steadily increasing. It is especially annoying to reopen the door for this government. In fact, certain dictatorial countries and Russia, China and Iran obstructed decisions that were about to be issued and coerced others to back out and reduce the action to mere monitoring.

Is it not disgusting for some capitals, which were accusing the monster of heinous actions, to receive delegations of Syrian government and listen to their point of view which is based on fraud and fabrication? This gives an impression that deals are taking place behind the scene at the expense of the blood of Syrians.

However, even if the entire world succumbs to the game of interests, it doesn’t mean the Arab League should not bother to even issue a statement, condemning the ugly incidents in Syria. The inaction indicates lack of the will to unite in favor of Syrians against the government of massacre. The Arab apex body should realize that it will be brought to account in the future for its failure to suspend Syria, like Libya. This situation has compelled us, as Arabs, to review the league that continues to flutter steadily. It is in bondage of dictatorial governments that legitimize all forbidden actions to suit their interests.

-This commentary was published in The Arab Times on 18/06/2011
-Ahmed Al-Jarallah is the editor-in-chief of The Arab Times and the Kuwaiti daily Assyassah