Introducing myself and my journal: freedom

About Me:

“Through half a century of Baath party and Assad family rule in Syria, most of the components of society have been subjected to exclusion, marginalization, and even persecution and oppression – our Kurdish people in particular. Therefore, necessity dictates the provision of explicit guarantees of the rights of all in the new Syrian constitution, in order for many more people to surge into the marches of the revolution with vigor and for them to be true partners in determining the future of the country. In my opinion, we must decide upon a constitution that is politically, nationalistically, and religiously pluralistic. If Syria enters a transitional period, all should participate in the transitional government in order to prevent the possibility of the hegemony of any one party on the resources of the country. The decentralized system of secular thought is considered a good remedy and it would give the regions the right to enjoy federalism or autonomy, as there must also be a split between religion and state in order the guarantee stability and development.”

In sum, we find that the minorities in Syria are the backbone of the movement to bring down this brutal regime, through the participation of the full spectrum of minority factions in the revolution and achieving democracy and a secular civil state. Syria’s diverse population and the predominance of secularism should prevent any political or sectarian project that seeks to prioritize the Sunni or Islamic political agenda.

However, it has been observed recently that anxiety is growing among Syrian minorities as a result of the brutal oppression from the regime and the responses of the people in opposition to it. We have found voices that threaten revenge against the Alawi sect, which has been mostly silent and frightened of the influence of the regime and their fate after its fall. Similarly, the political culture, the media, and the logistical exclusion and marginalization of Christians, Kurds, and Druze, as well as the lack of serious discussion of their issues and rights, have inhibited their active role in the Syrian revolution. Frightening racist speeches from leading figures in the Syrian National Council and the National Coordinating Body against the Kurds, Assyrians, and Alawis, have emerged. This also comes in the shadow of the growing control of the radical Islamic trend over the political and logistical coordination of the revolution as well as the [external] support of Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia for them, the Syrian National Council, and the post-Assad Syrian nation. These groups have been implementing the Qatari, Turkish, and Saudi agendas, which do not give the minorities any political or material support or guarantees to encourage their strong participate in the operation to bring down the regime and democratize Syria.

Legal and political guarantees must be offered in order to preserve the future and rights of these minorities, and this should be achieved through an agreement among all forces of the opposition to establish a joint committee with representatives of the minority parties. This committee would provide a forum for the opposition to discuss together a mechanism for shared national participation in the operation to overthrow the regime, dismantle its structure in all respects, and go out in peaceful protest. All of the rights and ambitions of the minorities should be recorded in a national document that all vow to uphold and guarantee within the national constitution.

With the guidance of the United Nations and international rights organizations, these rights, guarantees, and freedoms should be established in the future Syrian constitution, so that these minorities can enjoy all human, civil, natural, and political rights listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Among these would be: the right of peoples to self-determination, prohibiting the return to tyranny, and breaking the theory that the Sunni Arab majority has the right to bend the will of minorities to its own. Also, the next Syrian constitution must guarantee that the role of president will be open to all Syrians, regardless of religion, denomination, or gender.

The distribution of sovereign mineral, agricultural, and oil wealth; the government budget, portfolios, and positions; and government job opportunities should be done according to the proportion of each minority in the population in order to achieve economic and social justice, a nationally shared principle. Most important is the creation of a general Syrian mechanism for a secular state and society, which separates religion from state, and prohibits fundamentalist religious parties from participating in political life or taking government positions. This is true secularism: the separation of spirituality from the body of the state so that the will of the people is above all else.

Establishing the foundation for a future Syria relies on the strength of the opposition and the participation of the international community in beginning a plan for a democratic and pluralistic Syria based on a united secular federal system that achieves equality, social justice, and participation under the legitimacy of law. Syria should be a country of institutions that uphold strong guarantees for the rights of the Syrian minorities. Such an agreement will push minority groups to be active partners in the revolution, which will lead to the end of the Baathist regime and the ruling family, and the beginning of a civil Syrian secular and democratic period.

My Passions:
free syria

My Challenges:
Syria

My Vision for the Future:
freedom

My Areas of Expertise:
Syria