By Hiba Muhammad – other articles by Hiba Muhammad on nsnbc
Opposition between nationality and patriotism
Muslim Brotherhood Trend is the spearhead of the so-called Syrian external opposition at the present crisis in Syria. An opposition that never changes its policy. This is a historical background of this trend in the 1970s and 1980s. After holding a referendum, president Hafez Al-Assad “may his soul rest in peace” became the president of Syria after being elected by 70% of the Syrians. He put an end to the most difficult period of the Syrian history since its independence. Syria witnessed a very distinguished period because of Al-Assad’s reforms. It is very well known that Syria began playing its central role in the age of Hafez Al-Assad, especially after the War of Tishreen.
Founding a Syrian republic didn’t suit Muslim Brotherhood trend. It didn’t recognize the critical developments achieved by Al-Assad. It was interested in making Syria an emirate and an extreme religious country led by them. It insisted on downfalling the regime which was elected by the landslide of the Syrians, so it declared the civilian disobedience since 1976 till they downfall Al-Assad’s regime.
The series of assassinations began. More than 300 of the most important personalities were assassinated, including academicians, doctors, officers, jurists, politicians, and imams of both Sunni and Alawi sects “to set the sectarian fire”. Additionally, they tried three times to assassinate president Hafez Al-Assad but they failed. The following is some of the crimes which this trend is proud of till the moment!
Jiser Al-Shoghour in March 1980, armed men belonging to this trend attacked the offices of Al-Baath Party, burned them, and killed many of those who were joining this party. The number of the killed and the injured reached 150 victims. 60 armed men were killed and many were arrested after their massacre. Another massacre was committed on the 16th of June 1979 in the school of artillery in Aleppo. The captain Ibrahim Al-Yousof betrayed his homeland and helped the armed groups of the Brothers to commit another massacre in that school with the help of Hosni Aboo, Adnan Aklah, Zoher Zaklota, Ramez Issa, and Aeman Al-Khateeb “who were related to Muslim Brotherhood Trend”. 300 military students were confined and being attacked by the armed men who made sure that students had no weapons or munitions as the traitorous captain told them . According to records, 100 were martyred and many other were injured. Another armed attack was made upon a barracks in Lattakia where 13 Syrian soldiers were martyred. Additionally, another attack on a barracks occurred in Hama .60 of the Syrian soldiers were killed and injured.
The massacre of Al-Klasiah’s quarter in Aleppo 1980 where eight civilians martyred including 6 kids and 2 men, 20 were injured, and many houses and shops were destroyed. Additionally, the company of retails in Al-Sabaa Bahrat square witnessed another massacre where the manager of this company was martyred and its staff were injured. This massacre occurred in 1990. The massacre of Lattakia 1981, when the armed men of Muslim Brotherhood trend attacked the clinic of Dr. Abid Al-Rahman Hilal which resulted in killing five of the patients and injuring Dr. Hilal and other ten of his patients. Homs 1980, the massacre of Al-Warsha quarter where three kids were martyred, four were injured, and some houses were destroyed. Aleppo 1980, the massacre of Al-Ashrafia when four were martyred and seven were injured. Another massacre committed in Aleppo in the name of the massacre of textile company when 11 were martyred and 19 were injured. Also, another massacre was committed in Aleppo 1980, when armed men opened fire at tens of males who were about 14 years old which led to their death.
Those are SOME of the massacres committed by this innocent opposed trend in Syria in that period when it didn’t endure finding Syria led by another part.
But the history of this trend shows clearly that its crimes never stop on assassinating and attacking- explosions are one of its strategies as well. A series of explosions filled the Syrian sky during that period, blood filled the Syrian land as well. Here, the Council of Ministers’ office was destroyed by using two booby-trapped cars in 1981. Also, the Russian experts’ building was exploded in 1981. Additionally, buses and shops were targeted by the members of that trend. Many buses and shops all over the Syrian land stained with the Syrian blood, especially in the garage of Al-Baramka in Damascus . One of the Syrians narrated a story that goes back to that period. He says, “I was 6 years old, and I was going to travel with my father . The bus we were going to get on was filled with people. There were no seats. It was only three minutes after that bus went off, a bomb went off as well. Nobody survives of that explosion.”
But the most terrible terroristic work made by the members of this innocent trend happened in the quarter of Al-Azbakia in Damascus. A booby-trapped car filled with 300 kg of TNT entered that place targeting the centers of intelligence . The men of Security forces went after that car because they suspected it, but the disaster occurred in one of the most crowded areas. 179 were killed and hundreds were injured after blowing up that car by its driver, the terrorist Yaseen Muhammad Sareeg. The national TV broadcasted that terroristic work shocking everyone, especially the Syrians. The 29th of November 1981 when this massacre was committed is an unforgettable day for the Syrians.
Many shops were closed with the force of arms, many demonstrations filled the Syrian streets with the force of arms as well. Governmental storehouses were burned. The second of February was a bloody day at the highest level, where 20 martyrs of the Syrian army were killed in an ambush managed by the groups of Muslim Brotherhood who declared “Al-Jihad” against the army and Al-Baath party members. Hundreds of armed men began attacking the houses of Al-Baath party members and police centers and stealing the available arms. 70 members of Al-Baath party with their families were slaughtered at that day and they declared Hama as an emirate freed from Al-Baath party’s authority.
All the peaceful choices for solving that serious crisis were over, Syria was going to an inevitable civil and sectarian war, terrorism and crimes filled the Syrian land, in addition to the Syrian people’s urgent demand of retrieving peace to Syria after six years of terrorism, killing, and destroying; the Syrian regime made the decisive decision concerning those extreme rebellious opposers.
What is so remarkable is that the Muslim Brotherhood trend declared its responsibility for what happened at that period in the context of its insisting on making Syria under its control. They made Hama their state refusing to surrender after arresting 700 terrorists from Damascus and 1000 from Aleppo. After six years of terrorism, the decision made and Hama witnessed the last military choice. Though the government tried to restrict the armed men in certain places, but they succeeded in making innocent people human shield to protect themselves. It is true that innocent people died after that decision, but unless doing so, thousands and millions were going to die out of the sectarian war and Syria would go without coming back again. The journalist Patrick Seale said that without taking that step, the situation in Syria would be much worse than Lebanon, and that Syria would be divided into many sectarian states. Six years were and still a terrible nightmare for the Syrians because of terrorism they witnessed.
Muslim Brotherhood trend is so well known of its opposition to Al-Assad’s regime since the age of president Hafez Al-Assad. It has always been working on controlling Syria by force ignoring the decision of the Syrian people, and its life as well! Extremism, Killing, destroying, burning, assassinations, massacres, and explosions are the main strategies of this peaceful trend. Terrorism is its main strategy.
Now, the same opposition is moving again. Orders are given from outside the Syrian borders, and performing them is happening inside the Syrian borders. Meetings never end between the leaders of this trend and their supporters “France and America”. The Syrian events proved that Muslim Brotherhood trend is the main responsible for what is happening in Syria. Syria is witnessing the same terms, namely extremism, Killing, destroying, burning, assassinations, and massacres, which is the same strategy of that extreme trend supported by the same parts. As to explosions, dismantling many bombs shows quiet well that Syria entered this stage.
In the 1980s, America and France were covering the crimes of that trend, succeeding in deforming the truth by convincing the world of that peaceful opposition. At the moment, this trend has tried to make use of media with the support of America and France, but ironically, media uncovered and documented its crimes.
Last but not least, this opposition proved since years that not every national opposition is patriotic, that is why this opposition failed in attracting the Syrians towards it, but succeeded in shedding the blood of more than 3000 Syrian martyrs during the last seven months. An opposition that cares about controlling the Syrians by force even if it killed every Syrian is not a patriotic opposition at all even when it has the Syrian nationality.
Hiba Muhammad is a Student of English Literature at Damascus University.
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