By Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef (shahbaz Nadwi)*
In the eve of Arab spring, Syria was the fourth signpost of this popular anti- incumbent and anti- establishment revolution; some prefer to call it insurgency. Whatever you may call it; this revolution came to limelight in aftermath of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya’s regime fall respectively. In March 2011 in Hums, a Syrian province, there was a peaceful protest, demanding more liberties for Syrian citizens. Reacting on authorities caught the 11 youth who were leading, and when after a long legal battle the youth were allowed to go home, their kinsfolk in utter bewilderment, had seen that the authorities treated the poor lot with a heavy hand. Of course, they returned homes, but with shrunken eyes, swollen faces, and maimed hands and feet. Seeing them in this frightened condition, in a fit of rage, people came out their homes in large numbers and erupted in a wild protest wave, which soon engulfed the whole country with overwhelming Sunni majority out against the establishment .So it was the beginning of the revolution. Now two years have been passed over this bloody insurgency against a cruel, despot and dictator Bashar Al-Asad regime. This insurgency in so far has claimed nearly 9o thousand precious lives, most of them were old men, women and innocent children. Millions are either displaced in the country, or compelled to migrate their homes, belongings and wards to neighboring Lebanon, Jordon and Turkey and elsewhere they find shelter and asylum. Millions are living now in refugee camps in most inhuman, unhygienic and bitter conditions. They live the wretched life depending on UN relief and relief poured in by Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Kuwait etc. while millions especially youths, are languishing in dungeons and dreadful inhuman tortuous and horrific jails of Syrian regime. And again there are this tyrant government’s snipers spread everywhere, who ambush peoples in their homes, markets, streets and in mosques and left those with slain bodies scattered here and there.
World bodies like UN ,UNSC ,EU and world powers like US, France, Britain among others, insofar have been totally failed to pass any meaningful resolution, thanks to Russian veto every time, and also to take any effective step to curb Syrian ruthless government. Syrian opposition which is an assortment of different warring elements, has so many differences, and splits at times, that it could not pose itself to be a unified voice of all Syrians, so that Asad government could take a notice of it.
Free Syrian army, due to its limitations, has also fared very little to pose a challenge to marauder Syrian army, loyal to Asad, fully backed by Iran, Russia and Hezbollah militia. In recent development Hezbollah has plunged, in full gear, into Syrian quagmire to support Syrian regime. Now Qatar based renowned Egyptian Islamic scholar Yusuf Al-Qarzawi, himself a member of Muslim Brotherhood, called on Sunni world to go to Syria and support Sunni Jihadists against this cruel, anti- Sunni, Sheit, Ishmaelite -Alawite regime, yet after his appeal the situation got more worsened. When the crisis rose in Libya, NATO had intervened and before its deadly military air strikes Libyan army, loyal to Colonel Gaddafi, was crushed away in no time. Now once again the crisis is going to ahead in Syria and the whole Muslim world seeing it taken aback and in utter empathy like bystanders not doing what it was supposed to do at this crucial juncture too. What I mean is that it should have come forward and do a breakthrough and bring about the conflicting concerned parties to negotiating table to sort out what could be done to reach a, suitable solution as well as acceptable to all. But no, we are sitting in pure complacence doing nothing, and waiting and hopping in vain, for others to do our job! Qarzawi when issued his fatwa and appealed Sunni youth to come forward,go to Syria and participate in holy struggle of oppressed Sunnis side by side and hand in hand with their brethren, why he didn’t realize that in doing so he is only furthering on going Shia- Sunni spilt and schism and making the two factions pitch in a horrible sectarian battle against each other which know no end? How this blood shedding if you allow it to spill, could be stopped at the end of the day?
I wonder on the fact that there are ,as we are told by our Ulema and elders, global Islamic institutions and world bodies like Organization of Islamic Co-operation, World Muslim League, WAMY, Arab League, and others, why then Islamic world is in need to UN, EU, US, or Nato to do something for them? Why these Islamic bodies are not capable to settle internal Muslim problems and manage a crisis when arose, as that which is at hand? Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? What will be outcome of this quagmire called Syria, if not remedied at earliest? Why Syrian insurgents are not giving a second thought to their war strategy? And more subtle question, divided as it is in Shia -Sunni biases and fraction where the Islamic world is bound to go? These nagging questions are annoying me and giving me sleepless nights, so is there anybody who gives me a solace about that?
*Dr.Mohammd Ghitreef is the director of Foundation for Islamic Studies ,New Delhi, he can be contacted on: mohammad.ghitreef@gmail.com