The Syrian president Bashar al Assad arrived in Saudi Arabia to participate in the Arab League Summit. Muslims are being furious. “He is responsible for the killing of millions of people and the dislocation of half of the Syrian population,” tweeted a Muslim activist. “May Allah destroy him and humiliate those who welcome him,” others would express their anger.
Muslims have the right to be angry and furious about what has taken place in Syria. Indeed, innocent people have been killed, not even according to some basic war principles. The Syrian war was probably one of the most confusing one over the last century. Even today, we don’t know exactly what the real objective was; all we know is that it was a war full of deception, confusion, and a big fitnah – tribulation – for Muslims.
I remember very well when the first bloody protest took place in Syria. Then the reaction of Muslims – at least of those who I met and interacted with, who were many, was unwise, reactionary and predominantly superficial.
Based on their naïve perception about the Syrian war and on a superficial judgement, hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions of Muslims ended up as victims. This war was different. Muslims around the world were pushed, signaled, and encouraged to participate in it, either physically or financially. The official position of governments was always ambiguous, between the lines, “we support the opposition, but….” “Assad must go, but….” “we need people, but….” “we need money, but…..” “the Ummah has agreed upon that there is jihad in Syria, but…” There was lots of confusion.
The US President Barack Obama would appear each and every day on TV talking about the Syrian war and expressing his support militarily for the opposition. Muslim men started to travel from North America and Europe to support the Syrian opposition, as Obama would request. Even the Prime Minister of Albania in his first speech in the Parliament in 2013 emphasized particularly the fact that “the Butcher of the Middle East must go” – a clear message to the Albanian Muslims that they have the support of the Albanian Government should they decide to participate in that war. Therefore, governments around the world made everything possible – financially and through propaganda, for Muslims to travel to Syria to support the opposition, except that soon it turned out to be a deception.
Participating in the Syrian conflict was made illegal in the middle of the process by those who first encouraged Muslims to participate, by almost all governments.
In truth, Bashar Al Assad was one player, but not the main deceiver. Certainly, others were much worse than him. In fact, he hardly deceived anyone to participate in that war. It was our governments – criminals who work as presidents and prime ministers, which deceived Muslims and who are responsible for the war crimes.
Muslims: stop being superficial!
Sabri Lushi
