By Shea Redwine
The Syrian refugee crisis was at the forefront of a discussion hosted by the Arabic club this past Wednesday. A group of 25 students in the Arabic club gathered in McGinley Commons to watch a documentary regarding the horrific human rights violations taking place in the Middle East and North Africa.
The documentary, “E-Team,” follows members of Human Rights Watch, a NGO dedicated to exposing human rights violations around the world, as they investigated reports of widespread kiy ling and torturing of protesters by the Assad regime in Syria. The Human Rights Watch investigators visit the sites of the alleged violence, interviewed witnesses and examined forensic evidence to determine whether a violation of international law occurred.
In 2012, Human Rights Watch proved that a government fighter jet bombed the neighborhood of Azaz in the Aleppo province of Syria. The government attack on civilians resulted in over 40 deaths and more than 100 casualties. In August of 2013, the Assad regime attacked civilians with chemical weapons which killed hundreds of civilians, including children. The Human Rights Watch again proved that the Assad regime was responsible for the deaths of its own people. The Human Rights Watch investigators that responded at the site of the chemical attack gathered forensic evidence that was instrumental in proving that the Syrian government orchestrated the attack and helped lead to the United Nations resolution requiring Syria to get rid of all chemical weapons.
“The documentary provided really beneficial and informative historical context for the events in Syria and Libya to help people better understand the background of the recent events,” said, Leya Maloney, FCRH ’18.
After the documentary finished, the Arabic club transitioned to a panel to discuss the crisis in Syria. The panel members were Luke Zaro, FCRH ’16, Anthony Carl, FCRH ’16, Dana Khawm, FCRH ’16, and Professor Mohamed Alsiadi, Coordinator and Lecturer in Arabic Language and Cultural Studies Program.
Anthony Carl, FCRH ’16, answered the question, “What does sectarianism have to do with the choice of victims by extremists?” He stated that Syria is extremely diverse and the Assad regime has done well at galvanizing the minorities and turning it into a sectarian conflict; the main criterion for selecting a victim is whether they disagree with the agenda of the extremists.
A student from Hanover, Germany, where there was recently a bomb threat by ISIS, asked “What the West can do to defeat ISIS and the Assad regime in order to stabilize Syria?”
“Nothing; there is no military solution. The best solution is political—to send Assad to [international] court.” Professor Alsiadi continued to explain that if the Saudis intervene it will lead to chaos because it will provoke a conflict with the Russians. Putin is entrenched in the conflict already by propping up Assad. “Putin can’t win the war for Assad,” said Professor Alsiadi. Alsiadi feels that Putin can continue to attack the moderate rebels in order to leave only two groups—Assad and ISIS; then Putin hopes that when confronted with only those two options the West will support Assad as the lesser of the two evils. Professor Alsiadi continued, “We can study the cycles of the region. And we need to secure Pakistan and Armenian nuclear facilities.”
Panel member Dana Khawm, FCRH ’16, emphasized that the West needs to address the perpetual ignorance of the in our society. He stated that “ISIS doesn’t represent Islam—or human beings.”
“Refugees are completely separate from terrorists,” said Anthony Carl, FCRH ’16. Carl also pointed out that Assad, ISIS, and Putin “have a symbiotic relationship.” Assad buys oil from ISIS. When the Syrian people initiated the revolution that led to the current civil war, Assad released criminals and violent offenders from prison—knowing that they would likely become jihadis. Assad’s objective was to scare the citizens into supporting him by pointing to ISIS as what happens when power slips away from him. Professor Alsiadi explained that Putin supports the Assad regime, though the Syrian people do not. The Syrian people are demanding social justice and will not stop until they receive the rights they desire. The Assad regime is an oppressive dictatorship that will not make concessions. So long as Putin supports Assad, and Assad is in power, Syria will be in turmoil according to Carl.
“We are dealing with a new type of violence. Brutal dictators and evil systems where the dictators are willing to kill everyone,” says Professor Alsiadi.
“Is it too late for a no-fly zone over Syria?” asks the next audience member. “April 2012 would have worked; the jihadi movement would not exist if a no fly zone had been implemented then,” responded Anthony Carl, FCRH ’16, “But it’s too late now.”
Professor Alsiadi agreed that the time for a no fly zone has passed, he says now it is “time to convince the Syrians that we are doing something. We are driving refugees to ISIS by refusing to take them in. They don’t have anywhere else to go.”
The next audience member asked, “ISIS is presented as the primary issue, and Syria as the secondary issue. Do you agree with that order?” Professor Alsiadi asserted that we need to “reform Syria from within first. Then attack ISIS.”
“If [the Syrian people] feel hope they will be able to take care of [ISIS]. Syrians are completely capable of handling it” added Dana Khawm, FCRH ’16.
“[The International community] needs to put pressure on the Gulf countries” stated Anthony Carl, FCRH ’16. “[A] large problem is rebels can’t do anything because they are not getting enough financial support or weapons.”
The last question asked was “What is the future of Syria? If not ISIS, foreign occupation, or Assad, then who?” Professor Alsiadi responded that the solution would be political, not militaristic.
“Any solution needs to incorporate the diverse Syrian nature, this is not another Iraq,” stated Anthony Carl, FCRH ’16.
“Any sort of peace plan has to include Russia” stated Luke Zaro, FCRH ’16, “Putin is willing to make concessions if he has the lower hand.”
Professor Alsiadi added that though he does not have any political affiliation. He is currently working with a group, Neda’ Syria, which he believes is a potential political solution for Syria. Neda’ Syria, or S.C.M., engages local elected leaders who actually represent the interests of the Syrian people. A condition of support for the S.C.M. is that they do not carry guns or participate in the violence, thus they are purely a political solution. Additionally, S.C.M. is far away from the agendas of other countries. The Syrian people don’t acknowledge Geneva Communique because it pushes the West’s agenda on the Syrian people; S.C.M. would mitigate this issue. Professor Alsiadi estimates that it will take about eight months to one year for S.C.M. to gain legitimacy on the international stage.
The students of the Arabic club had very positive reactions to the documentary and panel discussion. “In my opinion, this was a much needed program, especially in light of the recent events in Paris. People are shaken up and lost, and needed a forum like the one that was provided in which they can openly express their questions and concerns to a panel of fellow students and a professor. It was quite heartening to see how much people care about the events that are transpiring in the Middle East and the hope people have that the Middle East will someday find some sort of reconciliation. Overall the event was truly inspiring and something that this campus really needed,” Leya Maloney, FCRH ’18
