Posted by: John Phoenix
December 24, 2024
By Jim Aristopoulos, social anthropologist and historian
On the 8th of December, we witnessed an event that shocked and sank every free-thinking person on this planet into mourning. Syria, the heroic nation that for thirteen years stood up to the imperialism of the USA, its allies, Zionism, and the neo-Ottoman darkness, succumbed and fell to Islamist terrorism. Words can barely describe the tragedy of this event. The country that shed blood and, with its heroic army, sacrificed so many martyrs, leaving sepulchers of their glory behind, fell in the most inglorious way possible: through betrayal.
Sorrow and pain are our dominant emotions now, knowing that life in this country will now be lifeless, while the dark age barbarity and the lawlessness of neo-Ottoman terrorism have taken over. But no one can realize the extent of this calamity as well as the Syrians can, since they are the only ones who have lived through the horror of this war, unwitnessed in our century, for thirteen whole years, with their bodies and souls experiencing it firsthand. They are the ones who lost sons, brothers, and fathers to defend their land. They are the ones who saw their youth starving and their medical system collapsing under the economic pressure imposed by the barbaric sanctions of the West. They saw all international media, NGOs, humanitarian organizations, and the all-powerful structures of the West, which are supposed to speak on behalf of humanity, freedom, and human dignity, show their true colors. For thirteen years, they were dehumanized for not willing to submit and become hostages under a terrorist regime used by Turkey, Zionism, and the USA as tools for the proxy war against their country—one that would advocate for Sharia law and principles contrary to everything the West claims to stand against, from the degradation of women to the persecution of all religious minorities in Syria who are not Sunni Muslims.
Yet, despite such inhuman measures against them and a war of the worst kind on all levels, this brave people did not kneel but resisted with all unity and courage to defend their land. With the help of Russia and Iran, they had managed to defeat ISIS and limit all Islamist terrorist groups like Al Nusra and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to Idlib (directly supported by the Turkish army after its invasion in 2018), while America had invaded the eastern part of the country and, with the help of Kurdish rebel organizations like the SDF and YPG, occupied the largest part of Syria since 2018. Even though the West did not manage to directly occupy Damascus, along with its allies, they imposed the Caesar Law sanctions, which prevented any country from even sending humanitarian aid to Syria. As a result, in the six years since the ceasefire of 2018, the Syrian economy crumbled while, at the same time, the people and the Syrian Arab Army faced continuous daily attacks and illegal bombings from Israel, destroying airports and defense systems, claiming lives, and receiving zero reporting from any media or the international community.
The war in Syria wasn’t just Syria’s; for every thinking person in both the East and the West, it meant so much. The brave Syrian people and the Syrian Arab Army did not just protect their fatherland but civilization itself, lighting a candle of hope for the national sovereignty of all countries. For free men in this world, a failure of the USA to overthrow Damascus and its legitimate government, as well as the resistance of the Syrian army and Russian support, meant that the arrogance of the USA and the neocon plans for global hegemony would finally receive some humiliation. Syria, in this way, posed a great obstacle not only to American plans but also to Zionist plans for “Greater Israel,” as well as to neo-Ottoman expansionism that threatens countries not only in the Middle East but also in the Caucasus and the Balkans. A victory for Syria with Russian support meant that their sacrifices were not in vain but would open the door to a multipolar world that would balance the global powers and bring an end to American global hegemony, imposed on this planet after the fall of the USSR in 1991. Yet, this dream fell on the 8th of December 2024, with Syria experiencing a fall similar to that of the Soviet Union.
The new “president,” Ahmed Hussein al-Shar’a, better known by his Al Qaeda war name Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is a wanted terrorist and the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, previously known as Al-Nusra Front), with the United States formally offering $10 million for his whereabouts and capture. The Western mainstream media, which never failed to surprise us with its degeneracy over the years, did everything in its power to humanize this criminal. This man openly stated that the fact that Israel already occupies sovereign land was none of his concern (since he focuses on his hostility towards Iran and Hezbollah), while his faction did not hesitate to raise the Turkish flag in every area that Syria was being conquered. He claimed that Syria needs to be “repaired” before facing Israel. At the same time, while he does not intend to defend his land from Israeli intervention, Jolani openly states that he intends to make an EEZ treaty with Turkey (similar to the Turkish-Libyan Memorandum), a treaty that would strip Cyprus of its sea.
Syria is already filled with proxy mercenaries from Turkic states like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, as well as Chechens and Pakistanis. This makes it obvious that we are dealing with groups of people who do not believe in nationality but are willing to unite under Islamic law, supporting any power or country that claims to represent their “Ummah.” As such, they are willing to side with Turkey as long as it claims to revive the Ottoman Empire.
The question that arises is: what is the place of Syrian religious minorities in this new Syria? What will happen to the people who do not believe in Sharia law and want to live their lives away from this insanity? Since the first day of the so-called “revolution” in 2011, the slogan of the opposition was “Alawites to the grave, Christians to Lebanon,” implying that they intended genocide or at least ethnic cleansing for both groups.
As much as the current regime claims to be tolerant toward minorities on paper, in practice, they don’t seem to have changed their barbaric cause. Even though the SNA hasn’t (at least officially) been reported attacking citizens, there are still many armed groups that commit robberies, vandalize buildings, and even target museums and cultural centers. At the same time, they have released criminals and ISIS prisoners. The latter not only attack citizens but also assassinate people from religious minorities at will, while the SNA turns a blind eye to these actions, making them equally responsible. Lynchings “for revenge” and rapes have become commonplace. We witness murders of Christians, Alawites, Ismailites, and other minorities, while churches are being vandalized or even demolished. There was even a discussion about banning Christmas, while at the same time, people are continuously interrogated and bullied in the streets for their different religious beliefs. Women are harassed by gangsters or even authorities for not wearing hijabs.
We appeal to every civilized human out there: we, as people, have a debt to resist this barbarism. Syrian minorities struggled and shed blood more than anyone else in this war, knowing they would be the first victims of Islamic terrorism. And they didn’t shed their blood just for themselves but also for all of us—our countries and our families, especially for countries unlucky enough to be neighbors of Turkey or Israel. Religious minorities in Syria are heroes—not only the men, but also the women and children—resisting and sacrificing their lives to preserve our safety from the terrorists that this hypocritical, fake world supported while backstabbing them.
Are we now going to leave them at the mercy of jihadism? No, these people have fulfilled their debt; now it’s our turn to unite and protect them in order to face the beast. We must offer them every hospitality and refuge possible, both as individuals and as nations. We must appeal to our governments to grant them refugee visas. Every man, every woman, every wounded soldier, and every oppressed youth among them. Our food must be shared, and our houses must be open to them. It’s the least we can do to fulfill our debt to them. The civilization of Syria and its minorities must be protected by every means possible.
By: Drago Bosnic