Why He Is Popular…
The man whom the US calls a “brutal dictator” and his beautiful wife out and about in Damascus yesterday… President Bashar al-Assad.
Now a leader being popular and having charisma does not mean he is good and it does not mean he is bad. We have to look at why he is popular; what he stands for; and his words, policies and actions.
Compare President Assad to our candidates for president.
1. He was offered a blank check by the wicked Saudis to leave Syria. At the same time there is a blank check for anyone who kills him. But he refused, saying anyone can be president, but I am Syrian, I was born in Syria and I will die in Syria. He and his wife and children live in a modest home and he often drives himself around the city. He has the support and approval of about 75% of Syrians: Sunnis, Alawites, Christians and Druze.
2. His government is not an Alawite regime ruled by one family. The government is predominantly Sunni as is the army. Their excellent Defense Minister at the start of the war was a Christian but he was murdered with many other leaders by the US backed extremists who are sponsored by Saudi. The country ruled by a single family is Saudi Arabia. The name of the country was changed to SAUDI Arabia to reflect this fact.
3. President Assad has always modeled to the highest extent respect and protection for women, all religious groups and people groups in Syria. The ones he was cracking down on were mostly radicalized fundamentalists infected with the twisted Wahhabi ideology of Saudi. Because of the pressures and politics of the region there was a heavy handed control over politics this is true…and I believe totally necessary even if not manifested properly due to corruption by many officials there.
4. He is no enemy to people in the west, quite the opposite. He is an ophthalmologist, eye surgeon, who studied and lived in London and appreciates much about the west – but not our governments’ efforts to control the future and destiny of Syria and the region.
5. He is a very educated and civilized man of the world. He speaks English and French in addition to his native Arabic. English is required study in Syrian schools. His wife is Syrian from a Sunni family. A brilliant and educated woman, she works tirelessly to comfort the suffering of families in Syria and to sponsor many initiatives to help all the people there. She speaks five languages I am told.
6. President Assad served in the military as basically all Syrian men are required to do. He was in the tank corps as well as medical and I know has many parachute jumps. He is the Commander in Chief as are the US presidents but unlike our candidates he actually served.
7. He is a unifying figure, unlike our violently polarized presidential hopefuls, but he is utterly pragmatic and knowledgable about dealing with threats.
8. He has been framed, slandered, vilified, and demonized by the so-called leaders of the free world in the west. All this without “journalists” even questioning why the Syrian government still stands after five years of US liberals and conservatives alike screaming that he must step down and hand over the keys of the country to the likes of al Qaeda and ISIS “freedom fighters” sponsored by the ISIS-like Wahhabi “royals” of Saudi Arabia.
9. I wish I could vote for this caliber of leader in the US elections.
10. No, I am not supporting a Hitler who has fooled me. I am supporting a non-aggressive, positive, and popular leader of a sovereign and independent country whose real “crime” has been to stand against the total hypocrisy and manipulations of the west and our regional allies of Saudi and Israel. These manipulations include: our disastrous creation of al Qaeda and nurturing of the Taliban in Afghanistan; our disastrous and murderous war against Iraq that created and trained ISIS; our disastrous intervention in Libya where we aided and abetted both alQaeda and ISIS to assassinate the leader there; and now our disastrous efforts to put secular and safe Syria under the control of western puppet criminals sponsored by the terrorist-loving Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia.
One disaster after another, one massacre after another, more terrorists than ever. And Americans still want to believe we are the good guys in the Middle East .
Janice Kortkamp, a US Peace Activist.
Dr. Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim
alibrahim56@hotmail.com
