Syria commemorates the Day of Martyrs, the noblest and most generous of all human being

On May 6^th, the Syrians annually commemorate the anniversary of the martyrdom of a number of national leaders, intellectuals and leading freedom fighters by the Ottoman occupation in 1916 for their resistance of the occupation’s oppressive practices and for their ideas which call for liberation.

Syria’s martyrs of May 6^th, 1916 have been titles of victories and sacrifice that have remained in the conscience of the Syrians to the present day. On that day 14 Syrian martyrs were hanged at Al-Burj square in Beirut and 7 others were hanged at Al-Marjeh Square in Damascus and in honor of their souls the two squares were named after them to become the “Martyrs’ Square”. Those martyrs received the gallows with singing for the homeland and their songs called for liberating it and defending its dignity.

On the 107th anniversary of “Martyrs Day”, many stories of heroism are recalled by the Syrians to revive the spirit of struggle against occupation and oppression, so that the coming generation gets lessons on how homelands are protected.

On May 6^th , Syria also commemorates the anniversary of the martyrdom of many Syrian soldiers during their national duty in the October Liberation War against the Israeli occupation in 1973 and during battles against the Zionist aggression on Lebanon and Palestine. Syria also commemorates the sacrifices of the Syrian Arab Army fighters who were martyred in the battle against terrorism that has been hitting Syria for more than 12 years during which a big number of innocent people were martyred and the a massive part of country’s infrastructure was destroyed. Today, these brave men are pressing ahead with their fight to liberate the homeland from terrorists, so that the Syrians can enjoy stability and security.

Hamda Mustafa