Unique Patriotism and Sovereignty

 H.E. President Bashar Al-Assad’s recent inauguration speech has indeed been a sharp cry in the face of injustice, hypocrisy, illegitimacy and terror. H.E. President Al-Assad described the ongoing against Syria and the Syrian People in his landmark historic speech as:

• The war waged against the Syrian people is a dirty war.
• Despite all the injustice and the pain inflicted on every Syrian household, and despite all the blood and destruction, Syrians didn’t give up or give in.  
• We derive strength from adversity; the increased pressures drive us to be more defiant. We face attempts to humiliate us with more pride, dignity and self-confidence.
• This country that has faced invaders since the dawn of history – the last of whom were the French colonizers who left less than seven decades ago – is still alive and capable of standing fast, building and regenerating life from the throes of catastrophes.
• The aggression we face is not aimed at individuals or governments – as it appeared to some in the beginning, but rather at the structure of the country and its role, and conditioning the way people think in the long-term, to mere cattle driven by remote control.
• This aggression aims to preoccupy our people with never ending conflicts that last for generations rather than focusing on our national aspirations and greater prosperity, and strengthening our society and state.
• It was never intended to rid people of their problems, as was claimed and believed by the naïve. On the contrary, they rejoice in the weaknesses of any Arab society because they want to see these societies remain backward and dependent on them.
• The clearest evidence of this is that their allies in the region are the most backward, corrupt and oppressive countries.
• They didn’t target our weaknesses to help us overcome them, but rather our strengths to destroy them: our unique patriotism and sovereignty, our pan-Arab identity and the harmony and congruence between our true Islam and Christianity.
• The colonialist West is still colonialist; the means may change, but its essence is still the same. If the West and its Arab flunkies have failed in executing their plans so far, this does not mean that they have stopped their destruction of Syria as an alternative goal.  This will achieve the same objective over the long term, but unfortunately with the help of those Syrians who have no honour and so sold their homeland.
• The challenges are huge and the tasks are burdensome. Our success in dealing with our difficulties and our self-confidence should not make us complacent. Our enemies are treacherous but our will is strong, and with this will we shall turn this ordeal into an opportunity.
• As long as we have the will to act, let our achievements in the future be of the same scale – and even greater – of the price we have paid.

 Dr. Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim