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Syrian Revolution

James Lemon

Well-known member
i-wkzxBd4-L.jpg

I this made this image Oct 29 2011. There was very little news media coverage of this crisis at the time.​
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
i-wkzxBd4-L.jpg

I this made this image Oct 29 2011. There was very little news media coverage of this crisis at the time.​


I will leave it to Fahim to give an accurate political explanation of the causes and what the various stakeholders really want. But to me, I see such tragedy when tens millions of civilians, men, women and children, are forced to flee for safety, wither within the country or abroad, some in camps that are bleak.

For Decades, the horrific power stand off between Iran and Saddam Hussein's Baath party kept the peace, itself at a murderous cost in blood lost and wasted treasure. But then Iraq and Syria were on the whole, merely suffering from repressive regimes with scatterings of torture. Disgusting, but limited. With the invasion by the West, however, the disparate forces were released and arms were available for all. Iran was now with no containing force and worked towards its perceived interests.

In both Iraq and Syria, established state loyalties and boundaries were lost. We have had the balkanization of two giant countries and a scramble for weapons, oil riches and power. The people, mostly Sunni, Yazdi, Assyrian and Christian but also to a much lesser extent, Shia have been victimized.

The deaths from Syrian allied forces are 8 times that of the ISIS "Caliphate"! However, these Sunni deaths do not cause much outrage. The nearly 300 deaths on the Russian airliner blown out of the sky hardly made a blip of outrage internationally as if these folk have no value. We have selective outrage and empathy and that is a disgrace and inhuman.

Right now, we have to invite thousands of these refugees into our countries. We set free the boxed up evil so it's our responsibility. Although ISIS is a terror-inspiring a heartfelt hiccup from the 7th Century, it hardly represents the refugees! We can take care of the latter and discover any agents amongst them. We have all the technology needed for that.

Hell, if we are so scared, put bracelets on anyone "suspicious", that's a trespass indeed, but at least let them all in! We own the problem because we disturbed a balance of power and set in motion the chaos and misery we now see! If we can't put troops on the ground, the least we can do is show compassion for the Sunni refugees which our actions have uprooted from their homes.

When Europe was ignorant of science, medicine, navigation, philosophy and astronomy, Jewish scholars and physicians from the Arab courts brought much of this knowledge to backward France, Germany, Spain and the rest of the then rather ignorant Continent! The secular studies took off, forgetting it's origins.

Now, with the region shattered, we have to return the favor and take in and trust the descendants of those folk at the cradle of our knowledge.......... if we are to call ourselves civilized!

I am not frightened of muslims. They will enhance our societies. What I fear is ignorance. That's what leads to the tragedy of all these suffering people!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Its not about religion.

It's absolutely about religion. The different groups sincerely believe in their own particular unique and exclusive scriptural interpretation of one shared holy book. They do not make anything up. Everything they do is derived from logical interpretation of what they treasure and are willing to defend with all their resources. Just that the Shia and Sunni factions differ in who was wronged in some key figure's actions after the period of the Prophet.

Take away the religion and Isis had no unifying magnetic draw and nothing to fuel its engines.

Now for Russia it's not for their for religion that they carpet bomb rebel positions. (Yet they too have a state wound inextricably with an orthodox religious population, albeit mixed with attests, LOL!) They want their mediteranean port of Tarsus to be a long term asset and for Shia influence to be a buffer around greater Russia against the West. this is the same as using Crimea as part of their expanded Russia concept to be better able to project power. The West doesn't really much mind fighting between Muslim sects far away. For all the empathy shown for Syrian victims of Assads barrel bombing and gassing of civilians, these Sunni civilians have not acquired the signicant and elevated "victim good" of the Cambodians or more remarkably of the Palestinians. There divestment movements against Iran, Assad or Russia on account of these human rights abuses. That's because we have selective outrage and "favorite" causes to care about. Although, for example, ISIS are considered the main criminals in all this disasters us killing sprees, in truth they are "bit players"! The Assad regime has massacred 8 times more people than ISIS! Add to that carpet bombing by the Russians against assays opposition and the work of the Shia forces of Iran and their Hezbollah allies, it is essentially a Shia murderous war of attrition over the rebellious Sunni majority. So religion IS in fact the driving force of the killing!

As for Europe's morality, beyond writing about the offenses, there are no mass movements, no Champs Elyse- packed protest marches. No one really cares THAT much, although they may be sickened each time they hear about the latest atrocity. Europe does, however have limits on it's acceptance of ISIS rage. That's because this particular faction sends their violent extremists back "home" to Europe, bringing terror technology With them! Otherwise, Europeans, for the most part, could care less about religion! with religion.

The reason why ISIS is transnational is because of the common idealogy with the twin feelings of revulsion of the immoral "Crusader Infidels" and the sheer romantic devotion to the pure truth and total exclusive knowledge base and authority of the Holy Koran as read literally in the meanings current in the 7th Century. ISIS are not fraudsters, just devoted fanatics who are logical and steadfast just as an aeronautical engineer is logical and steadfast. However, one looks at the laws of physics as the only unquestionable guidance whereas the other find truth only in the scriptures.

Asher
 

James Lemon

Well-known member
It's absolutely about religion. The different groups sincerely believe in their own groups scriptural interpretation of one shared holy book. They do not make anything up. Everything they do is derived from logical interpretation of what they treasure and are willing to defend with all their resources. Just that the Shia and Sunni factions differ in who was wronged in some key figure's actions after the period of the Prophet.

Take away the religion and Isis had no unifying magnetic draw and nothing to fuel its engines.

Now Russia is not in their for religion. They want their mediteranean port of Tarsus to be a long term asset and for Shia influence to be a buffer around greater Russia against the West. The West doesn't want violent extremists to come back home bringing terror technology to its shores, but again have no issues with religion,(except for right wing xenophobic sections of "older" Europe).

The reason why ISIS is transnational is only because of the common idealogy within the twin feelings of revulsion of the immoral "Crusader Infidels" and the sheer romantic devotion to the pure truth and total exclusive knowledge base and authority of the Holy Koran as read literally in the meanings current in the 7th Century. ISIS are not fraudsters, just devoted fanatics who are logical and steadfast just as an aeronautical engineer is logical and steadfast. However, one looks at the laws of physics as the only unquestionable guidance whereas the other find truth only in the scriptures.

Asher

Hi Asher

May I suggest that "sectarian strife in Syria has been engineered to provide cover for a war for access to oil and gas, and the power and money that come along with it"

James.
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Give it a rest Asher. Eloquence can only take one thus far and no further.

Most, here on OPF, know and understand the ethics, morality, rights and wrongs of the issue/s at stake.
And the various and diverse players involved. Named and unnamed.

Give it a rest.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Hi Asher

May I suggest that "sectarian strife in Syria has been engineered to provide cover for a war for access to oil and gas, and the power and money that come along with it"

James.

Oil? Russia is better off with no Arab or Iranian oil reaching the markets, LOL! The USA want. Glut to drive down Russia's income and abort to pay for its military.

It's not principally "Sectarian", James, but really about sincere beliefs, although Assad, of course, happens to be a dictator!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Bottom line, Fahim is that we all should take the Syrian refugees from the camps in Jordan, Turkey and elsewhere and make them welcome.

....and for once the Turks were right. Those Russian bombers were killing Turkmen opposition fighters and so they put themselves in harms way. Sorry the pilots were executed, but what did they expect, pizza and a coke?

Asher
 
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