Last days of Assad in Syria

| by Dr. Rifai

( August 17, 2012, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) It has been reported that Assad’s government in Syria is crumbling each and every minutes and most of Sunni political leaders feel that they no longer want to participate in mass murdering of their own Sunni brothers. It is reported that Prime Minster along with some army generals have already defected and fled the country in Jordan in search of safe heaven. It is a matter of days that more and more political leaders and army regiments shall defect and join the opposition. No longer could Iran, Russian and Chinese government help Assad in his genocide episode. It is a mater of days Assad meets his doom day. He either has to flee the country or meet his doom day same like Gaddafi met his doom day in Libya. This is an inevitable eventuality for him and for his cohorts of Alawites murderers.

Unlike other Arab revolutions Syrian case is different. Syria is dominated with this extreme minority Alawite ruling elites: political, military, intelligence and administrative sectors are overwhelmingly dominated by Alawite extreme Shia sect. It was reported that during the formative period of Bath party establishment, Alawite secretly made some conspiracy to dominate the political leadership of Syria and it was reported that in early 1960s a “ clandestine meeting of 'Alawi religious leaders and officers (including Hafiz al-Asad) that reportedly took place in Qardaha, Asad's home town. "The main goal of this meeting was to plan how to forward the Nusayri officers into the ranks of the Ba'th Party. They would then exploit it as a means to arrive at the rule in Syria." Three years later, another 'Alawi meeting in Homs is said to have followed up the earlier initiatives. Among other steps, it called for the assignment of more 'Alawis in the Ba'th Party and army.”

Before this sect came to power in Damascus, followers of this sect did not have any influence or social status at all in Syria. They were poorest and weakest of all groups in Syria economically, socially and politically and yet, soon after they dominated the political power they became more affluent and politically influential and militarily dominant sect and not only that they began to control 80% Sunni Muslim populations and moreover, they prosecuted thousands of Sunni Muslim scholars and intellectual over the last 40 years until now: Many times Sunni people rose against this Alawite dominated Bath party and yet, each time their revolt against the Bath party was crushed and thousands people were killed: Unlike the past revolt this time is different in its dimension and in its methodology and more than 80% people are demonstrating against this dictatorial ruling of this ruthless Alawite sect.

It is very much importance to understand the ideological principle of Alawite sect. Who are these people? How do they differ from other Muslim people and how do they differ from other Shia sects. It is very often described that Syria internal conflict is a mere political struggle between Muslim people in Syria. Though it is a power struggle between Alawite sect and Sunni populace yet, there are some historical and ideological features behind this bloody war. More importantly, theologically Alawite sect clearly differs from Sunni theology. According to Ibn Kathir (d. 1372), where Muslims proclaim their faith with the phrase "There is no deity but God and Muhammad is His prophet," 'Alawis assert "There is no deity but 'Ali, no veil but Muhammad, and no bab but Salman.". This sect believes that God was incarnated in person of Ali and hence attribute divine attributions to Ali. This is one of the main theological differences between Muslim people and Alawite. That is why this sect is reported to be one of the deviated sects in Islamic history. Most of Islamic scholars such as al-Ghazai, Ibn Taymiah and other classical scholars proclaimed that Nusairis are not Muslims and they should be killed.

Ibn Taymiya (1268-1328), the still highly influential Sunni writer of Syrian origins, wrote in a fatwa (religious decision) that "the Nusayris are more infidel than Jews or Christians, even more infidel than many polytheists. They have done greater harm to the community of Muhammad than have the warring infidels such as the Franks, and others. To ignorant Muslims they pretend to be Shi'is, though in reality they do not believe in God or His prophet or His book." Ibn Taymiya warned of the mischief their enmity can do: "Whenever possible, they spill the blood of Muslims. They are always the worst enemies of the Muslims." In conclusion, he argued that "war and punishment in accordance with Islamic law against them are among the greatest of pious deeds and the most important obligations" for a Muslim. From the fourteenth century on, Sunnis used the term "Nusayri" to mean pariah. It may be true that Alawite had been hostile enemy for Sunni Muslim historically. No wonder this enmity is manifested in this war today in Syria. It seems that history repeats itself today in Syria as predicted by this great Scholar of Islam.

In this sense, it could be said that Alawite sect is not a Muslim sect at all. It would not be an exaggeration if some one describe this sect as a Non-Muslim sect simple because alter and change the fundamental pillar of Islamic faith and what more is that some of religious rites of this sect are identical with Christian religious practices. One writer notes that the “'Alawis celebrate many Christian festivals, including Christmas, New Year's, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, and Palm Sunday. They honour many Christian saints: St. Catherine, St. Barbara, St. George, St. John the Baptist, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Mary Magdalene. The Arabic equivalents of such Christian personal names as Gabriel, John, Matthew, Catherine, and Helen, are in common use. And 'Alawis tend to show more friendliness to Christians than to Muslims”. Not only has this sect differed from Sunni in theology but also in all aspect of Islam: Muslims people strictly follow Islamic Sharia limitations but Alawite do not follow Islamic rules and regulations: they do not observe Islamic five time prayers, fasting and other Islamic rituals and practices.

In this sense, Alawite sect is dramatically differs from main stream Shia sects as well. It is because; Shia people are stricter in matters of religion particularly, in Halal and Haram issues. Yet, it politically Iran strongly supports Assad’s region for some political and ideological reasons. Iran wants to establish its Shia Empire between Iran, Iraq and Syria including Lebanon and Bahrain and for that reason Iran want to have any form of Shia political leadership in Syria.