Sair speelde voor ons op een avond op zijn Syrische viool met één snaar. Hij was een oude man en zijn grote vreugde was muziek maken en zingen. Hij woonde met zijn familie in de buurt van Palmyra. Toen hij onlangs naar Homs ging met zijn pick-up truck om voorraden in te slaan is hij vermoord tijdens de onlusten daar. Volgens zijn goede vriend, de eigenaar van ‘Apple Pie’ restaurant, is hij slachtoffer geworden van sektarisch geweld. Deze tekening van hem is een maand voor zijn dood gemaakt. Toen was het geweld slechts vaag gerommel in de verte.
Wat onwerkelijk!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenThis is a sad time in Syria. The local version of the ‘Arab Uprising’ is now 5 weeks old. Human rights organisations estimate 453 people have been killed. While the current crackdowns in Deraa and Douma seem dire, any international response should be based on the known facts. What is clear is that the pro-democracy movement has failed to get significant numbers on the streets. There has been very little enthusiasm in Damascus (except in the outlying suburb of Douma), or in Aleppo. Nearly half Syria’s population lives in these two cities. Most Syrians have stayed home and while yearning for more freedoms, participation in the running of the country, and a relaxation of the police state, do not wish to face the likely chaos that an overthrow of the Batthi regime would entail. The fear of chaos is very real. Who is killing Syrian security personnel? There are plenty of likely suspects. Syria has many enemies. The region is awash with weapons and the desert and mountain borders are porous. If armed gangs are responsible, which seems highly likely, this is a complication that sets Syria apart from Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. The regime does not accuse the pro-democracy movement. This is significant. It is difficult to obtain verifiable information on who is responsible for civilian deaths. Many of the YouTube clips show unarmed protesters coming under fire and being killed and wounded. For the most part they do not show who is doing the shooting. Some clips do strongly indicate that security forces are responsible. However some armed groups may be causing havoc by also shooting civilians. (bron: www.syriacomment.com)
BeantwoordenVerwijderen