Time and Revolutions

People who do not live in a country that is living a revolution may not know that time, is revolutionaries’ biggest enemy.

I have a 10-to-5 job, after that I go to do some other work till 9, sometimes till 11. I get home to check my email and Facebook to discover new massacres, new statements, and further escalations on many levels.

In Damascus, civil society activists are powerful, they weren’t perhaps in 2011, but in 2012, they’re getting more organized, focused, and one thing you hear commonly among them these days is: “we won’t do the same mistakes we did in 2011.”

But we get home and check the news, mostly our Facebook, because not all videos broadcasted by AJA or Al-Arabiya, not all demonstrations mentioned by AJA especially those carried out by “minorities.” Facebook has become the only non-censored news outlet for Syrians. Local Coordination Committee is run by seculars, hence we know for sure that if protesters from “minority” conventional communities took the streets or issued a statement, we won’t be hearing about it on AJA, but definitely on LCC.

Yesterday I got home at 11 PM, in my attempt to check my facebook, I discovered that a massacre occurred in Karm Al-Zeitoun leaving eight children martyred.

I am one of those people who are against including children in protests at times of revolutions, children should stay home, especially in cities like Homs and Idleb. But the children martyred last night in Karm El-Zeitoun were home, and that did not protect them, it rather killed them. Yesterday regime army bombed the neighborhood of Karm El- Zeitoun in the city of Homs and destroyed several buildings, two whole streets were evacuated, and 27 civilians killed, many were injured.

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“It’s True, I was Made for You”

So for some reason, people think that my existence in conferences is useful in a way. The so-called “Arab Spring” is getting a lot of NGOs rich, and these NGOs must get “involved” in the revolutions that have swept the Arab-speaking region in 2011.  Conferences love bloggers the most. The world still assumes that the revolution in Egypt was made by bloggers, and hence bloggers in Arab-speaking countries must be invited, because they must have some interesting role in their country, and not to mention how journalism always create “heroes” in every “crisis,” the Hollywood-style. I’ve said it many times on this blog and I am saying it again: “online activists are overrated,” and not just in Syria, but all over the MENA region. And the “social media + revolutions” is the stupidest and most irritating topic made by ignorant “experts.”

Anyways, I am now in Spain, attending some geeky conference were geeks talk about stuff I’ve heard so much about but still don’t get them. I am not here for the conference, I am here for Spain. Conferences give you a free ticket, food and a free bed (in Spain we are offered a free tent). This is my first time to Spain and it’s not going well so far for reasons I cannot talk about in a Syria ruled by the current criminal and monstrous regime. Nshalla in a free Syria (in few months so please wait up).

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Rumor Has It, This Revolution is Faceless

While some on twitter trying to defend Angry Arab’s [shameful and disgusting] positions on the Syrian revolution (which I’ll be responding to soon on this blog), I was asked this question:

I love KABOBfest blog, and I do respect most of its writers, but this tweet above is offensive on two levels.

1- When the Tunisian revolution erupted, everyone here supported it, did it have “faces”? More importantly, must it? Isn’t the most amazing thing about regional revolutions is how it proved “opposition” folks are fucked as well as “intellectuals” and “experts”?

This question @Kabobfest asked kind of missed the whole point of the new era we’re witnessing: it’s people’s time, no leader is needed.

It’s become evident in the Syrian consciousness now that not only the street is leading the revolution, but most importantly, activists and prominent intellectuals that are loved by the revolutionaries cannot contain the people’s movement. For example, Burhan Ghalious is very loved by the Syrian street, he’s cool and all, but if he went on TV and said “hey guys, I think we should stop and start talking to the regime instead.” Not only no one will listen to him, but pretty much it’ll mean he’s fucked for good, after Adonis and Angry Arab.

Who to support? The people. Period.

The person asking this question is living in another continent, politically and historically. Faces are not what people want nor what they’re looking for. They’re rather looking for a political discourse, which is a huge topic right now in Syria.

2-Another reason why this question is offensive: the person asking this question clearly hasn’t done his/her homework.

27 year-old martyr Adnan Al-Dayem

This revolution has so many faces, you’re just not looking close enough.