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.

I did not hear about it at work, I did not hear about it when I met other activists later on, we were busy with the revolution, but regime’s violence keeps surprising us. Last night when I saw this picture I froze for a moment before I ‘shared’ it on my wall. I didn’t cry, I didn’t have room for more anger, I just felt helpless, I felt time was, is, not on my side.

I did not plan to wake up Friday morning and sit down to write this post. I had other plans for my Friday, but last night’s massacre changed my plans for today, and might as well changed it for the whole week. Because this Friday’s name, “The Right To Self-Defense Friday” was not elected democratically [AR], but with cheating. Yet, and after last night’s massacre, Syrians now feel more outraged and will cry for the right to self-defense, even if they didn’t agree with the term the day before. That’s precisely how regime violence is pushing the country to more violence, that’s precisely how time moves very rapidly, and leaves you back in history.

In a country where people have been deprived for decades, decades, to organize, to initiate, to improvise, add to that the heavy police-control over people’s lives, activists were left with one option: to organize secretly, quietly, and slowly, so that you don’t do mistakes, so that you don’t ruin crucial steps.

But time waits for no one.

So here’s the picture of how I am feeling: I move, with time, my movement becomes history when time moves too. In a present moment, I feel like I am living in the past, in history.

Which brings me to a term that in my opinion, is discussed inaccurately: “The Syrian Street.”

We’re talking about the same country, same regime and same revolution. But people assume that time moves linearly across Syria, it doesn’t. It moves rapidly in Idleb, Homs, Harasta, Douma and in other cities, but in the capital Damascus, where there is the biggest civil movement, the loudest secular discourse and the heaviest intelligence control, time moves very slowly for revolutionaries in Damascus. That’s precisely why the term “street” is inaccurate.

The street in cities that are witnessing heavy violence, like bombing, snipers, army besieging neighborhoods and many times whole cities, is living a whole different experience with regime and hence with revolution. Time to revolutionaries in these cities mean: shortage of blood, of medical supplies, of food and milk to children, of doctors, of surgical tools, of places to hide safely, and sometimes it means “too late,” when you’re hiding in a place that’s being bombed, and you look at the faces near you and then realize, within seconds, this is the last thing your eyes will see in this world.

In cities like Damascus, were shooting did take place, were protesters were targeted and killed like in Kafarsouseh, Midan and Barzeh neighborhoods, but Damascus does not witness such violence on a daily basis. Many were detained, but not one detainee were killed of torture in the Syrian capital. Those killed under torture were from Damascus suburbs and other Syrian cities.

“The street” in Damascus then has a different experience with time. And accordingly, there is no one “street” inside Syria. There are several. If my time is moving slowly, for others is moving very rapidly, their time shocks me and them, but also the shock I feel is different from theirs. I am losing focus now, I am not sure if I am making sense or where I am going with this discussion. What I want to say is that time is not one at times of revolution. Even if we’re living on the same land, under the same regime, time differs, and instead of appearing as “one,” which many activists in Damascus are advocating for, I think we should rather enhance this difference.

The guilt we feel while witnessing the violence our people are suffering from in other cities, should not be an excuse to silence our own voices that emerge out of different time and context.

There is no “authentic” street. There is no “authentic” voice. All protestors cried for “peace” in the first three months, but it’s now changed due to regime violence. In this context, here is a quote from an interview published today conducted by human rights lawyer and activist, Razan Zeitounah, and a leader in the Syrian Free Army, Malek Ashtar, who said:

I say to the advocates of peaceful demonstrations to continue in their belief as long as there is hope for a peaceful solution, because the shedding of blood is not easy, even if peaceful solution will take a longer time, it is much better. I say to the advocates of militarism, beware of sectarianism, because the regime is playing with this card, and remember to be just to everyone, regardless of religion or sect, and don’t draw your weapon against anyone unless it is used to help people from injustice, there is no difference between a Muslim and a Christian and an Alawite or Kurd … We are Syrian, and our cause is one. This is not meant for advertising, this is what should be done if we want to actually reach the goals of our revolution.

 

According to LCC, 65 people were martyred yesterday 26-1-2012 in Syria, including ten children, four women and 8 army defectors. 32 were martyred in Homs, 12 in Hama, four in Damascus suburbs, three in both Idleb and Daraa, and one martyr in Damascus.

The names of children killed by the regime in Karm El-Zeitoun Massacre 26-1-2012 are:

1-Waed Hamsho
2-Sana’ Akrah
3-Najem Akrah
4-Samira Bahader
5-Sidra Bahader
6-Abdel Ghani Bahader
7-Kinana Akara
8-Ali Akrah

May your souls rest in peace. No words can describe what most of us are feeling today.

Syrian Blogger Hussein Ghrer

The 32 year-old blogger was kidnapped in Damascus in an ambush on 24-10-2011 and was taken to security services branches in Al-Khateeb and Kafaقsouseh, then was transferred to Adra prison, a prison that is considered by activists and revolutionaries as “haven” in comparison to security services, or worse, Air Intelligence service- a place where worst kinds of torture is practiced against detainees.

In Adra prison, you can make a phone call, you can order food in, you’re allowed to have visitors, and have friends or family members to bring you money and clothes. But what’s most important about Adra prison, is that you meet new revolutionaries, make new friends, and certainly, give each other support. Some prisoners were brought in the summer, so they’re still in summer clothes, and it’s freezing in Damascus, that’s why revolutionaries don’t take their clothes with them on the day of their release, they hand their clothes and stuff to other imprisoned revolutionaries.

Hussein Ghrer is now free, he’s back to his wife, who worked tirelessly to get him out, a brave and amazing woman. Hussein is back to his two children, I keep forgetting how old they are, Ward and Zain, one is 3 years old and the other is almost one year old. Ward, the older son, was asking about his father a lot lately, and his mother was telling him: “your father is traveling, but he’ll bring you nice gifts.” The son was not impressed, “I just want him home.”

Hussein is going to be home tonight, where he will be holding his wife tight, and never let go of his two precious sons again. It’s all going to be alright, and it will all be over very soon.

Syrian blogger and activist Hussein Ghrer was transferred today Thursday, November 17, 2011 from the general security headquarters-branch 285-to the civil court in Damascus. He was brought before the public prosecuters in Damascus then transfered to the Zablatani branch.

However office hours ended before Ghrer’s questioning session began, as a result he was transferred to Central Prison in Adra. Now he is awaiting his trial scheduled on Saturday 19/11/2011.

Many human rights and free speech organizations have called on to free the detained Syrian blogger who was detained 24/10/2011 for unknown reasons.

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression stresses the need to guarantee Hussein Ghrer a public and fair trial as stated in Syrian constitution and again urges immediate release of all detainees.

I don’t know what “Syrians” means, belonging to a geographical border? owning a “similar consciousness”? Don’t get me wrong, I do relate to the people of Syria the most, but that is also relative. I am sure someone supporting Hezbolla relates to a Syrian supporter of Assad, and someone like me, relates to all revolutionaries in the region. So what the hell?

I do not believe in a ‘national consciousness,’ I don’t believe in nationality, look how it is interpreted by those apologetic to Assad crimes, and those who’re fighting for their dignity and freedom, and they’re all “Syrians.”

So please, do not talk to me about being “Syrians.” I want to be something else, like Homsi or Dar’awi for example.

Colonization made us all a bunch of nationalists, and because of that we made Arab Jews our enemies. Fighting for a label than for a value. I want to be living hand in hand with all of you, and this cannot be done if we see ourselves as “majorities” and “minorities.” The foundation of this logic lies in nationalism. Look at Iranian regime’s idea of nationalism, it’s not sectarianism we’re taking about here, it’s precisely nationalism. Nationalism that colors a whole nation in one color, one self-identification based on “majority.” I am not an Arab, I am not a Sunni, but people see me like a Sunni and an Arab nonetheless. I don’t want to be a citizen when other citizens are prevented from getting their rights, I don’t want to be a Syrian when other Syrians cannot be one.

Syrian actress Fadwa Suleiman appeared this week at a demonstration in Homs. The regime is looking for her now, her life is in danger. She begun hunger strike 3 days ago.

I came here to talk about Fadwa Suleiman’s speech she made yesterday, and here I am rambling about postcolonial anxieties. Anyways, this woman is amazing, really, and not because she’s an Alawite, I am not sure if you don’t know this, but if you’re an Alawite, and you’re opposing the Syrian regime, you’re not only considered a “traitor,” but also you will be boycotted from those supporting the regime, and you’re most likely be killed, not because you’re opposing the regime, but precisely because you’re an Alawite and opposing the regime.

This is the first and only speech made by a Syrian woman publicly addressing her people, this is the first time that a Syrian actress addresses her people and starts a hunger strike, do you understand how courageous she is? Do you understand how much she is in danger right now?

She’s fighting for a value, she’s fighting for a whole different Syria, and I want to hear from Burhan Ghalioun is to say the same.

Listen to her speech here and read the English translation on Abu Kareem’s blog here. For a little background on Suleiman, here’s a good piece about her on BBC, I am sure you won’t find it on Angry Arab’s blog or MRZine.org and the likes.

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression expresses concern over Syrian blogger Hussein Ghrer’s disappearance, given that all communication with him has been cut off since the evening of Monday 24/10/2011. No information about him has come to light since that time.

The Center notes that the detained blogger suffers from hypertensive vascular disease and cardiac mitral valve prolapse. For that reason, the Center fears his health is deteriorating, a factor that may pose a direct threat to his life in case he is not taking his medications on a regular basis.

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression considers the disappearance of blogger Hussein Ghrer a clear case of enforced disappearance, a systematic practice by the Syrian security services under the state of emergency declared in the country since 1963, despite a formal end to the law under the legislative Decree No. 161 dated 04/21/2011.

Syrian blogger Hussein Ghrer, born 04/11/1979, is a computer engineering graduate and works as a programmer. He is a married father of two children who blogs at www.ghrer.net. Many of his blog entries and articles are on freedom issues and Syrian or Arab public affairs. Below are some examples, all in Arabic:

1. Between the National Dialogue in Syria and the Detention of Blogger Anas Maarawi.

2. Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, history and citizenship after 2011

3. Vote against the Violence, and for Citizenship

4. Towards a culture of law: Legislative Decree No. 37 related to crimes of honor, a step forward, but?

5. Towards a culture of law: the Constitution (1)

6. Towards a legal culture: the new labor law -workers Union Shows Concerns but the Ministry Appeals

Syrian blogger Hussein Ghrer was one of the first to blog in solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples against Israel’s wars. He also participated in the “Syrian bloggers for the occupied Golan” campaign.

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression demands the Syrian authorities to disclose the fate of the Syrian blogger Hussein Greer and release him immediately, or to submit him to a public court that meets the conditions of a fair trial, if a legal justification is available.

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression considers Ghrer’s forced isolation from the outside world and the concealment of his fate and whereabouts which prevent him from accessing necessary medical, humanitarian, and legal assistance to be a clear violation of the Syrian Constitution and the International Declaration that both guarantee protection to all persons from enforced disappearance. Such systematic policies committed by Syrian authorizes contradicts its obligations towards the state of human rights and the treaties it has signed and ratified.

Silence doesn´t serve us after today. We don´t want a country where we get imprisoned for uttering a word. We want a country that embraces and welcomes words.

Hussein is 30 years old, he is married and has two kids. He participated in several campaigns in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers during the Zionist invasion of Gaza and blogged about the war against Lebanon in 2006. He was well-known for his work with the “Syrian bloggers for the occupied Gholan” and for his solidarity with the victims of “Honor crimes” in the country.Fear of freedom and hatred against all liberties are responsible for Hussein´s detention. Words are Hussein´s weapons, and ours too. We want these weapons to break the silence. We command you to raise your voice for Hussein´s freedom and all prisoners of conscience in Syrian cells.

We demand the immediate disclosure of the fate of our friend and fellow blogger Hussein Ghrer and the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience, since their detention is against the law and universal human rights. We also demand the end of persecution against freedom of speech, because blind force, no matter how strong it is, will stay blind, and will stumble until it falls for good.

حسين, ذو الثلاثين ربيعاً, متزوج وأب لطفلين, شارك في العديد من حملات التضامن مع الشعب الفلسطينيين في حرب الكيان الصهيوني على غزة, ودوّن عن حرب الكيان ضد لبنان في 2006 وكان من المنظمين البارزين لحملة “مدونون سوريون من أجل الجولان المحتل” منذ سنوات, كما كان أحد المشاركين في حملة اليوم العالمي للتضامن مع ضحايا جرائم الشرف.

رُهاب الحرّية والكره العميق للأحرار هو ما يجعلهم يعتقلون حسين، الكلمة هي سلاح حسين وسلاحنا، ونريدها أن تكون سلاح جميع أنصار الصوت مقابل الصمت. ندعوكم لرفع الكلمة وإعلاء الصوت من أجل حرّية حسين غرير وحرّية جميع معتقلي الرأي وأسرى الضمير في زنزانات سوريا.

نطالب السلطات السوريّة بالكشف عن مصير حسين وجميع أصدقائنا، عرفناهم شخصياً أم ﻻ، من أسرى الرأي والإفراج الفوري عنهم لما في اعتقالهم من مخالفة للقانون ولحقوق الإنسان، ونطالب أيضاً بوقف اﻻستقواء المخزي على أصحاب الرأي والكلمة. فالقوّة العمياء، مهما كبر حجمها، تبقى عمياء: تتعثر بنفسها وتسقط.

حملة المطالبة بحرية الزميل حسين غرير على الفيسبوك.

هاشتاغ حملة حسين #FreeHussein

Published Tuesday, October 4, 2011 Al-Alkhbar English.

The role of radical lawyers in anti-colonial struggles of the 20th century is obvious and well known. It should thus not be a surprise that revolutionary agitation in Syria was not the work of rebellious peasants and army veterans, but rather the work of intellectuals of a new and radical generation, raised under colonial rule after the end of the Ottoman state. Just as legal structures legitimated French mandate rule, the mandate’s most sophisticated critics used legal arguments to attack the hypocrisy and violence of France’s empire.

2- The Dynamics of the Uprising in Syria

Published Oct 19 2011 on Jadaliyya by Syrian film critic Hassan Abbas.

The uprising embraced the principle of non- sectarianism and called for the preservation of national unity. However, the regime is using sectarian mobilization in a continuous attempt to create sectarian strife, to allow it to achieve the same goals that it is pursuing by divesting the protest movement of its peaceful character.

3-The number one citizen media network that sends news, videos and statements to all kinds of media worldwide is Local Coordination Committee. Number one news source on the Syrian revolution.

4- Short Syrian Film, an animated movie launched 6 days ago on the Syrian revolution. You can watch here.

5- Inside Homs, besieged center of Syrian resistance published on BBC by Sue Lloyd-Roberts who was in Homs few days ago.

On Fridays the protests still take place after midday prayers, the demonstrators attempt to block off roads and, in a network of makeshift hospitals, doctors who would be arrested and tortured if they were caught treating protesters, prepare for the inevitable casualties.

6- On PULSE: “Thank You So Much” said the father of the murdered nine-year-old Ibrahim Shayban to Russia, China and Bashaar al-Asad.

7- On Islam in Europe Blog “Pro-regime Mufti threatens Europe with suicide attacks” if they launched military strikes against Syria.

8- Killing of opposition leader in Syria provokes Kurds [and Syrians in general] published on War in Context blog.

9- BlueCoat: US technology surveilling Syrian citizens online published on Global Voices Advocacy website.

And finally, something from today’s Friday in Syria: 10 – Syrian protesters congratulate Libyans after Gadhafi’s death; up to 14 killed in crackdown.

Below is a statement issued today by Local Coordination Committee and other Syrian revolutionary groups congratulating the revolutionaries in Libya on their victory:

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).

Today I was walking to a mall nearby to buy some stuff. Took my ipod with me and discovered this song that made it to my ipod in a way.

Assem Hamsho was kidnapped from the a cafe in Damascus along with his 11 friends. We met three days before his arrest. In detention he was badly tortured by regime people, as told by one the recently released detainees. He's still in detention.

So I remembered all of a sudden all the Syrians who should be here instead of me. Those who might have understood the weird conversations that are taking place during lunches and breaks. The Syrians who cannot come because they’re either killed, detained, hiding or banned from traveling.

Dramatic, I know. But I guess I do feel guilty every time I leave Syria and go to some place to enjoy tourism or shopping. Anyways, I also remembered martyr Ghiath Matar.

Giath Matar. Kidnapped from Darayya by regime thugs, delivered to his parents and pregnant wife three days later as a dead body. He was tortured to death.

I never met Ghiath. I only heard of him after he was tortured to death by the regime. His pictures are all over Syrian Facebook. But I heard a lot about Darayya, the city in Damascus Suburbs that made many activists in Damascus inspired, including me. A dear friend in Damascus was telling me about the religious and conservative Muslim Sunni activists in Darayya who were protected by Darayya Christians when the regime thugs attempt to attack the protesters. We all smiled, amazed, by the Giath Matar-and-Yahia Shurbaji peaceful initiative. These two wonderful Syrian activists who cannot be here in Spain today to tell the 600 people gathered in Granada one of the most inspiring stories in the Syrian revolution because one is killed and the other remains in detention.

I don’t remember when it happened, I think it was in the fourth month of the revolution when the army and regime’s security forces stormed the city of Darayya, activists responded with “message in a bottle” thrown in the face of the army. Inside the bottle there is a flower and a letter to the army that says something like: we want our freedom, you are not our enemy, we have one enemy and it’s the dictator. The army actually retreated. The soldiers who were pointing their rifles in the face of those protesters and activists put down their guns and retreated. But regime’s thugs and security forces did not. They broke the bottles and smashed the flowers with their foot. Still, all of Syria knew the story of how religious and conservative Darayya activists addressed the Syrian army, and how the Syrian army retreated.

Bottles thrown by peaceful activists in Darayya to the Syrian army. The Syrian army retreated after reading the messages inside.

“These stories don’t mean anything when you’ve got no one to tell them to.” Still, Yahia Sharbaji who is the genius behind this peaceful initiative is still in detention and God knows what they’re doing to him. Ghiath Matar is tortured for three days and was delivered dead to his family. It’s true, the Syrian regime is that monstrous.

On the left is martyr Giath Matar, and on the right is detained Yahia Shurbaji.

I can’t seem to know how to end this post. All I wanted to say is that I remember the story, and all I can do is tell it to you. I haven’t met Ghiath Matar but I cannot forgive nor forget. Do you understand, that I was scared to protest, but now I am no longer scared? Do you understand that I was scared of detention and now we don’t even think about it? “Fuck it all. My people are being killed,” is what everyone is saying. Amazing wonderful people are being killed by a trash supported by Hezbolla, Iran and the [some] disgusting pro-Palestinian Lebanese/American leftist activists. To those people I say: I spit on you, “comrades.” I spit on your “intellect,” your “sense of justice,” and on your very “free voice.” I spit on each of you. This regime will fall and you so-called “pro- Palestinian activists” will be next. Hezbolla is over. It’s time for people’s self-determination to rule the region, you just wait and watch.

غلاف العدد

اضغط|ي على الصورة لقراءة العدد. وهنا لقراءة مقالة الزميلة شيرين حايك والزميل ياسين سويحة حول التدوين السوري والانتفاضة السورية.