Syria's Assad facing dissent over Deraa crackdown

[SYRIANKID]

Free Syrian Army takes shape on Lebanese border

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...?newsfeed=true

[aster100]

Is it true that only a very small minority of Syrians oppose Assad

When you look at the news it looks like the whole country is ravaged with protests but apparently most Syrians firmly support Assad

[SYRIANKID]

Is it true that only a very small minority of Syrians oppose Assad

When you look at the news it looks like the whole country is ravaged with protests but apparently most Syrians firmly support Assad

I'd say the opposite, and informal polls have indicated that the vast majority oppose the government. Assad's only supporters are members of his shiite sect and some christian groups.

But the only way to know for sure is through an election, which the government has refused to hold in over 40 years.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2011/0...sad/?hpt=wo_c2

Syrian poll finds optimism for future, but little support for Assad

The survey, which was conducted in conjunction with the Democracy Council of California, also found that eight out of 10 Syrians questioned want al-Assad's regime to leave power and more than seven out of 10 are more hopeful that reforms will come, in light of the uprisings in other Middle Eastern and North African countries now known as the Arab Spring.

...

A little more than 86% of the respondents judge al-Assad's performance negatively, and 88.2% do not think the current government is capable of solving the country's problems, Prince explained.

...

The poll found most of the Syrians questioned - 71.1% - had positive views of the protesters, and only 5.5% had negative views. A whopping 88% think that the majority of the population shares the protestors' concerns.

Two-thirds of the respondents agree that "democracy is preferable to any other form of government." But the survey found that mere reforms by the Assad regime will not placate the Syrian people. Only 11.5% want the regime to remain power and make reforms, while 87.9% think that reforms will not satisfy the protestors and 81.7% want regime change.

[SYRIANKID]

Syria's crisis-hit economy under further pressure

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...7AG14R20111117

Foreign Policy: Inside Syria's Economic Implosion

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/16/142387...omic-implosion

[Ballr4Life]

There are always conspiracy theories and they all need to be researched. But keep in mind that the main propagator of those conspiracy theories is the Syrian government itself.

It wants you to believe that Israel, the U.S., Europe, al Qaida, and pretty much everyone in the world just wants to harm the Syrian government for no reason, but that all Syrians love the Syrian government. Why? Was the Syrian government a beacon of improvement and freedom in the Middle East that all those other forces wanted to bring it down? Governments like Syria are the best things foreign countries could ask for, because they drain resources, ruin a country, and don't improve education or the economy. With governments like that who needs enemies?

The question to ask yourself is: is the Syrian government a good government? A father ruled a country without elections for 30 years, then changed the constitution on his death bed and gave leadership to his son for 11 years, also without elections.

Has Syria improved economically or technologically in the past 40 years compared to other countries?

How is the human development index ranking of Syria? All of these are evidence that the Syrian government is corrupt, and they want to divert all blame to anyone but themselves.

Lol this is 100% what the US has done to Russia since the Cold War until Putin came along.

[Ballr4Life]

I did not say all of the Ottoman's history is bad
Just saying that you often paint a rosy view of it
as if it was glorious
when it was not throughout its history
As for you denying the Genocide
you are as bad as Serbs denying the Bosnian Genocide
if anything you are a POS in my view

Dude seriously what ethnicity/religion are you?

I literally have yet to see a thread where you don't talk about:

1. Raves and how shi-tty music is nowadays
2. Something associated with Balkan conflict

I'll randomly read shi-t and see you there. Why don't you say where you're from?


Also as an aside, SyrianKid could you answer this?

What ethnicity/religion hates Serbs/Slavs and hates Pakistanis (This is what Lostinthekhole claims).

[Judge_Joe_Brown]

Dude seriously what ethnicity/religion are you?

I literally have yet to see a thread where you don't talk about:

1. Raves and how shi-tty music is nowadays
2. Something associated with Balkan conflict

I'll randomly read shi-t and see you there. Why don't you say where you're from?


Also as an aside, SyrianKid could you answer this?

What ethnicity/religion hates Serbs/Slavs and hates Pakistanis (This is what Lostinthekhole claims).

A self hating Pakistani (dead srs).

[Ballr4Life]

A self hating Pakistani (dead srs).

lol for real?

I wouldn't be surprised

[Rocky-Balboa]

Firstly, I am Middle-Eastern. Some of my best friends are Syrian, my parents both lived for over a year in Syria and i have heard many stories on this situation and have been following closely.


Life in Syria:

- My family doctor is Syrian. He goes to Syria every year for a Holiday. His exact words: "If Assad goes, Syria is over. I can not visit it, it will be too un-safe for anyone". If Assad stays: "When i retire here, i'm going to go live in Syira (If Assad is still president)". Syria is so safe you could sleep on the streets at night and not worry for your safety.
- My parents lived in Syria for a year. My grandfather was a priest, and while there, even the Muslims were kissing his hands and praying with him. I have never seen a country where all religions get along so well (this is mainly because of Assad. He treats everyone equally. Without him you can expect a war between Muslims and Christians).
- A lot of my family visit Syria ever year. They always loved it and encouraged me to one day visit it with them.
- Poverty in Syria is probably the lowest out of any Middle-Eastern Country and their living standards are amazing. Compared to other countries, their products are cheap and it is not hard to live a good life in Syira.
- Assad himself likes to be treated like a normal person. I have seen footage of him walking into a small random cafe and eating their and talking to the towns people. He refused to eat for free.



The Rebels (Anti-Assad):

- These armed rebels have came into the country (with money, training and weapons provided) causing nothing but trouble. THEY ARE NOT PEACEFUL protestors. They have murdered and killed innocent police officers, soldiers and civilians. They are armed and causing havoc in the country. Ask yourself what would your governemnt do if armed rebels started shooting at civilians?



The Media:

- Al Jazeera in particular shocks me at the lies they tell.
- They announce a girl got killed and show pictures of her dead and claim she was killed by the army. 2 days later the girl appears on another TV station, showing here passport and claims Al Jazeera lied to try and gain support for the rebels. The picture Al Jazeera showed was of a girl who was Killed in Iraq a few years ago. These claims happen daily and are always debunked.
- Al Jazeera reports a city in Syria has now gone crazy and building are burning and the army is randomly shooting protestors. An hour later i switch to another Arabic channel and the reporters are sitting and relaxing outside a cafe drinking coffee, in that town, laughing at the lies Al Jazeera told.
- Al Jazeera has been showing fake Anti-Assad protests. Their videos are always unclear and in some cases they have been caught taking Pro-Assad videos, adding their own audio, making the picture blurry and claiming this is new Anti-Assad protest video. All the other arabic TV stations laugh at them for this. They also repeat videos that are months old and claim them to be "fresh" protests. They also zoom in a lot to make it appear like there is more people. Pathetic.
- Whenever they do show Pro-Assad marches, they claim there to be only "a few thousand" people. Same with BBC and other mainstream media. Check the other channels, and they state the obvious. Millions marching for Assad.
- EVERYDAY in Syria there is now Pro-Assad marches. Every town has a turnout of over 1 million supports almost every time. Al Jazeera does not show this, but most other channels do.
- I could name thousands of lies the media feeds people. I watch the lies daily. It's mainly Al Jazeera and the mainstream english media.



If Assad leaves (according to Syrians i know)....

- Syria will be turned into another Iraq (Millions will die).
- War between Catholics and Muslims will likely begin.
- The country will collapse economically and possibly never recover.



I have yet to meet a Syrian (and i know many) who does not support Assad, whether old or young. At the least in my opinion, 80%+ of the country fully support Assad. I don't care about statistics the media releases, i go by what i see and know. I know there are some who don't support him (which is normal in any country), but the majority support Assad.



And some videos:



















Goodluck Syria.

[nitr0x2]

Firstly, I am Middle-Eastern. Some of my best friends are Syrian, my parents both lived for over a year in Syria and i have heard many stories on this situation and have been following closely.


Life in Syria:

- My family doctor is Syrian. He goes to Syria every year for a Holiday. His exact words: "If Assad goes, Syria is over. I can not visit it, it will be too un-safe for anyone". If Assad stays: "When i retire here, i'm going to go live in Syira (If Assad is still president)". Syria is so safe you could sleep on the streets at night and not worry for your safety.
- My parents lived in Syria for a year. My grandfather was a priest, and while there, even the Muslims were kissing his hands and praying with him. I have never seen a country where all religions get along so well (this is mainly because of Assad. He treats everyone equally. Without him you can expect a war between Muslims and Christians).
- A lot of my family visit Syria ever year. They always loved it and encouraged me to one day visit it with them.
- Poverty in Syria is probably the lowest out of any Middle-Eastern Country and their living standards are amazing. Compared to other countries, their products are cheap and it is not hard to live a good life in Syira.
- Assad himself likes to be treated like a normal person. I have seen footage of him walking into a small random cafe and eating their and talking to the towns people. He refused to eat for free.



The Rebels (Anti-Assad):

- These armed rebels have came into the country (with money, training and weapons provided) causing nothing but trouble. THEY ARE NOT PEACEFUL protestors. They have murdered and killed innocent police officers, soldiers and civilians. They are armed and causing havoc in the country. Ask yourself what would your governemnt do if armed rebels started shooting at civilians?



The Media:

- Al Jazeera in particular shocks me at the lies they tell.
- They announce a girl got killed and show pictures of her dead and claim she was killed by the army. 2 days later the girl appears on another TV station, showing here passport and claims Al Jazeera lied to try and gain support for the rebels. The picture Al Jazeera showed was of a girl who was Killed in Iraq a few years ago. These claims happen daily and are always debunked.
- Al Jazeera reports a city in Syria has now gone crazy and building are burning and the army is randomly shooting protestors. An hour later i switch to another Arabic channel and the reporters are sitting and relaxing outside a cafe drinking coffee, in that town, laughing at the lies Al Jazeera told.
- Al Jazeera has been showing fake Anti-Assad protests. Their videos are always unclear and in some cases they have been caught taking Pro-Assad videos, adding their own audio, making the picture blurry and claiming this is new Anti-Assad protest video. All the other arabic TV stations laugh at them for this. They also repeat videos that are months old and claim them to be "fresh" protests. They also zoom in a lot to make it appear like there is more people. Pathetic.
- Whenever they do show Pro-Assad marches, they claim there to be only "a few thousand" people. Same with BBC and other mainstream media. Check the other channels, and they state the obvious. Millions marching for Assad.
- EVERYDAY in Syria there is now Pro-Assad marches. Every town has a turnout of over 1 million supports almost every time. Al Jazeera does not show this, but most other channels do.
- I could name thousands of lies the media feeds people. I watch the lies daily. It's mainly Al Jazeera and the mainstream english media.



If Assad leaves (according to Syrians i know)....

- Syria will be turned into another Iraq (Millions will die).
- War between Catholics and Muslims will likely begin.
- The country will collapse economically and possibly never recover.



I have yet to meet a Syrian (and i know many) who does not support Assad, whether old or young. At the least in my opinion, 80%+ of the country fully support Assad. I don't care about statistics the media releases, i go by what i see and know. I know there are some who don't support him (which is normal in any country), but the majority support Assad.



And some videos:



















Goodluck Syria.

I'm Syrian and have lived in Syria for significantly longer than your parents. Its understandable that Christians fear the rise of Islamism in Syria. However that is no excuse to support a brutal dictator. Your post simply confirms SK's post about Christians being one of the few groups to support Assad. The majority of Syrians are sunni muslims and should not have to live in fear of death or torture for practicing their religion just so that the Christian majority can feel safe.

[Rocky-Balboa]

I'm Syrian and have lived in Syria for significantly longer than your parents. Its understandable that Christians fear the rise of Islamism in Syria. However that is no excuse to support a brutal dictator. Your post simply confirms SK's post about Christians being one of the few groups to support Assad. The majority of Syrians are sunni muslims and should not have to live in fear of death or torture for practicing their religion just so that the Christian majority can feel safe.

I understand what you mean, but you realize if Assad goes it will only be the complete opposite. It will be the Christians living in fear. The answer is not to remove Assad, it's to push for change.


It's wrong that people are paid to protest against Assad.
It's wrong that the media is demonizing Assad with false claims.
If this was a 'pure' revolution, there would not be a need for paid rebels to be sent to disrupt the peace of a country. There would not be a need for lies to circulate in the media to try and get people on their side. If the people, the majority, truly wanted Assad gone, it would have occurred a long time ago.


Also, who will take over control of the country if these rebels succeed in removing Assad? Do you think the country will really be better off?


I've heard these Rebels are linked with the Libyan rebels, and I know for a fact those Al-Qaeda rebels in Libya will turn out to be much worse than Gaddafi ever was.

[Hanzala]

If the people, the majority, truly wanted Assad gone, it would have occurred a long time ago.

Are you serious? No one under Bashar al Assad could even speak politics and it was fear the kept everyone at bay.

[Hanzala]

A five hundred thousand man protest occurred in the city of Hama a few months back, are these guys all paid rebels? Think logically.

[Rocky-Balboa]

Are you serious? No one under Bashar al Assad could even speak politics and it was fear the kept everyone at bay.

I'd rather Assad than those rebel terrorists.

A five hundred thousand man protest occurred in the city of Hama a few months back, are these guys all paid rebels? Think logically.

I didn't say all were paid? I said some were. It happened in Eygpt protests, in Libya and now in Syria. Happens in Lebanon aswell.

[SYRIANKID]

I have yet to meet a Syrian (and i know many) who does not support Assad, whether old or young. At the least in my opinion, 80%+ of the country fully support Assad. I don't care about statistics the media releases, i go by what i see and know. I know there are some who don't support him (which is normal in any country), but the majority support Assad.

Instead of going by what you see and know in your friends, think about why the Syrian government hasn't had an election in 40 years. If 80% of the country supports him as you claim, what's so scary about elections?

And what's so scary about allowing foreign journalists into the country? You say that Al Jazeera is lying and conspiring against Syria, but government news channels aren't lying and are presenting just the facts, so why doesn't the country let cameras in to report on what's happening? Or can the Syrian government only trust people it pays to tell the truth?

As usual, your story merely repeats government propaganda. You'll never get away from the simple fact that only elections will prove that a government is popular and legitimate and that banning the free press is an admission of guilt.

[SYRIANKID]

Also, who will take over control of the country if these rebels succeed in removing Assad? Do you think the country will really be better off?

You're thinking like the Syrian government. Why does everything have to be taken over by a military coup? Why not an election? Why didn't the government, if fully confident about its popularity, just hold an election? It would have saved a lot of lives and the economy 9 months ago.

If this happened from the start, there really wouldn't be any fear of retaliations or civil war as you claim. But now that you have people like yourself, who supported a government that killed thousands and jailed hundreds of thousands, has the likelihood of retaliation gone up or down do you think? Looking back, wasn't it wiser to just have a fair election and not settle things through military coups?

[Rocky-Balboa]

Instead of going by what you see and know in your friends, think about why the Syrian government hasn't had an election in 40 years. If 80% of the country supports him as you claim, what's so scary about elections?

And what's so scary about allowing foreign journalists into the country? You say that Al Jazeera is lying and conspiring against Syria, but government news channels aren't lying and are presenting just the facts, so why doesn't the country let cameras in to report on what's happening? Or can the Syrian government only trust people it pays to tell the truth?

As usual, your story merely repeats government propaganda. You'll never get away from the simple fact that only elections will prove that a government is popular and legitimate and that banning the free press is an admission of guilt.

I can not answer the question about why they don't have elections, and neither can you. It's simply speculation on both our parts.

Foreign journalists..If you mean BBC, CNN, Fox News etc......lol. I'm sure they will tell the "truth" if they saw it. I never said anything about 'Government channels'? I said most other Arabic channel contradicts and debunks daily the information Al Jazeera reports. If i was to list the lies which have been proven false, there would be thousands.

Example:


LMAO how is my story 'government propaganda'? I'm simply stating what all Syrians i've talked to told me. The Pro-Assad protests are enormous compared to the Anti-Assad protests. No Syrian, Christian or Muslim, has been against Assad that i know of. I've met many, family-friends, doctors, teacher, and all support him.


Also, there was an indecent not long ago of these 'Anti-Assad rebels' setting up ********/site pages encouraging Pro-Assad people to gather at a town for a protest. The army found out it was a hoax by the rebels to attempt to gather up civilians in the town and then set off explosives. This is wrong. How people support this behavior is amazing. Of course this won't be reported in main stream media. What do you guys expect the army to do? Stand by and let armed rebels infiltrate the country?



Some more examples of media (mainly Al Jazeera) lies:











If the most well known Arabic news channel is lying so much, do you seriously think Assad would be stupid enough to let in western media? lol.

[SYRIANKID]

I can not answer the question about why they don't have elections, and neither can you. It's simply speculation on both our parts.

Foreign journalists..If you mean BBC, CNN, Fox News etc......lol. I'm sure they will tell the "truth" if they saw it. I never said anything about 'Government channels'? I said most other Arabic channel contradicts and debunks daily the information Al Jazeera reports. If i was to list the lies which have been proven false, there would be thousands.

LMAO how is my story 'government propaganda'? I'm simply stating what all Syrians i've talked to told me. The Pro-Assad protests are enormous compared to the Anti-Assad protests. No Syrian, Christian or Muslim, has been against Assad that i know of. I've met many, family-friends, doctors, teacher, and all support him.

So why are you supporting the Syrian government instead of supporting the idea of free elections? If you can't explain why the Syrian government doesn't want elections, aren't you identifying the root cause of this entire problem? Because that's what will solve everything.

As for free media and journalists, the more you have the better. Your alternative of just allowing syrian state tv report on the actions of the syrian army is clearly the most biased option. Showing youtube videos of syrian tv claiming their footage/explanations are more honest than al jazeera's doesn't prove anything, because only multiple sources will confirm what's going on. You have to stop thinking that the entire earth is conspiring against the syrian government, because at this point, you believe that all Arab, non-Arab, western, and non-western news agencies are getting paid to photoshop events. You refuse to accept that the syrian gov can be doing anything wrong.

As for rallies, it's very easy to have a rally when nobody is shooting you or threatening to kill you. The syrian gov army doesn't kill people who organize a pro government rally. Are you saying they don't kill anyone who attends an anti-gov rally?

This issue is not settled by the number of idiots who wave flags in a street as an army protects them. It's called an election. You vote for people and count the votes. You don't count the posters of people walking around in a street.

People who are afraid of an election know that their position isn't popular and they're worried about losing it.

[Rocky-Balboa]

So why are you supporting the Syrian government instead of supporting the idea of free elections? If you can't explain why the Syrian government doesn't want elections, aren't you identifying the root cause of this entire problem? Because that's what will solve everything.

Removing Assad and replacing him with Rebel terrorists will not solve anything. The United States would love for Assad to step down and replace him with the rebels they control and fund, just like they did with Libya. I want this situation to be resolved without US intervention, because that never ends well.

As for free media and journalists, the more you have the better. Your alternative of just allowing syrian state tv report on the actions of the syrian army is clearly the most biased option. Showing youtube videos of syrian tv claiming their footage/explanations are more honest than al jazeera's doesn't prove anything, because only multiple sources will confirm what's going on. You have to stop thinking that the entire earth is conspiring against the syrian government, because at this point, you believe that all Arab, non-Arab, western, and non-western news agencies are getting paid to photoshop events. You refuse to accept that the syrian gov can be doing anything wrong.

I don't think the government is perfect. No government is. But compared to the people who want to remove him, he is much better. And it's not only Syrian channels, MOST arabic channels say the same thing. I have seen many Lebanese reporters go into Syria and make reports showing the lies of Al Jazeera.

As for rallies, it's very easy to have a rally when nobody is shooting you or threatening to kill you. The syrian gov army doesn't kill people who organize a pro government rally. Are you saying they don't kill anyone who attends an anti-gov rally?

....You saying the rebels aren't killing innocent Pro-Assad supporters. Last time i checked, the rebels were more of a danger then the Syrian army. If the protestors were peacful, the army would not treat them as they are now. But amongst those Anti-Assad protestors are armed rebels. They can not be let loose into a country like that.

And there is no danger here if Anti-Assad people choose to have a demonstration. I have seen many Pro-Assad marches here but no Anti-Assad protests.

This issue is not settled by the number of idiots who wave flags in a street as an army protects them. It's called an election. You vote for people and count the votes. You don't count the posters of people walking around in a street.

People who are afraid of an election know that their position isn't popular and they're worried about losing it.

Didn't Assad announce elections for February next year?

[SYRIANKID]

Removing Assad and replacing him with Rebel terrorists will not solve anything. The United States would love for Assad to step down and replace him with the rebels they control and fund, just like they did with Libya. I want this situation to be resolved without US intervention, because that never ends well.

The only replacement taking place is the whole Baathist government with a new ELECTED government. Stop thinking in terms of military coups. Stop supporting the current gov as opposed to a new military government, just ask for fair elections.

I don't think the government is perfect. No government is. But compared to the people who want to remove him, he is much better. And it's not only Syrian channels, MOST arabic channels say the same thing. I have seen many Lebanese reporters go into Syria and make reports showing the lies of Al Jazeera.

A government that kills and jails people for speaking against the government is a very imperfect government. It's too late now to talk about what's better or worse than a military dictatorship, the only solution left is a full election.

....You saying the rebels aren't killing innocent Pro-Assad supporters. Last time i checked, the rebels were more of a danger then the Syrian army. If the protestors were peacful, the army would not treat them as they are now. But amongst those Anti-Assad protestors are armed rebels. They can not be let loose into a country like that.

And there is no danger here if Anti-Assad people choose to have a demonstration. I have seen many Pro-Assad marches here but no Anti-Assad protests.

They definitely are now. Now, the game has changed and it will become a civil war with defecting soldiers killing government soldiers. But that's because the government decided to withhold elections and kill/jail people for 9 months. They created the problem they predicted.

Didn't Assad announce elections for February next year?

Not Presidential and full government elections, no.

[Rocky-Balboa]

The only replacement taking place is the whole Baathist government with a new ELECTED government. Stop thinking in terms of military coups. Stop supporting the current gov as opposed to a new military government, just ask for fair elections.



A government that kills and jails people for speaking against the government is a very imperfect government. It's too late now to talk about what's better or worse than a military dictatorship, the only solution left is a full election.



They definitely are now. Now, the game has changed and it will become a civil war with defecting soldiers killing government soldiers. But that's because the government decided to withhold elections and kill/jail people for 9 months. They created the problem they predicted.



Not Presidential and full government elections, no.

NOBODY here that's Syrian is against Assad (with the ability here to freely speak the truth), i doubt it's going to be different in Syria.
I see everyday in different towns, at least a million in each protest, all the way up to 2-3 million in one protest, all in different towns. Totaled at least 8-10 million have marched in support of Assad. With the population being only 22 million in the country, plus those who didn't attend the demonstrations but still support Assad, i really can't see any way of him loosing if an election was held.


Also these sanctions/punishments Syria is faced with are total garbage. They want Assad to stop attacking the rebels? WTF. These terrorists will kill thousands if they aren't stopped. Also, why are they trying to block importing of resources into Syria? That is not punishing Assad, it is punishing the people of Syria. Everything that is occurring is not in the best interests of the Syrian people. I'm glad Assad is standing up to the West and not giving in.
I want him to stay President, but make changes and hold an election if needed. NATO/US intervention would ruin the country which only months ago was perfectly fine.

[TimDF]

SK, when are you going to Syria? Are you worried at all about possibly being killed?

[SYRIANKID]

NOBODY here that's Syrian is against Assad (with the ability here to freely speak the truth), i doubt it's going to be different in Syria.
I see everyday in different towns, at least a million in each protest, all the way up to 2-3 million in one protest, all in different towns. Totaled at least 8-10 million have marched in support of Assad. With the population being only 22 million in the country, plus those who didn't attend the demonstrations but still support Assad, i really can't see any way of him loosing if an election was held.


Also these sanctions/punishments Syria is faced with are total garbage. They want Assad to stop attacking the rebels? WTF. These terrorists will kill thousands if they aren't stopped. Also, why are they trying to block importing of resources into Syria? That is not punishing Assad, it is punishing the people of Syria. Everything that is occurring is not in the best interests of the Syrian people. I'm glad Assad is standing up to the West and not giving in.
I want him to stay President, but make changes and hold an election if needed. NATO/US intervention would ruin the country which only months ago was perfectly fine.

Hopefully I don't need to explain to you that your method of counting people on the street is flawed, includes redundancies, and is based on government reports. You can argue all day about how many people you think support Assad, my views are completely opposite to your estimates. That is not a substitute for counting individual ballots in an election.

As for boycotts and economic sanctions, they definitely will hurt average syrians, and they will also starve the government of cash and galvanize people sitting on the sidelines - that's the point.

[Rocky-Balboa]

Hopefully I don't need to explain to you that your method of counting people on the street is flawed, includes redundancies, and is based on government reports. You can argue all day about how many people you think support Assad, my views are completely opposite to your estimates. That is not a substitute for counting individual ballots in an election.

As for boycotts and economic sanctions, they definitely will hurt average syrians, and they will also starve the government of cash and galvanize people sitting on the sidelines - that's the point.

Ok. But from the hundreds of Syrians i know well and have met, so far the Assad support rate is 100% for both Christians and Muslims, so it makes perfect sense for there to be 10 + million people who have marched for Assad.

Syria is the last remaining true Middle-Eastern country in my view. The rest have been taken over by Western rule. It is unacceptable for police and the army to be attacked by Terrorists. The army has the right to exercise it's powers to maintain order. Before these rebels came, there was peace in the country. Now it's looking like because of these US funded rebel terrorists and possible NATO/US intervention, we will see another Iraq. That situation must be avoided.

[SYRIANKID]

Ok. But from the hundreds of Syrians i know well and have met, so far the Assad support rate is 100% for both Christians and Muslims, so it makes perfect sense for there to be 10 + million people who have marched for Assad.

Syria is the last remaining true Middle-Eastern country in my view. The rest have been taken over by Western rule. It is unacceptable for police and the army to be attacked by Terrorists. The army has the right to exercise it's powers to maintain order. Before these rebels came, there was peace in the country. Now it's looking like because of these US funded rebel terrorists and possible NATO/US intervention, we will see another Iraq. That situation must be avoided.

I also know hundreds of Syrians, and what I've seen is over 80% hate the government (beyond hate, actually, they curse the soul of the dead father of the president), and that 20% is comprised of alawites, shiites, and christians. So there you go. We won't settle this without an election.

And if you're claiming that 10 million individuals marched in support of Assad, list their names. Otherwise, you have an inaccuracy in the way of accounting for numbers. These "millions" you are citing are government figures. Free election, without military intimidation is the only way out of this.

[Dr.Z]

Syria is over if Assad steps down?


Life in Syria is over for anyone that dares speak against the family that ruled the country for... ever.


I am sure there are many, many, many Syrians that will do the same job Assad is doing, without killing thousands of civilians with the country's own military/soldiers...

[SYRIANKID]

Syria is over if Assad steps down?


Life in Syria is over for anyone that dares speak against the family that ruled the country for... ever.


I am sure there are many, many, many Syrians that will do the same job Assad is doing, without killing thousands of civilians with the country's own military/soldiers...

Exactly, where do people come up with these ideas? Every dictator's dying gasps are "I will rule you or you will burn" or "Either me or civil war". "I will protect you from each other by shooting anyone who tries to change the government".

These are all false dichotomy threats that feed off people's fears. What a repulsive way to lead human beings.

[SYRIANKID]

http://english.alarabiya.net/article...19/178041.html


Iraq’s Syria stance is Sunni-Shiite related, analysts say

“Our country is deeply confessionally divided, and the Shiites voted for (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad,” reacting along sectarian lines, said Hamid Fadhel, a professor of politics at Baghdad University.

“Sectarian divisions are already a reality here, with the desire of politicians to create Sunni and Shiite regions,” Fadhel said of moves by Sunni-majority Salaheddin province, and earlier by Shiite-majority Basra, to form autonomous regions.

[kaiosama]

after witnessing horrible things in rif dimashq by 3isabat alassad and I have change of heart and I am joining protests. down with the merciless regime.

[Rocky-Balboa]

Good video exposing a lot of the lies the media is fabricating against Assad: