August 3, 2011

On the eve of Ramadan, the Syrian dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad launched an assault against its people in the city of Hama, killing scores and wounding hundreds. Ramadan is a time of peaceful reflection, spiritual enhancement and giving to needy causes, yet the Syrian government has violated the sanctity of this month by shedding the blood of its people who seek the basic rights of freedom and democracy. The assault has now been termed the “Ramadan Massacre.”

The collective response of the international community to Assad's atrocities has been marginal at best. The developments in Syria are central and fundamental to the cause for freedom everywhere. This horrific incident illustrates the challenges before the world and the United States as a leader of the free world; the Syrian people are confronting oppression and inspiring all of us who struggle for democracy and human rights. 

The silence of leaders in Muslim and Arab countries has been deafening on this issue. Nobel Peace laureate, Mohammed ElBaradei, tweeted, "The world is watching the slaughterhouse in Syria. Shame on us.” A lone Syrian voice from within its streets displayed a sign, "The silence is killing us."

The Syrian government has been spinning the events in its country as instigation by armed gangs. The U.S. Embassy in Damascus countered the rhetoric of the Assad regime by saying --"There is one big armed gang in Syria, and it's named the Syrian government."

The reality is that a large segment of Syrian society, by the hundreds of thousands, is involved in peaceful protest. The people are unarmed Syrian citizens asking for democracy, freedom of expression and justice against government corruption and tyranny.

Italy has recalled its ambassador to Syria in response to the Ramadan Massacre. To ensure that the voice of the Syrian people is not drowned out by the bully pulpit of the Assad regime, every other responsible government should do the same.

Human rights monitors and journalists have been banned from Syria. It is time to call on international agencies and governments to take action in Syria to ensure that the basic rights of the Syrian people are preserved. It is time that support for the nonviolent struggle in Syria and the political isolation of the Assad regime become a priority on the agenda of the international community.  

This Ramadan we will make a special prayer for the freedom and security of the Syrian people.