Powerless to stop Syrian bloodbath

The Syrian state media's coverage of the bloodshed in the country is shameful, as it insists on denying ground realities and accuses other TV channels of fabricating news and telling lies.

At a time when most TV stations show pictures of dead people, scenes of destruction and people fleeing their homes to neighbouring countries, Syria's state television shows pictures of the dead claiming they were targeted by "terrorist groups".

The violence in Syria has dominated headlines on all TV channels, which show pictures of women and children crying over the bodies of their dead relatives. Or fleeing their homes, carrying some luggage. But Syrian television always shows pictures of the dead and wounded claiming that they are security officers who have been fired upon by "terrorist groups".

Regrettably, Syria's so-called Arab Spring has turned out to be a series of bloody events at a time when Arab officials are engaged in trading accusations and insults, and holding each other responsible for the deteriorating conditions.

The entire world stands powerless to stop the bloodbath, while the Syrian regime has not yet been held responsible for its crimes. The culprits are yet to be identified.

The Syrian media has mastered the art of fabricating stories and holding ‘terrorist groups', Al Qaida and hooligans responsible for the more than 13-month-old crisis. The Syrian media also claims that neighbouring countries help smuggle arms to terrorists and armed gangs and allow the infiltration of fighters, accusing these countries of plotting against Syria and its sovereignty and national integrity.

Syria claims that there is a universal conspiracy against it, led by the West, especially the US, and some Arab countries, particularly certain Gulf Cooperation Council states. The Syrian media portrays some Arab leaders as criminals.

The accusations of the Syrian regime are untrue, especially since the international media has been banned from Syria. The main sources of information have been private videos usually taken through cellphone cameras and uploaded on YouTube. Most TV channels rely on these videos of the violence.

International media also get their information from eyewitnesses in affected areas, and from reports and pictures taken by a few journalists who infiltrated into Syria. The crimes are being committed by the Syrian regime, namely President Bashar Al Assad and his clan, and army chiefs — most belonging to a certain sect.

This happens at a time when intelligence agencies around the world are spying on every small or big thing in Syria, even the president's personal phone calls and emails, including his calls to his wife and relatives in Syria and abroad. The sanctity of Syria has been desecrated whereas every place has been targeted by the security forces. Thousands of people have been killed and thousands of others have been wounded or displaced. What is most painful is that the killers and the victims are all Syrians.

On the economic level, the Syrian pound has lost tremendous value; the exchange rate has dropped from 45 pounds to the dollar to 120 pounds. The foreign reserves have almost vanished at a time when Syrians stand in queues in front of bakeries amid acute shortages of basic food commodities. There is no doubt that the Syrian people are the victims at a time when no one takes responsibility for this catastrophic situation.

Each party is trying to put the blame on the other. Arab regimes remain powerless. The Arabs have yet to formulate a firm and clear-cut stand on the crisis, holding one party responsible and shouldering their responsibility towards the Syrian people.

Time to act

Logically, we must reexamine the situation in Syria and take action in compliance with the Prophet Mohammad's (PBUH) hadith, in which he says: "Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one."

People asked, "O Allah's Apostle! It is alright to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?"

The Prophet (PBUH) said, "By preventing him from oppressing others."

Three parties should be held responsible for what is happening in Syria and they cannot disclaim responsibility on the Day of Judgement.

The first is the ruling regime, which has lost legitimacy after oppressing its people for more than four decades.

The second party is the Syrian people, including the elite, who kept silent in the face of the Baathist regime's injustice and tyranny, never seeking to reform it.

The third party to be held responsible for the ongoing bloodshed in Syria is the Arab regimes because they plotted with the Syrian regime for a long time and kept silent about all the regime's faults and crimes.

Now, these regimes are helpless and unable to alleviate the suffering of Syrian children and women who fled their homes and escaped from the smell of death and destruction to neighbouring countries, fearing for their lives.

Regrettably, the Arabs are still waiting for help from the West, the US and the Zionist entity, and stand powerless as Syria is unable to escape its ill fate.

Dr Khalifa Rashid Al Sha'ali is an Emirati writer who specialises in legal affairs.