Save Syria Now

 

April 26, 2011

Save Syria Now!

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave

Washington, DC 20500

 

RE:     Americans of Syrian Descent Demand International Action to Protect and Liberate the Syrian People

 

Dear President Barack Obama:

 

As deeply concerned Americans of Syrian descent, we come together to plead that you instruct Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, to do everything in their power to recruit the international community to stop the Assad regime from continuing to brutalize its own people.

 

Today there are more Syrians living outside Syria than in Syria after almost half a century of the ruthless and barbaric oppression of the Ba'ath Party and the Assad dynasty. The recent uprisings in Syria are on behalf of generations of abused and oppressed Syrians everywhere who have been slaves to the Ba'ath and the ruling Assad despots. So far, in just the past few weeks, hundreds of courageous Syrians have given their lives for a chance to change the miserable condition of their existence. 

 

The protests across Syria in the streets of Dara'a, Homs, Hama, Latakia, Isra, parts of Damascus, Banias, Duma and other cities against the Syrian despots will only continue until the Assad regime is finally ousted.

 

This is about the long overdue liberation of the Syrian people from their oppressors, some of the worst the history of humanity has ever seen.

 

Since Hafez Assad took over in a coup in 1970, the Assads have overseen an authoritarian, barbaric rule of epic inhuman proportions.  For decades hundreds of thousands to millions have suffered the brutality of a totalitarian regime that rather than being held accountable for crimes against humanity has been tragically immune to world attention, opinion, and pressures. 

 

From Tadmur to Hama to the thousands of Syrian citizens who disappear annually because of the thuggery of the Syrian Intelligence services, the time for an international accounting has finally come. If not now, when? We can no longer stay silent.

 

Nothing, not one reassurance uttered from the lips of the Assad regimes has ever been or will ever be true. No self-respecting Syrian will ever believe anything that the Syrian government tells them or promises them. The Assad regime speaks about reforms, removal of emergency laws, and new ministers only as facades to pacify the Syrian people so that they can return to their pogroms against those who dare to speak out.

 

Syria is a "republic of fear" that has finally at long last with the courage of its people and its dissenters in the streets now begun to breach the divide of its own government's terror.

 

They desperately need the support of every humanitarian in the world in order to push back against the evil that is the Assad regime.

 

As innocent civilians now are being murdered in cold blood in the streets of virtually every town in Syria for simply assembling, protesting, or even attending funerals of their dead, the world can finally plainly see what the Assad regime is. The Syrians have long been suffering at the hands of Assad's henchmen for over 40 years. Now, they are finally saying, for the entire world to hear: "it must stop, now!'  And we, in the lap of freedom cannot, and we will not, fail them!

 

While the revolts in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have been brave and courageous, none of those Arab nation's despots and nations match the barbarism and rampant fear that characterizes life in Syria under the evil that was Hafez and is now Bashar Assad. 

 

The United States, the United Nations, and the Free world must acknowledge publicly that if the protesters were to return to their homes now, a return back to the "normalcy" of the past 40 years is another death sentence for every Syrian and their family who uttered a critical word.

 

As Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) stated on April 24, 2011,

"We should use the diplomatic weight and authority of the United States to undermine the Syrian dictatorship. I think we are witnessing the slow end of the Assad dictatorship, and we should stand with the people of Syria."

 

The International Committee of Jurists (ICJ) also stated on Easter weekend,

"Those ordering and carrying out these attacks, including those firing live rounds into crowds, must be held criminally accountable, for crimes against humanity."

 

We must acknowledge that any American lip service or weakness against Assad empowers him to continue to willfully commit crimes against his own people while distancing the people of Syria from trusting America.  The recent divergence of our U.S. policy against the actions of the Syrian regime from our policy in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya is incomprehensible. Of all these nations, Syria's Assad is the greatest violator of the human rights of his own people equaled in the world only by North Korea.

 

No Arab nation's move toward democracy would be more significant to American interests than Syria.

 

A democratic change in Syria could create one of the greatest obstacles to the continuing dangerous ascendancy of Iran, Hezbullah, and other pan-Islamist interests in the Middle East. The deep diversity of Syria with its Sunni, Christian, Druze, and Alawite populations has been a significant reason for its predominantly secular history. With democracy, Syria can then become a bulwark against Iranian and Islamist hegemony in the region.

As the United States stays incredulously at "arms length", apathetic and indifferent, more and more innocent Syrian citizens fighting for a voice will die and disappear in the coming days.

As we write this letter, the protests are now on the verge of being met with mass murder and annihilation by evil henchmen of the Assad regime. In just the last week hundreds have died viciously in the streets.

The United States is duty bound to lead the United Nations and the international community into moral action in order to protect the human rights of Syrians against Assad, the enemy of his own citizens and the enemy of America.

We demand:

- The United States insist that Syria begin a transparent, humanitarian, genuine process of reform.

- Immediate economic sanctions to cripple the regime's ability to inflict harm upon her people.

- Full unfettered access of international media to every street in Syria with full reporting about the truth of the murders, abuse, and massacres happening on the streets of Syria.

- All political prisoners of conscience need to be released immediately.

- The police state culture of fear and intimidation must end immediately.

- The entire Syrian government leadership must resign and welcome U.N. observers to oversee a transition of the current regime out of power with a clear roadmap toward democracy and civilian control of government and military institutions.

- A new opportunity for all Syrian citizens to have access to government and society.

This will happen organically if the yoke of the violent oppression from Assad's henchmen disappears.

There is nothing more closely wedded to American and Syrian interests than the ouster of Assad and his thugs and a new spring for Syria.

Throughout the recent monumental changes in the Middle East we have seen that pressure from the international community has had significant impact on the decisions of these tyrants to finally vacate their seats of power.  Mubarak in Egypt left office after it was clear the United States was no longer going to support his regime.  NATO's current intervention in Libya on behalf of the rebel forces while chaotic seems to be presenting an opportunity for Libyans to see a world without Qaddaffi.

The Syrians deserve the same support and the same opportunity. 

We call on all people of conscience to support the courageous demonstrators in Syria who risk everything they have for a better life for their families and countrymen by visiting our website SaveSyriaNow.com and signing our petition.

We are a group of concerned American citizens of Syrian descent who are calling upon our government, the United Nations, and free countries and peoples throughout the world to denounce the actions of the Assad regime. 

Help Syria to step away from the shadow of Assad and into the light of liberty! Give her people the protection that can only come from international scrutiny. 

Help Syria build the institutions that will secure the freedom of her people!

Freedom loving people cannot stand idly by and watch the brutality of Assad's regime continue to unfold. It is incumbent upon us, if we cherish liberty, to do all that we can to eliminate the oppression that is taking place.

Please stand with us for Syria! Stand with us for Liberty! Engage for the freedom of the Syrian people!

 

Save Syria Now!!

 

Sincerely,

Americans of Syrian Descent

Ammar Alsheikh, Phoenix AZ

Zachary Alzein, Chicago IL

Ahmad Banna, Cleveland OH

Moustafa Banna, Tucson, AZ

Shaza Banna, Cleveland, OH

Rana Barmada, Phoenix, AZ

Emilio Dabul, South Plainfield, NJ

Mountasir Dbeis, Phoenix, AZ

Amira Jalaghi, Chandler, AZ

Fadi Jalaghi, Chandler, AZ

M. Zuhdi Jasser, Phoenix, AZ

Gada Jasser, Phoenix, AZ

Aiche Jasser, Phoenix, AZ

Samar Jasser, Phoenix, AZ

Mofied Kassab, Phoenix, AZ

Seema Kassab, Phoenix, AZ

Suhir Lababidi, Scottsdale, AZ

Zaki Lababidi, Scottsdale AZ

Badiah Lababidi, Scottsdale, AZ

Hashem Lababidi, Scottsdale, AZ

Sammy Rayes, Chandler, AZ

Zeyad Rifai, Phoenix, AZ

 If you would like to add your name to this list please email M. Zuhdi Jasser at zuhdi@savesyrianow.org.

CC:      Congressman John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives

Senator Harry Reid, Majority leader

Senator Mitch McConnell, Minority leader

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader

Ambassador Susan Rice, United Nations