Category: Activism & Advocacy

The Good Boycott!

The boycott against Danish goods by righteous believing Muslims all over the world, albeit hardly justifiable on any logical ground in this case, does, nonetheless, signal an interesting development that should in principle be encouraged.


For while we need to point out that resort to this procedure in this case may not be correct, the method itself, we should notes, is a very legitimate, effective and downright civilized manner for expressing discontent – one that is far superior morally and tactically to rioting and arson. Continue reading “The Good Boycott!” →

The Simple Truth!

Khaddam’s call for popular resistance against the Assad regime, reiterated in several interviews he gave over the last few days, are serving to make some people question the wisdom behind calling for work stoppage at this stage. For most people at this stage might think that such a call came in response to Khaddam’s own.


Indeed, the situation is getting murkier and murkier. But clarity has never been a fact of our life in Syria, and the region as a whole. So like it or not, we simply had to keep our focus on what is really at stake here, namely: our freedom and the quality of our life.

Under this regime no improvement is possible. Indeed our conditions have been getting steadily worth. We have clearly reached a dead-end here and we do need to start over. The new beginning, however, could easily lead us to more of the same, with only changes in key state positions and nothing more. But unless new dynamics are introduced at street level, and by the right actors, which I take to mean the secular opposition groups and liberal activist figures, more of the same is exactly what we are going to get.

More on the unfolding situation in the recent article by Massoud Derhally.

The Real Heresy that is Freedom!

If Khaddam can bring enough pressure on the Assad regime to break it, this will not constitute a move towards democracy in itself. But such a development will have broken the status quo, the stalemate that has been plaguing us for years. A popular uprising against Khaddam and his new government might easier to organize in such conditions, considering that his claim to legitimacy will be even less than that of Bashar.  Continue reading “The Real Heresy that is Freedom!” →