I tend to be optimistic on the freedom issue: I always assume that people want their own freedom and are willing to fight for it. I think some are are bred to be fascist sychophants:
Hezbollah Draws 200,000 Syrian Backers to Beirut
Nearly 200,000 pro-Syrian protesters gathered in a Beirut square today, chanting anti-American slogans and wildly waving Lebanon’s flag in answer to a nationwide call by the militant Hezbollah group to demonstrate against foreign intervention and counter weeks of massive anti-Damascus rallies
That sucks. And this is the Shiite contingent. The other protests were by the Druze, Christians and Sunnis. Hmmmm, something reminds me of a bygone time when these divisions in Lebanon..........nevermind.
Let's hope the opposition can pull some Shiite leaders to their cause.
3 comments:
Why is it that the Shiites in Lebanon cannot see the benefits that the Shiites in Iraq have experienced due to America's (admittedly somewhat flawed) intervention?
Though things are not perfect in Iraq (not by a long shot), Shias have much more freedom to worship than previously.
The Baathist Party in Iraq suppressed the Shias. What about the Baathist Party in Syria, is it "run" by Sunnis? Is it suppressing Shias in the same manner?
Why is it that the Shiites in Lebanon cannot see the benefits that the Shiites in Iraq have experienced due to America's (admittedly somewhat flawed) intervention?
Though things are not perfect in Iraq (not by a long shot), Shias have much more freedom to worship than previously.
The Baathist Party in Iraq suppressed the Shias. What about the Baathist Party in Syria, is it "run" by Sunnis? Is it suppressing Shias in the same manner?
Joe:
The more I think about it, the less upset I am about the Shiite show of force. The Shiites have always been subjugated by the other ethnic groups, so they may just be asserting themselves...and if it is in a non-violent way, it's not such a bad thing. I guess we'll see how 'free and fair' the elections are this spring.
Joe, from my understanding the Baathists (supposedly a socialist movement) have harshly repressed all forms of religion. Yes, Sunnis do control Syria, and I do not think there is a sizable Shia population in Syria.
Again, from my own understanding, Hizbollah (a Shiite movement) was founded by the Iranians (also Shiite) and is now seen as a vehicle for Syrian aspirations in the Golan Heights. Syria believes that if they can use Hizbollah to wage low level attacks to push Israel into conceding the Heights.
If I were Israel, I wouldn't move an inch on the Heights. Before '67, Syria used the Golan to launch non-stop shelling into the northern farms of Israel...shelling that lasted almost 30 years. Also: Syria attempted to seize the north in '67 while the Israelis were preoccupied with the Egyptians. That was a complete disaster.
Anyways, I'm a little off topic.
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