A reason why we are backwards in a way....

I have had access to the internet for 10 years now and ever since, I started doing more than surfing, as I had my first website online before we had internet in Syria, although I was living in Syria at that time. I used to access the internet via dial-up accounts Jordan and Lebanon and had a fight every once and a while with my parents about the phone bill. I had made several types of websites, one was Islamic in which tried to show the Islam as I see it. I was one of the first members of one of the largest Syrian website, Souria.com. I had argued many times with the owners about having discussion forums in the site with full freedom of expressions, with not redlines of any kind. I prevailed or they just got fed up with me, I'm not sure which one, but the result has been a 100% free forums where people can discuss literally anything with no fear of any moderation of anyone interfering and telling members what to say and what not to say.

I was a discussion forums freak for years, I was wandering from a site to another, Pro-American, Pro-Israeli and anti-Arabs and spent countless hours defending my country and my origins and in many times, my religion. I did the same in Arabic sites but I was kicked out, ignored, or feared. I only had the freedom in certain western discussions groups. I wanted to have the same, but with Syrian concentration. I wanted to let people say what they think, feel and want, regardless of what it was. The discussion forums were started at that Syrian site and have been known for the ultimate freedom.

I want to mention something about me on the side: I do criticize a lot, that's part of my nature. I criticize anything that I don't like or feel that it's not right. I say what I think, I speak my mind no matter how hard my criticism is. I'm not in the business of making people hear what they want to hear.

Back to the forums, for years and as a result of the freedom I was giving; I have been accused of infidelity by Moslems and of being biased to Islam by Christians. This has always assured me that I was neutral, yet, giving e-Syrian citizens something new that not anyone can handle; freedom of expression.


I, myself, with an alias name, participated in discussions, started up my own topics, and of course, my criticism came in act as I always had something to talk about. I was bold and daring in my approaches when I want to point the so many negativities we have as Syrians and Arabs, I was hated so much by people, all sorts of people. I was ok with that. Again, I'm not in the business of making people feel good by telling them what they wanna hear.

Anger grew against me for criticizing the bad aspects of our life and practices. None has ever argued against what I say, yet, the always argue about the idea of saying or highlighting them. They claim that we should be optimistic and give a good picture about ourselves and about our Syria…..in a SYRIAN site among ourselves!

Just yesterday, some of them expressed their wish of me being stripped off my Syrian citizenship. I have to admit that this has gotten into me and I'm so angry at that. Since when we have the right to say who loves Syria and who is not? Since when we have the right to point our fingers of treason at other citizens just because they say something that we cannot deny it exist?

Just for being who I am, I got accused by so many closed-minded Syrians of infidelity, which means, in religious terms, I should be slaughtered. Now I got accused by another set of closed minded Syrian of treason, which means, in constitutional terms, I should be hanged to death.

Is it true that what we have had of oppression over the years was the appropriate thing to have? As who knows what would have happened if we had full freedom of expression in the real world. People could be killing each other just for thinking differently and for loving what they love in a different way!

Have you met Abeer?

Meet Abeer, an Iraqi girl who was only 14 year-old when she was raped by four American soldiers before she was shot to death with her family in Iraq during the American attempt to save Iraqis from the injustice of Saddam Hussein. I think they did very good job as Abeer and her family won't feel anything...anymore!

Until further notice....

I have never been a fan of the Syrian regime in my whole live, I grew up to lose my faith and trust in it. There is no need to list my reasons as they are the same as anyone's who loves his/her homeland, Syria.

When the Americans started their invasion, or claimed liberation, of Iraq, I was one of those who were happy for the Iraqis because they were about to get rid of the tyranny of Saddam Hussein and start a new era. I didn't feel that because I trusted the Americans, but because I believed, then, that the Americans would have to leave eventually, and they will. Only then, Iraqis, all of them hand in hand, will have their free Iraq all for them to start building it up and stepping with it to a bright 21st century. I always argued for this and always said: "Give Iraq five to ten years and you will see"
I thought and for a while that Iraq could be a prototype of what Syria can have one day. I had hope of a new beginning for Syria following the new beginning of Iraq.

Years have passed ever since, and with every piece of news about Iraq, I lose hope. With every Iraqi woman who escapes her home in Iraq and flees to Syria to save her life and falls in the trap of the oldest profession in the world, prostitution, I lose my hope. With every Iraqis death count that has increased to be one out of 40 Iraqis since the American "Liberation" in 2003, I lose faith.
The problem is not only with the American troops nor has been only with Saddam Hussein. The problem is with the people of all sects as well. They all contribute to the destruction of Iraq that we see today.


Now, I understand. There is no hope for Iraq; and since it was our prototype, there is no hope for Syria. We are stuck in between the American murderous army and our corrupt regime. There is no third option. The people of Syria were supposed to be the only option left in the equation, but the people of Iraq proved me wrong. Oppressed people cannot rule. They need time to heal and to accept each other.


The regional recent events have strengthened the position of our regime. Yet, they, as well, exposed the true meanings of the American words of "Liberation" and "democracy" and made us feel disgusted when we hear them. Unfortunately, with the inability of people to rule and accept changes, we are left with these two options to choose between: Our regime or the American democracy.



I have made my decision and chose the Syrian regime. I'd rather see my people oppressed than dead. I'd rather see the tears of Syrian mothers over hungry children, than over dead children. I'd rather have my rights violated, than myself raped.

Yes to our regime. I here provide my full support to the regime that I'd never supported before, the regime that I've never trusted and never will.

I'm here selling my soul to the devil, until further notice.

Israel lost : Lebanon won

The war has somehow stopped. Lebanon was heavily destroyed (Only some parts of the country where the Shiiate live but nowhere near the capital and the areas controlled by some personnel of the Lebanese government who are considered "friends" of the USA).

Israeli officials are claiming to have won by the issuance of the UN resolution 1701. In response to that claim, yes they won, but who wouldn't win when they have USA, UK, Germany and many Arabs countries working for the issuance of such a resolution, however, the resolution will only be a victory if the Lebanese government accepts to disarm Hezbollah. That will never happen!

Israel has lost on the ground. The army, who has a legendary reputation of wining all its wars, has lost against Hezbollah despite all the advantage and the technologies it has. Their air force advancement helped them to efficiently target civilians and civil infrastructures, but when the Israeli soldiers faced Hezbollah fighters face to face, they were screwed. Numbers would say it much better for those who refuse to believe: 61 Hezbollah fighters have been killed while 120 Israeli soldiers were killed. As for the civilian casualties: Israel has killed more than 1200 Lebanese civilians, the majority of them were children and Hezbollah killed around 50 Israeli civilians. Not to mention the statement of the Israeli Prime Minister who said yesterday that they are willing to negotiate the exchange of the Israeli soldiers with all the Lebanese prisoner including Samir Qintar! A month ago, things were totally different.

Israel won as the murderer that used its forces to kill civilians and destroy residential buildings and hospitals but it lost when it fought its peers.


The Israelis never made it on the ground and were never able to achieve anything they wanted to achieve, The US saved their face but indeed everybody knows thet Israel has lost the war. It's humiliating for Israel to have lost its first war despite all the arsenal of mass destruction they have.

A state of terror like Israel has learnt that it's not about weapons, but it's about having the right to defend one's land. The Lebanese National Resistance (Hezbollah) prevailed because they have the right to defend their land, free the occupied part of it and release their people from the Israeli prisons.

Killing has stopped in Lebanon, but it's still on in Palestine. If Israel continues its current policy of killing, I believe this is going to be the beginning and won't be the only time that Israel loses a war!

Congrats to the Lebanese and whoever supported them and I certainly don't mean Egypt who sent some actors and singers to show support nor Saudi Arabia who will give them little money of what that they made as a result of the increase in oil prices

To hell with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UN and whoever supported Israel in this war. Shame on the Arabs who blessed the Israeli's aggression against Lebanese. I'm not an Arab, I'm a proud Syrian.

Viva Lebanon and its resistance……God bless…..

Murderous Pride

The war is about to end or will end soon after the extensive diplomatic efforts by many countries followed by a sudden rush by the USA to stop the war. The USA, who has fully supported the Israeli's aggression against Lebanon, is now forced to work on stopping the aggression after the obvious loss and embarrassment of Israel's mighty army.

Of course, the picture will be enhanced in order to prevent showing Israel's loss. But off the record, Israel has lost this war in Lebanon once again.

Lebanon is the only country in the world that has defeated Israel. The first time was in 2000, when Israel was forced to withdraw from South of Lebanon under constant attacks carried by Hezbollah, the Lebanese national resistance movement. And hopefully this will be the second time once Israel releases the Lebanese prisoners and withdraw from Shab'a farms.

Some may say otherwise, well, for the outsiders who are not familiar with the nature of wars in the Middle East that are involving Israel, things may not be clear as Lebanon has suffered more damage than Israel has. But the truth is what happened is a total loss for Israel. The win in this kind of wars is not measured by the destruction that is caused by one country to another. But it's by the achievement of the goals of each war. Israel has achieved none and Lebanon despite the significant damage inflected by Israel will achieve its goals.

The current war started when Hezbollah seized two Israel soldiers and Israel sought that incident as an excuse to eliminate Hezbollah once and for all. Israel started massive raids against the South of Lebanon. Artillery, navy and air forces were constantly bombing everything in Lebanon killing everything that was moving and claiming that it was Hezbollah's. Hezbollah in return, retaliated by launching thousands of missiles on North of Israel causing heavy damage and forcing 2 million Israelis to hide in shelters. Israel's arrogance prevented it to comply with the increasing demand to stop the killing of civilians and the destruction of the Lebanese civil infrastructure. They were still hoping that Hezbollah will still be eliminated. Israel at that time said that they will only stop their attack under certain conditions:

1. Disarming Hezbollah and send them as far as beyond Al-Litani river.
2. Instant return of the two captured soldiers without any exchange with any Lebanese prisoners.

Days have passed and Israel got nothing out of its attacks. Instead, Hezbollah kept hitting deeper in Israel reaching as far as Hayfa.
At that time Israel decided to send ground troops since the air strikes will never achieve their initial goals. Again, they were badly defeated by Hezbollah fighters and were forced to withdraw from points they hardly managed to take control of in the last week.

Today, Israel announced that disarming Hezbollah is not currently required to reach a ceasefire agreement. Instead, they showed flexibility toward the idea of exchange of the Lebanese prisoners for the Israeli ones and withdrawing from Shab'a farms- the last part of the Lebanese part under the Israel occupation- Basically, these demands were Hezbollah's all time demands.

Indeed, Lebanon has been severely destroyed. But for those who don't know, Lebanon has been destroyed by Israel many times and rebuilt by the Lebanese every time. One last time will not be impossible. However, they can now be proud that this small country achieved something that many Arabs country failed to. They freed their occupied land with no conditions. Their pride is the most honorable in the world. Israeli pride on the other hand, the murderous pride, is the most shameful of all time. That pride prevented Israel from allowing human and medical aid to reach South of Lebanon; it prevented them from accepting a 72 hours humanitarian ceasefire suggested by the UN during which injured civilians would have been rescued from under the dust of their collapsed homes. On the contrary, that pride pushed them to focus on destroying more and more of the Lebanese commercial, civil and tourist infrastructure hoping that this will create an internal pressure on Hezbollah. They were wrong. Lebanese prevail.

Now, let's talk about this war from different perspectives and will start with some Lebanese-American-Britain and other's claim that Hezbollah's doings are in favor of Syria and Iran. I personally find it stupid, yet disgraceful (for the Lebanese) to degenerate the national resistance and make it look like a toy in others hand. That claim would be true if Lebanon has a peace agreement with Israel and no Lebanese Land or prisoners are in Israel's hand. Since that does not apply, that claim is lame and really shows nothing but the stupidity of whoever repeats it like a parrot (i.e. Blair, Bush, Jumblat and others)

Hezbollah did start the current event, however, their act was against soldiers in uniform not civilians and the immediate response of Israel was against civilians Therefore, if we are to use the word terrorists, it will be more appropriate to describe the Israel's act and whoever supported the killing of all the civilians who have been killed.

I'm proud of the Lebanese in general and Hezbollah in specific for not letting their land and rights in anybody's control. And I'm so much disgusted by the world both the Western and the Arab who either stood in silence or supported the killing and destruction of Lebanon.


After 18 days of war in Lebanon, Israel and the free world represented by USA and Britain and supported by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have achieved the following:

• One fifth of the Lebanese population was forced to leave their homes under the heavy bombardment.
• 700 Lebanese civilians were killed by Israel and more than 3000 injured.

As for the numbers from the other side of the borders, Israel is controlling all the out coming media and not releasing any sort of info about the damage caused by Hezbollah, however, all what have been announced until now is less than 10 percent of the above numbers, yet, most of the casualties in Israel are soldiers as per the Israeli media.

Click here for photos from Lebanon showing the doings of Israel

From Israel to Lebanon with love.....

People around the world wonder why Arabs hate Israel. Their questions are based on the propaganda that Israel is a democratic entity in the Middle East that is facing evil powers around it whose only aim is to eliminate this peace-loving democratic state.

If people use reliable sources to get their information about the Middle East, they will understand and maybe hate Israel themselves.

Israel is a state built on the ruins and bloods of others. Throughout its short history, it has committed hundreds of massacres and atrocities, kicked hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes. Unfortunately, these stories are never covered by the media in the west! Why would it be? Israel is the establishment of the west in the ME!

Anyway, I'm not here to talk about history. But to answer the question of some people about why Arabs hate Israel, I though that this little story can do the job.

Two days ago a little Israeli girl, in the supposed age of innocence, decided to send a message reflecting the love she has in her heart toward the Arabs in general and Lebanese in specific to her Lebanese counterpart. The message was sent and received in the very same day. However the Lebanese girl could not read it as she was dead!

The Israeli girl who sent the message

The Lebanese girl who never lived to read the message

When a country like Israel kills the innocence of its children to make them grow with hatred in their heart instead of innocence, it cannot expect to be respected by its neighbors.

Hatred brings only hatred.


Update: Just today the 19th of July 2006, Israel killed 50 Lebanese civilians!

Lebanese terorrists caught on camera!

I was watching the coverage of the current blood bath in the Middle East on CBS news!

Their first reporter in Haifa shed some light on the agony of the Israelis in that city and mentioned that their life will never be the same after those days! Then the reporter interviewed a high ranking military officer who said they are sending warnings to the Lebanese civilians and doing their best to avoid any casualties among them! I applauded for the humanity of the Israeli army! I wish all the armies had a heart like the Israeli's.

Then their reporter in Lebanon quickly mentioned the death of some 23 Lebanese, without indicating the fact that they were civilians and most of them were KIDS! And made sure to mention that the Canadians who were killed that day were Lebanese-Canadians not just Canadians! As if that makes the loss less! ..... Maybe it does!!

Later on, the reporter interviewed a Lebanese-American girl- they did not use the term Lebanese-American, she was just American who happened to have a Lebanese parents. That girl showed the terror that is going on as a result of Hezbollah aggression! She did not indicate, not in a single word, any blame for Israel's aggression!

I was touched by the coverage and I believed- like thousands of the American people who watch that coverage everyday- that Israel is not an aggressor and that Lebanon is a nest for terrorism and therefore must be destroyed and its civilians- or terrorists as per CBS- slaughtered!

I googled some photos of those terrorist and found a lot. I will post some of them in case you are curious to see the terrorist that Israel has been killing everyday for the last week.

Way to go free world!

Photos from: http://lebanonunderattack.wordpress.com/pictures-those-are-tough/ and other places

Today, We Are All Lebanese

Lebanon has been sentenced to death. On Wednesday 12 July, she was put in prison, and now she's being tortured.

Israel's war is with Lebanon's civilians, not Hizbollah. Nearly every person killed has been a civilian. Power stations, bridges and petrol stations have been targeted. Israel has warned residents to get out of certain villages, but bombed roads to make it difficult - and refugee convoys have been picked out for deadly air raids.

Getting out of the country is impossible now too. The airport has been destroyed, the sea ports are blockaded, and the border posts and highways have been razed to the ground.
Lebanon is held hostage to the angry Israeli war machine. And now more than ever, Syrians bloggers, just like every Syrian stand by her.
Another generation of Lebanese will know nothing but war. We can't let this happen, Again.

The above has been supported by the group of Syrian bloggers at Syria Planet. Please feel free to re-post this statement.

The following is my own words on this issue:
Thousands of Lebanese have been in detention in Israeli prisons for years. Nobody in the world seemed to care. Yet, when two Israelis soldiers were seized by Hezbollah, almost everybody in the new world as well as the Arab world started to cry out for the legitimate right of Israelis to destroy Lebanon and slaughter Lebanese!

More than one hundred civilians in Lebanon have been killed and hundreds of casualties! Israel is targeting the infrastructure of Lebanon causing severe damage to the Lebanese economic! Still, nobody seems to care!

I'm not surprised when the US, Canada, Germany, Russia, UK and many other "civilized" western countries cared for nothing but for the two captured Israeli soldiers, while a whole nation, hundreds of children and innocents are been killed everyday! But what has really got into me was the response of countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait! They all took the same stand condemning the capture of the Israeli soldiers and calling to blame Hezbollah for its wrong doing!

I curse the Arabic language that I speak, which made me have something in common with the Bedouin Arabs! I'm Syrian and will never be an Arab!


I may not agree with the timing of Hezbollah's action, not the action itself. But clearly, I give my full support – if it means anything- to All the Lebanese and to Hezbollah in their fight with the Israeli Nazis!

Syria is watching, doing nothing and will do nothing no matter what! The Golan Height is the most stable front in the region! Why to bother? If Lebanon has always been the battlefield for the Arab-Israeli conflict! Got anything against Israel? Bring it on to Lebanon!

Now Lebanon is destroyed, Hezbollah will face not only Israeli and the US, but Arabs and Lebanese! The end of these days' escalation will mean the end of the only efficient and respectable resistance against Israel in the world!

The Lebanese have been proud of their resistance. I feel jealous, as Syrian, for not having the same resistance in the Golan Height front! Shame that politicians, Lebanese and Arabs mostly have decided to work on terminating such a glorious resistance!


God save and help Lebanon and may victory and pride be on their side, of course, that does not include the puppets and fagits of March 14th!

60 years....

60 years, Syria has been in independence of any foreign control over the country and independence of any existence of non-national sovereignty.

60 years, Syrian people have been having independence in which, they didn’t feel independent. An independence in which they have to comply to Arabic speaking authorities with Syrian identity that is not much different than any other non-Arabic speaking authorities that would care more about their interest rather than the people’s.

60 years, our economic has risen and fallen.

60 years, our land was given back to us, but shortly after, a part of it was taken again and is never back.

60 years to come, and we will have the same form of independence, as it’s the only form that we've known for 3 generations.

Happy Independence Day to all Syrians……may peace and prosperity find their way to our beloved Syria.

Photo: Yousef Al-Azmeh square, Damascus.

The secret of Damascus

Is it the people of Damascus, with their fading smile that fights with the daily difficulties of life in Syria?

Is it the old section of Damascus, with its warm alleys and the smell of the hundreds of years that live among its walls?

Is it the modern part of Damascus, with its random allocations, and the smell of the pollution in the sky?

Is it the human noise in Damascus, with its mixture of all voices, a crying kid, an angry driver, a loud woman, a laughing boy and a shouting old man?

Is it the honks of the vehicles in Damascus, a running car, a stopping bus and an awaiting cab?

Is it the simplicity and the complexity of the life in Damascus, where the two exist under the same roof?

Is it the hangout places in Damascus, with people laughing, eating, playing cards or just simply, staring at each other?

Is it Kassion, the mountain that has been protecting Damascus for ever, with its occasional snow, permanent trees, and dark hideouts that shelter the lovers at night?

I have lived with, in, through all of that, and have been to all and though all of that as well.

The secret in there and the only special thing is Damascus itself. You may find the noise and the people, the old and the modern parts in many places around the world. You will find lots of bigger and higher mountains than Kassion. But they will never feel as they do in Damascus, you will never sense their spirit as you will in Damascus, you will never miss being away from them as you do when you are away from Damascus.

You will only understand what Damascus is, after you have lived there, and then left.

Ashamed of being Syrian!

I woke up this morning on the news of “Angry Syrians set two European Embassies on fire”.


I felt furious for this kind of response. This is not us, or at least, not what I thought we were not!

I welcomed, both, the commercial and diplomatic actions in response to the cartoons that mocked the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and for once, I felt that we are reacting in a civilized manner! Not any more!

While I’m 100% convinced that the “Syrian Regime” had a hand in what happened. I still cannot understand the concept of being driven like a sheep. To me, those people who were sabotaging and burning the embassies seemed like stupid sheep led by a smart shepherd.

The demonstration had been set to be on Saturday, the off day of
all the western embassies in Damascus so they avoided any human casualties. This means they had already planned on letting angry/religiously-charged demonstrators go inside the buildings. The way the riot police was seen on TV and in photos suggests weak protection of these buildings. Furthermore, as a Syrian, I know that we have a strong security forces that can do anything to stop any unwanted gatherings, demonstrations, or actions with scales of responses that vary according to how bad they want to stop them.

All the above make me believe that our regime played a role in all this in a way or another!

Why? Someone may ask.

To send a message to the west demonstrating the alternative that will rule Syria in case the west decides to overthrow the current Syrian regime, I would answer.

I have always been proud of being a Syrian, today, and for a slight of a moment, I felt ashamed. But shortly after, I thought, I’m Syrian and they are not, and if they were, they are they ones who should be ashamed, not me.



Photo by El Sirio

A colorless occasion...

Once again, in the middle of all the darkness that our country is going through, a new occasion for the Syrians to celebrate and act as if nothing wrong surrounding their future and the future of their country. They are trying to add their own colors to these colorless days.


It's the first Eid for me away from home and my beloved ones. I have lost track of days and occasions that used to mean a lot to me, but an Eid, without a family to sit with in the morning and have coffee with before going to buy some sheep and have them accordinally distributed, is not an Eid.

Adha Moubarak and happy Eid everybody, not for me anyway!