By: Tashbih Sayyed, Ph.D
The murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri has underlined that the war to liberate Muslims from the clutches of tyrants has not ended with the toppling of Saddam Hussein but has just begun. The Lebanese people oppressed under Baathist rule today, are no different than the Iraqis under Baathist dictator – Saddam Hussein. Their lives are controlled by Political Violence, intimidation and Syrian occupation - they are not free to pursue their aspirations and determine their own political future.
According to media comments, "Those looking for the culprit in Lebanon's newest suffering need not go further than Syria and the bloody hand of President Bashar Assad. Syria has played a pivotal and pernicious role in Lebanon for the last 30 years. With some 15,000 Syrian troops stationed there, Lebanon has been reduced to a pantomime of a country, with all the trappings of sovereignty but no real control of its destiny. Lebanon is occupied by Syria."
Iraqi success in overcoming fear and defeating intimidation by laying the foundation of democracy in their country has alarmed other tyrants of the region; they are now determined to do anything within their power to stop the roots of freedoms from gaining ground. Beirut terrorism underscores the need to be more resolute and determined in this fight to defeat the demons of tyranny wherever they are. And Syria must be the next stop.
The presence of Syrian occupation forces in Lebanon have contributed in the spread of religious sectarianism, anti- Americanism in the region and have emboldened the elements of terrorism and anti-Semitism in the Middle East. Iran has been a direct beneficiary of Syrian sponsorship of political violence and religious terrorism against Israel.
The Security Council has already expressed grave concern at the possible impact of the killing of Mr. Hariri on the ongoing efforts of the Lebanese people to solidify democracy. It has stressed that the "terrorist act" must not jeopardize upcoming parliamentary elections. "The Security Council is concerned by the potential for further destabilization of Lebanon, and expresses hope that the Lebanese people will be able to emerge from this terrible event united and to use peaceful means in support of their long-standing national aspiration to full sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity."
The UN Security Council asked Secretary-General Kofi Annan to urgently look into the killing, a measure the United States hopes will lead to further action by the world body. Lebanese opposition figures did not hesitate to point an accusing finger at Damascus. "This (Lebanese) regime is backed by the Syrians. This is the regime of terrorists and terrorism that was able yesterday to wipe out Rafik al-Hariri," Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said after presenting his condolences to Hariri's family in Beirut. "I charge the Lebanese-Syrian police regime with the responsibility for Hariri's death," he said.
The original French-drafted text referred directly to a Council resolution demanding that Syria withdraw its remaining 14,000 troops from Lebanon. Syria sent troops in 1976 to help quell a civil war in Lebanon. They remained through 14 years of fighting and are still there. Damascus is seen as pulling the strings in Lebanese politics — most recently in pressing for a constitutional amendment to allow a second term for pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud.
London-based Al Hayat newspaper cited diplomatic sources in Paris saying a message carried by UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen to Damascus last week contained a strong warning to Syrian president Bashar Assad not to interfere in Lebanon's upcoming elections. The UN warned Assad that any attempts to harm opposition members, naming former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri or Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt, would lead to a "total, final and irrevocable divorce with the international community."
U.S. has also urged Syria to pull out its troops from Lebanon, "The United States is calling on Syria to comply immediately with the provisions of resolution 1559, and that is totally consistent with the statement the Security Council has just passed," U.S. deputy ambassador Anne Patterson said. U.S. officials said they are considering imposing new sanctions on Syria because of its refusal to withdraw its 14,000 troops from Lebanon and the administration's belief that Syria lets Palestinian militants and Iraqi insurgents operate on its soil.
Experts believe that Syria has perpetuated itself so deep and wide in Lebanon that just the withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon will not translate in an enduring peace and stability in the Middle East. It is a common observation that the Syrians have used their occupation of Lebanon to install, establish and institute permanent intelligence cells among the Lebanese masses which will continue to operate even if the Syrian troops are forced to leave Lebanon. There main objective will remain to keep the country in turmoil and provide bases and sanctuary for terrorist activities. Therefore, the experts have determined that the world must not restrict itself to just demanding the troop withdrawal but should insist on a complete regime change in Syria.
Exiled former general Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian said Damascus was indirectly, if not directly, responsible for Hariri's killing. "There are many Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services working in Beirut and they control everything in the country. I don't think that if they were taking care of Hariri he would be attacked so easily," Aoun told Reuters by telephone.
In this respect a statement by Syrian Democratic Coalition (SDC) and the Syrian Reform Party (SRP) is significant. The group is seeking the dismantling of Ba'athism in Syria through a regime change for the sake of long term peace and stability in the region.
According to SDC and SRP, "Ba'athists have convinced the world that the alternative to their rule is extreme Islamists when in reality most Muslims in Syria are either secular or Sufi (Moderate Muslims). And in the case of the Muslim Brotherhood, they represent a minority that, like Jordan, will integrate well into a new democratic society ruled by law because they have no choice but to in the face of a democratic and determined world."
Addressing Lebanese people, SDC adds, "To our Lebanese friends, we ask that you support regime change and not only that the Ba'athists exit Lebanon; in our opinion, even if the 14,000 soldiers leave Lebanon, they will continue stirring things up with their deeply rooted intelligence services to insure instability, sectarian violence, and corruption. This is how they have been able to maintain their minority grip unto our society and this policy will continue in Lebanon unless we uproot their dictatorial rule."
It is vital for the world to understand that today, in view of civilization's war on terrorism and the success of US policy of spreading democracy in the Muslim lands, Syria with its only ally Iran finds itself cornered. Left with nothing much to bargain except its occupation of Lebanon and nuclear card in the case of Iran, it is a question of life and death for the retrogressive and oppressive states. That's why Syria has been aiding and abetting the insurgency in Iraq, interfering with the Arab-Israel peace process and sponsoring the Hizbullah militia in Lebanon.
Recent world experience has shown that the Muslim world is getting more and more tired of Fascist regimes and totalitarian ideologies. Like Afghanis and Iraqis, the Lebanese too are waiting for a liberator. In the past Lebanese never dared to criticize or accuse Syria for its crimes but this time they have - Hariri's murder has forced them to throw away their age old fears and speak up against Syria. This is very welcome sign, the world must respond to this cry for help.
Therefore it is not only prudent but imperative for the United Nations to take measures not only to restore Lebanon's independence, sovereignty and democracy by freeing it from foreign occupation but also liberate Syrians by extending a helping hand to remove the undemocratic Baathist regime.
(The writer is editor-in-chief of Muslim World Today and Pakistan Today, California-based weekly newspapers, president of Council for Democracy and Tolerance and adjunct fellow of Hudson Institute.)
