On February 13, 2012, the Qatari daily Al-Sharq published a column by Dr. Khaled Al-Hindawi titled "To Those Who Seek Ethics of War in the Holocaust of Homs and Syria!" In it, the columnist claims that "the Holocaust of the steadfast Homs surpasses what the Nazis did to the Jews" and that the Syrian regime violates the shari'a, international law, and all the ethics of war. Saying that the international community is responsible for the ongoing "atrocities" against unarmed Syrians by members of the regime, whom he calls "murderous bloodsuckers and violators of religion and international law," he also attacks Russia, China, Iran, Hizbullah, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki over their support for the Syrian regime.
Following are translated excerpts from the article:[1]
"Anyone Who Looks Upon the Actions of These Murderous Bloodsuckers... Understands That They Are Not Part of the Human Race, But Rather Wild Animals"
"Every political regime in the world that refuses to coexist with its people by accepting the other's opinion and by truly welcoming oppositionists in a genuine and reasonable manner, [but rather] employs every means to root out and ultimately crush them – as happened with the Communist and Nazi political regimes – is a failed, oppressive regime. No matter how certain it is in its ability to survive, it will [eventually] cease to exist, as happened to those tyrannical regimes, since the peoples' power and struggle are stronger...
"In the violent Syrian arena, we are now seeing oppression and crime unmatched in any other country. [The members of Bashar] Al-Assad's gang think that they are stronger than the great empires, and that they will erase Europe from the map, as [Syrian Foreign Minister] Walid Al-Mu'allem boasted [in June 2011]... and that as long as the Russian Shabiha[2]... is on their side, they will defeat and destroy those whom they call terrorists, while [the truth is that] they themselves are the real terrorists. The patient people will teach them a lesson and throw them into the pits of doom, despite all acts done to [the people] that contravene the law and the shari'a.
"Anyone who looks upon the actions of these murderous, bloodsucking, violators of religion and international law completely understands that they are not part of the human race, but rather wild animals from the forest, led by [Bashar Al-Assad], who succeeded his father [Hafez] Al-Assad in this role...
"Can Assad remain a lion [assad in Arabic] when he turns his back on the Zionists, leaving the Golan to groan [under] their occupation, and advances stern-faced towards his unarmed people who demand freedom?..."
"The Holocaust of the Steadfast Homs Surpasses What the Nazis Did to the Jews"
"The tragedy experienced by Syria today – and especially by the proud Homs, city of Khaled bin Al-Walid[3] – and the brutal acts of massacre carried out against [the Syrian citizens] are unmatched [even by Roman emperor] Nero [and Mongol ruler] Hulagu Khan,[4] [let alone by the leaders of today], in an era in which human rights and international law are touted.
"The holocaust of the steadfast Homs surpasses what the Nazis did to the Jews. The random bombardment of the Bab 'Amru [neighborhood], and especially of the Al-Insha'at neighborhood; the killing and wounding of hundreds of children, women, and elderly; the destruction of property; the interruption electricity and running water; the tainting of food; the attacks on field hospitals; the shredding of body parts; the sectarian attack on Sunni families, like the slaughter of three families of Homs' finest, 19 people in all, and other atrocities by Assad; in addition to the murder and violations taking place in the steadfast Dara; the violations in the fighting [city of] Hama, which are manifest in the arrest of over 300 families and the bombardment of homes; and what is occurring in the fighting [cities of] Idlib and Jabel al-Zawiyya, as well as in the defiant [city of] Al-Qurayya and the rest of Syria's bastions – [all this,] and the continuing oppression and the ongoing flow of the rivers of blood... are decisive proof that the international community's shame has been exposed for all to see, for it is unable to stop this gang, and that the legal and shari'a responsibility is on everyone's shoulders, even if the [guiltiest] are Assad's wild beasts..."
"The Credibility of [Syria], Russia, China, Iran, Hizbullah, Iraq" Is "Hundreds of Degrees Below Zero"
"The credibility of [Syria], Russia, China, Iran, Hizbullah, Iraqi [Prime Minister Nouri] Al-Maliki, and those who stand with them, is hundreds of degrees below zero, like the frosty temperatures in several countries during this time. Assad's men went crazy and began killing and wounding the protestors, and even abducting women and attacking the elderly. They claim to be 'Alawis, but Al-Mawardi [a jurisprudent from the late 'Abbasid period] stated... that 'Ali bin Abi Taleb [the Fourth Caliph, whom the Alawis revere] used to say, even to the Khawarij[5] who harmed him:...We will not deny you the mosques of Allah, and we will not kill you.
"Today the equation is clear: the oppressive regime is the one doing the killing and the one oppressing its disenfranchised people. Even if we assume that this regime considers those who stand against it wrongdoers – which [they] cannot be – even then the jurisprudents said... that fighting them should be done with the intention of forcing them back rather than killing them, taking vengeance [upon them], harming them, or killing their wounded – but this is what [Assad's forces] do to the wounded for the most part... They even killed 19 doctors along with the injured in Douma [near] Damascus in the past four months...
"We know Islam's forgiving nature and its mercy even towards enemies in wars: it forbids killing peaceful, noncombatant residents, or killing women, children, laborers, farmers, merchants, monks, or weary old men. [Islam also] forbids damaging their property or uprooting their trees, burning their farms or killing their livestock, except what is necessary for food. If certain people made mistakes, they must be held accountable. After all this blood, have Bashar and his gang held any of their own accountable?...
"When Will the Shari'a and [International] Law Stop the Violations in Syria?"
"Regarding the law: Humane international law forbids killing, wounding, plundering, raping, and damaging property – especially houses of worship and hospitals. Since 2001, 189 countries [have signed] the famous Geneva Treaties, which were complemented by two additional protocols, and which are aimed at ending violence and protecting civilians and those who help [the civilians] in wartime.
"Islam preceded [international] law and it is even more committed to justice [than the latter]. When will the shari'a and the law stop the violations in Syria?"
Endnotes:
[1] Al-Sharq (Qatar), February 13, 2012.
[2] Nickname for a plainclothes militia that is assisting the Syrian army and security forces in suppressing the protests. Here the writer applies the term to the Russians, who are also assisting the Assad regime.
[3] A Muslim general in the early days of Islam. Under his leadership, the Muslims conquered most of Syria. He died in Homs, and a Mosque named after him was erected over his grave.
[4] Conquered most of Southeast Asia in the 13th century, as well as Iraq, and, according to Muslim sources, killed many of their residents.
[5] A group that broke off from 'Ali's camp during the Battle of Siffin in 657, and is considered the first internal oppositionist group in Islam.