Syrian TV Host And Al-Assad Loyalist Jaafar Ahmad Castigates Citizens For Complaining About Power Outages: Charlemagne, Caliphs Did Not Have Electricity, Either; An Hour Of Electricity Every Five Hours Is A Blessing, Relish It

In a December 29, 2021 show on Lana TV (Syria), Syrian TV host and Al-Assad loyalist Jaafar Ahmad criticized Syrian citizens for complaining about power outages. He said that electricity is a relatively recent invention and that powerful leaders like Charlemagne and Caliph Harun Al-Rashid didn't have electricity. Ahmad said: "So how can you complain that you are miserable when you enjoy an hour of electricity every five hours? By Allah, this is a blessing. Relish it."

Jaafar Ahmad: "Dear viewers, electricity is a relatively recent invention. As you may know, humanity lived for thousands of years without electricity. [Caliph] Harun Al-Rashid, Charlemagne, [Queen of Palmyra] Zenobia, all the kings of the Byzantine and Persian empires, and even [King] Al-Nu'man ibn Al-Mundhir did not have electricity. Furthermore, [Middle Ages poets] Imru' Al-Qais, Zuhair bin Abi Sulma, Jarir ibn Atiyah, Al-Farazadaq, and Al-Zeer Salem – they all had no electricity.

"So can you complain that you are miserable, when you enjoy an hour of electricity every five hours?

"By Allah, this is a blessing. Relish it, and pray that it does not go away."