Support The Syrian People Against The Dictatorial Régime, So That We May Hear Cries Of 'Long Live Peace' Instead Of 'Death To America'

 Mustafa Sejari:

 'What are most of the Syrians in Syria saying today? 'The U.S. takes part in killing us. It talks about red lines [but in practice] does nothing for us. It talks about fighting terror, but [Syria's ambassador to the UN], Bashar Al-Jaafari, is there thanks to the U.S., and Bashar Al-Assad [remains] in his seat thanks to an [American] decision... And what about the current U.S. withdrawal [from Syria]? Has Trump not handed those areas to Assad and Iran?

 That is part of the discourse on the streets. Some ask, how many civilians did Al-Baghadadi murder, and how many has Bashar Al-Assad murdered? Which one of them used chemical weapons, fissile materials and cluster bombs, and never stopped using barrel [bombs]? What has Al-Baghdadi done that Assad and the [Kurdish] separatists have not done? Al-Baghdadi murdered and they murdered, Al-Baghdadi burned and they burned, Al-Baghdadi expelled [Syrians from their homes] and so did they, Al-Baghdadi slaughtered people and so did they... The [only] difference is that [Al-Baghdadi] did this in front of cameras, while Assad and the separataists did it behind the cameras. Why then this American double standard?... And after all this, does anyone expect our people and the peoples of the region to say, 'thank you, Trump, thank you, America'?



 Before the Syrian revolution, we derived all our knowledge about the U.S. from the sources available to us, which were limited to what the regime of Assad Sr. provided us. [Our sources of information were] elementary school, high school and university; circles [close to the political] parties; television and the press; plays, series and programs; rumors and what people close to the regime told us. [Hafez Al-Assad's] son [Bashar] continued in his footsteps, so [we still] had no other sources, and all [these sources] pointed in the same direction: the U.S. is the 'Great Satan.' Yes, that is how we lived and were raised, and that was the [image of] the U.S. for many of us...

 [At the same time], the Arab regimes and other elements with [various] interests presented the peoples of the region to the Americans as wild beasts of prey, ravenous dogs and extremist gangs. Islam [was presented to them] as the source of terror, and the Muslims as the greatest threat to the world... The Arab regimes [presented themselves to the U.S.] as the only force that could curb the ambitions of the Islamists and the terror organizations..."

 [But] the fact is that the U.S. is not the Great Satan and we are not the source of terror in the world. America fulfils its natural role as the leader of the world, and we demand our natural right to live like the rest of the world...

 Our questions to our American friends are the following: What now? You have killed Al-Baghdadi, [but] have you defeated terror? Are there any guarantees that Al-Baghdadi will not be succeeded by [another] Al-Baghdadi, or by thousands of them? Not long ago you ended your war on Al-Qaeda when you said 'We have killed bin Laden.' But there were also [his successor Ayman] Al-Zawahiri, [Al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq Abu Mus'ab] Al-Zarqawi, [ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad] Al-'Adnani, [Abu Bakr] Al-Baghdadi [himself and the leader of the Tahrir Al-Sham organization, Abu Muhammad] Al-Joulani. This is a never-ending war, because its reasons and motivations have not been addressed. Military war, on its own, is not effective.
 Do not rely on a false victory. Do not be a tool in the hands of the criminal and dictatorial regional governments. This way terror will never cease and the war will never end. With this policy, you show hostility towards a great and noble nation and towards decent peoples, and display enmity towards them for no good reason. My American friends, the peoples and the youth of the region are victims of a heinous local policy [whose leaders] use the U.S. to confront their peoples, while using the young people of the nation to harm U.S. interests.

 In short, my message to you is to carry out a genuine reconciliation with the peoples of the region. All we ask is that you give yourselves and us a chance and help us attain our freedom and defend our honor... Terror will only be eradicated by eradicating the hostile, dictatorial sectarian regimes. Terror will end only when you stand with the peoples that dream of liberty, justice and democracy.
 My friends the Americans, I am one of those who were given an opportunity to get to know you. I realize that you are a good and wonderful nation, but my honorable [Syrian] people, and the [other] peoples of the region, are [also] entitled to know you, through your support for our just causes. True, you have recognized the just nature of our Syrian cause, but your policy towards us is still bad.

 Tyranny, oppression, poverty and ignorance are the main incubators of terror. Let us eradicate terror together by eradicating its motivations, causes, supporters, instigators and those who benefit from it, until the day comes when we no longer hear [calls of] "death to America and long live Al-Baghdadi, Emir of the Faithful." Let us work together towards the day we will [all] say: "long live all of us, and long live peace." '