Suleiman is a Syrian construction worker that has been
working in Lebanon for more than twenty years. He is a good handyman and I
contract him for odd jobs when need be. He is from the Houran area near Daraa,
he is tall with clear eyes and a calm smile. Over the years we had nice
discussions. I enjoy his straight forward look at life.
When Hafez Assad was president of Syria he seemed always
satisfied with his life. He doesn’t ask for much; good food, building a home in
his village, and providing for his family. Some years ago, after Bashar Assad
became president, Suleiman started complaining that costs of sugar, tea, and
fuel were increasing. He often looked worried about the future.
Then the Tunisia and Egypt revolutions started and he told
me “this cannot happen in Syria because Bashar will do like his father did in
Hama. He will bomb us with planes and kill us all”. I will never forget the
stupid answer I gave him “no, today nothing can be hidden with the new
technologies, and the world cannot accept that somebody bombs and kills his
people”. I was more naïve that he and these words I said in all faith will
haunt me forever. I mislead him; it is clear that the world does not care.
I saw Suleiman months later and he told me the story of kids
in Daraa that were arrested and beaten because they were chanting around the
school. He seemed upset. Then I got to know from the media about the Daraa
children tortured and killed by the security forces. Then we started seeing
people in the street clapping their hands and chanting against what has
happening.
Again I saw Suleiman and he seemed upbeat very hopeful that
change was coming to Syria. He told me that all in his region have rifles but
that they wanted to keep the revolution peaceful. He explained that for this
reason they were clapping their hands. They wanted to show that they were
unarmed. And he was angry because the soldiers were shooting at the
demonstrators and that the soldiers that did not shoot were killed by their superiors.
He told me “we refuse to be slaves for much longer, finish, now we want our
freedom and dignity”!
Two months later I asked for Suleiman to come to do a paint
job for a friend of mine. His roommate told me that Suleiman went back home.
Seeing pictures of civilians killed daily by the army got me to worry about
him. Then he came to me and when I asked him how it was in his village. This
big man broke down in tears. He described to me how his 17 years old nephew had
his photo broadcasted on television while stamping a picture of Bashar Assad
during a demonstration. The secret service took him and cut both his legs from
the knee down in punishment. Then his voice broke and he told me that his other
nephew who is a soldier was shot in the head by his superior when he refused to
shoot at the villagers. The army brought his body to his mother and forced her
to sign a declaration saying that her son was shot by terrorists that broke
into their house.
I remembered my words and hated myself for them.
From then on, each time I came across Suleiman he had a
horror story to share with me and slowly I saw this kind man become angry and
bitter. Until one day he told me about the Free Syrian Army who was protecting
the villagers. He was proud and full of hope. He idealized these brave soldiers
that were protecting them and told me that the world will now help the
revolution to get rid of Bashar.
He was wrong, the air bombing started and the massacres
increased, and each time I saw him he was more and more angry. He used to ask
me “do you think that now they will help us now?” What he meant by “they” was
the West and the Arab countries. I did not know what to answer. I was losing
faith and hope by the day with the so called “International Community” and the
talk of upholding human rights.
Then one day he came to me and told me about the
fundamentalists that were now fighting with the revolution and that they had
lots of money and better weapons than the Free Army but that nobody really
liked them.
Time passed and this nice, good hearted man started to carry
hatred. He started talking about Alawites instead of Bashar forces; he started
to curse against the United States who was doing nothing while the Iranians and
Russians were helping Bashar.
Suleiman lost two brothers, tens of cousins, nephews, and
friends. Today he carries hatred in his heart and despair. His sparkling eyes
are now dull and when he smiles, it is a sad smile. But I never heard him say
that he regretted what happened. He is always saying that living with dignity
and freedom is what he is dreaming off and that there is no way that he could
forgive Bashar or accept that he remains president of Syria.
Suleiman personifies the Syrian tragedy and for me remains
the symbol of my failure, and the failure of all those who believe in freedom
and dignity. We failed the people of Syria.
Albert Einstein once said “the world will not be destroyed
by the people who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything”.
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