Posted in Society - مجتمع

مواعيد مع الحياة

تستغرق قراءة المقال: 10 دقائق

كانت دمشقُ التي هجرتها بسبب الحربِ، مفعمةً بالحياة ومتناغمة، حتى أنه يكاد من الصعبِ أن أذكُرَ ما كان أكبر همومي عندما كنت أسكن في حواريها وأشرب من مياهها وأعيش على هوائها، لكن وكما تقول نظرية ابن خلدون الشهيرة والعظيمة، لكل شيءٍ موجود على .الكرة الأرضية بداية ونهاية، لكلٍ موعدٌ مع الولادة والنمو وموعدٌ مع الموت والفناءِ

 جاء موعد ولادتي في اواخر الثمانينيات من القرن الماضي في إحدى حواري دمشق النظيفة والجميلة والراقية، ولدت لأبٍ وأمٍ مسلمين، لحارةٍ ينادي فيها الشيخ للصلاة خمسُ مرات في اليوم، يجاورها كنيسةً تنادي للصلاة أجراسها مرة كل يوم. كبرت في مدارس الرهبان في حواري باب توما والقصاع ودمشق القديمة، علمت حينها أن لدي أصدقاء مسلمون أحضَرُ وإياهم صفوف الديانة الإسلامية، وأصدقاء مسيحيون ينفصلون عنا في صفوفهم، ولم يكن يوماً هذا الفرق عائقاً أو مشكلةً أو حتى عاملاً مميزاً، كنا نتحلى بنفس الصفات والعادات والتقاليد، ونتمتع بنفس الحقوق والواجبات في المدرسة.

كان لي موعد آخر في اوائل الألفية الجديدة مع نادٍ صيفي لإحدى صديقات أمي والتي كان لها فضلٌ في “نضوجي المتزن نسبياً” في مرحلة عمريةٍ “المراهقة” تكاد تكون الأصعب على الإنسان حيث يتحدد فيها الميول والمبادئ. توسعت دائرة معارفي في هذا النادي الصيفي المليء بالنشاطات الرياضية والفنية والإبداعية، وبالنشاطات الإنسانية والتطوعية، وبكل صدق وصراحة، لم يخطر ببالي ولو لمرةٍ واحدة أن أسال أحداً منهم عن انتمائه الديني، حتى أنني لم أكن أعرف حينها أن هناك أطيافاً كثيرة تفرق أبناء الدين الواحد.

ولعل أهم محطات حياتي كانت موعد لقائي مع أطفالٍ من دار اللقطاء الذي كان يدعى “دار زيد بن حارثة”، دخلت في هذه المرحلة بمحاكاة عقلية صعبة وبت أشرد بالتفكير.. عن الوضع المعيشي والاجتماعي والإنساني الذي سيترعرون عليه أطفال هذا الدار. هل الحظ يفرق بيني وبين أطفال الدار؟ لماذا تركوهم آبائهم على أبواب المياتم والجوامع والكنائس؟ الوعي الثقافي ربما؟ القدرة المادية؟ لا ادري. لكن الأهم أنني تعلمت أنه مهما كان الفرق  بيني وبين الآخر يجب أن أتعامل معه على أنه إنسان بغض النظر عن بيئته وظروفه، وإذا كان القدر قد جار عليه فعلينا ألا نكون والقدر عليه، فنحن بنهاية المطاف نتقاسم وإياهم الحقوق والواجبات، وسيكونون جزءاً لا يتجزء من نجاحات المجتمع وفشله فيجب أن نساعد بعضنا البعض قدر الإمكان لنعيش بأمان وسلام. تعلمت جل الدروس في هذه المحطة وقد نشأت على حب العطاء ومساعدة الآخرين والاستمتاع بهما.

كان موعد الغزو الاسرائيلي على لبنان في تموز  2006 فرصةً أخرى وشرف لي لخدمة لاجئي الحرب طيلة 33 يوماً. تعرفت حينها على أناس مختلفين، أتوا من الجنوب اللبناني، وحينها فقط أدركت أنه هناك أطياف تقسم الأديان وأن من يحارب الإسرائيليين آنذاك هو من طائفة لا انتمي لها!! لكني حقيقةً لم أفهم ما هو “الفرق” بيننا ولم يهمني أصلاً أن أفهم هذا الفرق وكنا كلنا كسوريين ندعوا له بالنصر ونحمل صوره ونثني على خطاه.

ولا يقل موعد البيعة في سوريا عام 2007 أهمية عن كل المواعيد التي سبقت، فقد اكتشفت حينها السبب الذي كان يمنع المجتمع المحيط بي من ممارسة حقه الانتخابي، ويعود السبب الأول لهزلية الواقع الانتخابي في البلاد والسبب الثاني ربما طائفياً. ولم أقبل حينها السبب الثاني، لأني كنت من مناصري وحدة الإنسان بغض النظر عن الطبقة والعائلة والدين والطائفة والخ..

في الجامعة، التقيت بأصدقاء من كافة المحافظات السورية، وبدأت انفتح على عالم جديد خارج عالم دمشق، عالم فيه أناس مكافحون ومحترمون ينهالون على أنفسهم بالدراسة والعمل وبناء المستقبل لإثبات الذات، لم أرى يوماً ما كان يميزني عنهم كوني من الشام “العاصمة” بل كانوا هم من يرون الفرق عند اللقاء بي، ولم أكن أقبل بتمييزي لمجرد أنني بنت دمشق، إذ أنهم ينعتون أبناء الشام بالغرور والسلطة والمال. لكني بصراحة لم أحاول أن أغيّر هذه الصورة فأنا لا أستعير من أصولي مهما يكن. أنا بنت دمشق فعلاً.. أتحدث العربية والإنجليزية والفرنسية بطلاقة فإذا كانت لغاتي مشكلتهم .. فلتكن! وإذا كان سفري لبعض العواصم غروراً .. فليكن! وإذا كان اختلاطي بالشبان فجراً .. فليكن!

لكن لعل أهم المواعيد التي قلبت حياتي رأساً على عقب ورسمت الحزن في أيامي، كان موعد الربيع العربي الذي زار سوريا في الربع الأول من عام 2011 وما نتج عن هذا الربيع فيما بعد من دمار معنوي ومادي وأزمةً شلّت العقول وخنقت الشباب وسرقت الأحلام والآمال من عيون الشباب والشيّاب.

هجرت دمشق في الشهر الأخير من 2012 حاملةً ذكرياتي، باحثة عن الأمان، علمت حينها أن موعدي مع الغربة قد حان، ويا له من  موعد قاسٍ، طريقه مليء بالرمال الصفراء وأشواك الصبار وأوراقُ النخلٍ الثقيلة. ربما كانت خيبة الأمل الأولى اضطراري الابتعاد عن أمي وأبي إذ كان هدفي فتح المجال لهم الخروج من أرضٍ بات يسيطر عليها الدم والخوف لكني سرعان ما اكتشفت أنهم مؤمنين بالمثل الدمشقي القديم “من خرج من داره قل مقداره” واحترمت رغبتهم.

وعندما بدأت البحث عن سبب الأمان الذي وجدته في البلد الذي لجأت إليه فكان الجواب هو الحب. إنه ببساطة بلدٌ أحبه أهله وأعطوه فأعطاهم. وهنا جاء موعدي مع ما يسمونه “معترك الحياة” تعرفت على أناس من كل بلاد وأديان العالم لا أتشارك معهم سوى الإنسانية، كانوا يمسحون دموعي ويمسكون بيدي في كل مرة أفقد صوابي من شدة الشوق لمن منحاني الحياة وعلماني الحب.

في إحدى تلك الليالي الخائبة، آمن باندفاعي وحماسي، أحدهم، فأعطاني فرصة الانطلاق في عملٍ كسرت فيه إلى الأبد ذلك الصندوق الذي أطرتني به دروس القومية، وعلمت حينها أن ما يجمعني مع البشر الموجودين على سطح الكرة الأرضية أجمع هو أقوى وأسهل مما يجمعني مع أهل مدينتي إذا ما رضعوا من العز والرضى ما يكفي ومن الحب والإخلاص ما يُعدي. إذ بات هدفي البحث عن من يشاركني الحب والإنسانية فقط. وها أنا اليوم اعتز بصداقتي لفتاة إماراتية وأخرى بريطانية وفتاتين حمصيتين وفتيات حلبيات ولبنانيات وصديق لاذقاني وآخر ايطالي وأرمني وأمريكي. أما أصدقائي وأقربائي الدمشقيين فقد علموني دروساً نقشت من ذهب في شرايني إذ ثَبتَ لي فعلاً أن أكثر الناس شبهاً لي ولهويتي قد لا يجمعني بهم شيء حتى اللغة.

في أيامي القلية المتبقية لي من العشرينيات، قررت الارتباط بشريك يمتلك من صفات الرجولة والنبالة والحداثة ما يكفي لإقناعي بذلك “القفص الذهبي” ولعل أكثر ما يدفع كلينا لنكمل المشوار سويةً هو عالميتنا، فعندما هجرنا وطننا، علمنا أن بلاد العالم أصبحت أوطاننا فعلاً وليس كلاماً فقط، وعندما استقرينا في البلد الذي أعطى أهله بقدر ما أعطوه، علمنا أن الحياة أكبر من دمشق وطرطوس، وأن الإنسان فعلاً بعمله وخلقه وليس بدينه وهويته وجنسيته.

أحن إلى دمشق وأحزن لحزنها وألمها، لكني أحزن لحزن الجميع وأفرح لفرح الجميع. فمن شبّ على شيء شاب عليه.

2018 تشرين الثاني

سارة رمضان

Posted in Politics - سياسة

Donald Trump

Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, the successful business man, and the world’s richest people is the most “FRANK, SOLID AND BRAVE” person on this planet. He is bullied yet strong, and criticized yet quick-witted.

After two years monitoring his attitude and policies in the White House, and no matter what your opinion will be after reading these words, I started having good feelings about this man.

Trump is a phenomenal person, unique, and genuinely smart. Despite all his racism and hate toward so many people in the world including “me”, I started appreciating his honesty.

Giving America the strongest country in world doesn’t make it able to undermine other nations of the world, however, whether we like or not, when someone feels powerful acts powerful and dominant. Donald Trump’s policies represent the core interest of the US and do represent a lot of Americans. He just has his own way to make his America great again! Who doesn’t give a credit to a man “trying” to make his country great!

I can see why media criticizes Trump days and nights for his outrageous speeches and talks against journalists and fake news, but as an outsider, I don’t get why politicians who knows that he came for office particularly for his personality which allows him to achieve much needed hard domestic policies such as immigration, trade deals with allies, strategic deals with foes, yet they speak out against him.

Don’t get me wrong, I am the first one to get offended by Trump, but I respect people when they do or try to do best for their country. I don’t think that Trump is worse than George W. Bush, at least Trump didn’t go through wars yet and US economy is booming.

Am I encouraging hate speech? Of course not.

Am I against diplomacy and soft language? Definitely not.

I am just saying that Trump is a tool, US policy makers are using to implement hard policies. An academic, liberal, conservative person won’t be able to get crowd for it. These policies need a person like Donal Trump to pass.


8 November 2018

Sarah Ramadan

Posted in Politics - سياسة

Time Matters Dear Obama: Iran Deal

Ten years after Nine-Eleven attacks, President Barack Obama gathered his efforts to prioritize the nuclear deal with Iran which severely shake the world and the Middle East and smashed all the traditional norms in Washington.

The aftermath of the nuclear deal with Iran and after nearly a 100 years of the Sykes-Picot agreement for a new formation for the Middle East, the region felt the urge of having their own regional system besides the international one.

This regional system contains of four great powers the Arab Gulf States, Israel, Turkey and Iran. They all have political agendas and aspirations to dominate andultimately be the regional super power. During the past two or even three decades, the situation was going quiet smoothly between these four pillars taking into consideration two important facts; one, is the “stable alliances” between the US and the Gulf States, Israel and Turkey, two,  is the “stable aggression” between the US and Iran.

Iran took advantage of the following factors to climb on them seeking openness to the world, having less sanctions yet more engaged in the world politics, economy and security.

First: Obama’s policies

The excessive reliance on diplomacy and retroversion policies that the Obama administration’s adopted, which “many of the US congressmen opposes”.  And most importantly the harm that hit the oldest and the most traditional alliance between the US and the Gulf states and between the US and Israel.

Second: Muslim countries clash

The clashes between Saudi Arabia and Turkey over Muslim brotherhood organization and between Saudi Arabia and Egypt over President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s attitude and statements; has made Saudi A. busy with its clashes and helped Iran achieve better  diplomatic relations “but still limited” advancements with both Turkey and Egypt. 

Third: Corrupted/useless international organizations

The useless role of the UN and other affiliated international organizations as well as the delay in producing new laws and/or establishing new non-governmental organizations to address the new normal in the world; has helped Iran use this momentum of weakness to exit its isolation despite the tens of accusations against it.

Fourth: Weak Arab world

The weakness of the Arab pillar, the dependency on the US as well as the lack of strategy to maintain its upper-hand and its interest in the region without a western support, has helped Iran offering herself as a coherent pillar, independent, powerful, and has a vision and a strategy in the Middle East and the world.

Fifth: Arab Spring

The Arab Spring has helped Iran in penetrating in the Levant so effectively to the extent that it imposed high stakes in the region and now any settlement has to be in Iran’s interest.

Time was on the Iranians side, it was the right time for them to build stakes in the region and so they did successfully.

I am not arguing that the Nuclear deal between the west and Iran is bad, on the contrary I see it very important and promising when it comes to trade and security especially with neighbors, however, the only problem in my point of view is TIME.

President Obama did not only ignore the interest of US allies in the Middle East especially Saudi Arabia but also intended to bring the deal into effect at a time when all Arab countries are severely weakened by the Arab Spring and terrorism that has gone to a higher level that even the US itself couldn’t put an end to it despite the F-22 and F-16 that are targeting ISIS areas of control in Iraq and Syria.

The deal has also came at a time when Saudi Arabia needed the US to back her up against the Iranian expansion in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq and most importantly,  it came at a time when the US decided to shift its role in the world order and stopped engaging in ANY conflict in the world.

The Iran deal was absolutely not at the right Time.

The P5+1 agreement had shifted the balance of power and the security of the regional and world orders and so far it has produced a new normal for the way America deals with its allies and has put the region on the urge of a war because of the high tensions that has been awakened between Saudi Arabia and Iran and has harmed the relations between Israel and the US.

I would like to conclude my argument by saying: I’m not against ending the violence mode between Iran and the west, because I believe it will have good impact on the long run however, President Obama’s insistence on ignoring the implications of this rapid rapprochement with Iran and the marginalization of the Arabs’ important role in the region is the thing I mainly oppose.

It should also be noted that any attempt to destabilize the Gulf States and especially Saudi Arabia means the end of an Arabic dream; as all other Arab countries are busy dealing with their problems and conflicts. And if the US is seeking a balance of power in the region, it should take an immediate step forward to heal the wounds with its allies and obstruct the Iranian expansion fantasy in the Arab world.

Guess this is the next administration’s daily workout until they get back in shape with their allies.

___

Posted in Society - مجتمع

Refugee Crisis: What goes around comes around!

Dear world,
We [Syrians] do not like it to leave our beautiful Syria and live in your countries, or to become an American, British or Australian. However, circumstances are stronger than what we want and need.

Personally, I am proud to be Syrian, I feel special that I come from this particular spot of the world and I don’t like to share with you your country because i will never feel belong, and i will never feel home.

No offense.

But the fact that I come from the oldest inhabited city in the world, where all civilizations started and left a footprint, where history of diversity drove people insanely to learn the know-how; make me more aggressive to hold on to my roots and not to compromise nor to seek refuge as long as I am able to survive.

Just like you. You feel proud of who you are and you never thought of getting a Syrian passport, or a German, or an Indian one!
Unfortunately, most of my fellow Syrians have no other choice but fleeing the terror and seeking a refuge.

Not a prison nor an oppression.

A refuge.

I ask you to try not to link everything to Syrians and Muslims and to keep in mind that half of the so called Islamic State’s “IS” militants are foreigners “Chechnya, Indonesia and European countries” and remember that back in the days, Christians fought between each others (The French wars of religion/the 8 religious wars in the 16th century), but no media was there to show us how bad the crimes and genocides were and their effects on other religions and human beings.

And as much as history and diaries can make it easy for you to imagine what happened back in those wars; still it can’t beat the power of media that is able to make nothing, a very big thing”.

Being forced to seek a refuge, doesn’t make us terrorists.

Today “Syrians” have a situation, but maybe tomorrow “you” will pass through a similar hysterical situation.

History always repeats itself. Be kind because whatever goes around comes around.

Please excuse my language attitude, but believe me, it feels so bad to be discriminated and unwanted, as if you have a disease and everybody is running away from you, while you are clean and sound.

 

Sarah

18 November 2015

Posted in Randoms - متفرقات

سِحرُ لَيليَ

في العَتمة سِحرٌ .. يُثير حَواسيَ

في الليل وبين نجوم السهر ..تضيع اسراريَ ..
اما القمر ..
فيطل مرةً كلَّ شهر .. يضيء النور على دفاتريَ ..
فأبوح له .. عن كل ما بداخليَ ..
الشهاب ..
فيأتي ليهمس في أذنيَّ ..
أشعاراً .. تروي قلبي ورُوحيَ ..
اما الشجر ..
وما أدراك ما الشجر ..
يداعب حفيفه أفكاريَ ..
ويدغدغ أناملي لاكتب عن اياميَ ..
لا أدّعي الشعر والكلام المصفف ..
لكني أفرّغ في كتاباتيَ ..

حبي ومشاعريََ ..

سارة
18 فبراير 2015
Posted in Politics - سياسة, Society - مجتمع

#WeAllMatter

Execution, exclusion, killing, hatred, crime, burning, committing suicide, and many other harsh action verbs have never proved their ability to end a problem or a dispute.

What is it that human being can’t understand! Life can be a great one if hatred didn’t exist or wasn’t functioned to destroy others lives.

Ever since I was born, the Arab-Israeli conflict existed, I was raised to hate all Jews and Zionists who raped the land of Palestine. Even in the school’s curriculum, they used to make sure that we are always on agression mode, not only with Zionists but also with Jews, they were always pushing us to hate them and think of ways to get rid of them.

I used to refuse considering Jews and Israeli Zionists under one pre-judgmental category, so many fights used to take place between me and my friends, teachers and family just because I believe deep inside that being a Jew is to be a human who believes in a religion which I’m blindly sure it calls for what every other religion on this universe call for; Love, peace, coexistence and being good. However, being a Zionist is being politicized and racist toward all the others from different race, religion, belief, identity and etc..

My all time statement was “It’s true that I’m proud to be Muslim because I think it’s the best for me, however, it doesn’t mean that I’m the best and everyone else is bad. I don’t see that I’m going to heaven because I’m Muslim and everyone else is going to hell because they’re not.”

Jews are not necessarily Zionists, exactly how Muslims are not necessarily Daeshis (ISIS supporters).

I seriously have been looking for an answer to those who want to throw Jews in the sea, or who want to exterminate Muslims, or who want to erase the existence of the Atheists and so on.. People should now understand that this will never ever happen, and if they keep doing what they’re doing, they’ll keep making their lives and everyone else’s life as miserable as all the meanings that this word holds.

There’s no justification to the hatre-crime that Craig Stephen Hicks committed against three young Muslims in North Carolina. The effect of Media campaigns against Muslims and Islam in general played a huge roll in leading Hicks to violence and rose the hatred-emotions towards them. This is definitely one of the reasons.

This is what one of these young Muslims (Deah Barakat) tweeted a while ago,

and now he’s a dead body!

I blame the media that is clearly and ridiculously politicized, I blame parents for sowing grudges into their children’s minds and souls against the others, I blame extremists all over the world whether they were religious extremists or Atheist extremists.

Muslims are not terrorists, just like how Jews, Christians, Buddhists and Atheists are not terrorists.

Terrorists hold no values, terrorists belong to no religion and belong to no nationality.

I know sometimes when people lose their beloved ones by the hands of someone who holds certain religion or nationality, they sometimes react crazily, but this will not solve the issue. Solving the problem is to call people for wisdom and love, for tolerance and coexistence instead of fighting fire with fire.

May peace be upon those who were shot dead in Chapel Hill and let it also be upon every hater to humanity. Yes. May peace be upon their hearts maybe this hate will vanish when we pray for them as well.

We are humans, we all think that what we believe in, is the best, we all make mistakes, we all lose it at some point, but don’t let your evil thoughts overcome your good ones. It’s not our right to end others lives the way and the time we want.

With my sincere condolences to the entire humanity and to the family and friends of Deah Barakat and Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha.

Peace be upon us all.

Sarah

12 February 2015

Posted in Randoms - متفرقات

شامتي.. الشام

شــآمٌ أسموكِ يـا دمشقُ .. شآمْ

ولعلّكِ تعلمين .. أنه لكلٍّ من اسمهِ نَصيبْ..

شــــامةٌ على وجه الارض .. أنتِ ..

شـــامةٌ .. تُزيّن خارطة العالم.. تُركِع الحجر والبشرْ..

منك النهايات .. ومنك البدايات .. ومنك ستأخذ الجنان أحلى الصورْ ..

يــا رفيقتي .. اِسمك وشمٌ في لغتي ..

وفي كل مرة يكون وقع اسمَك مختلف..

تارة يُشعلني .. وتارةًً يُطلق أجنحتي ..

شامتي أنتِ .. يا شآم..

خرجت من بواباتك .. خِلتُ أنني عائدة .. لكني..

خرجت ولم أعد!

دموع الشوق إليك .. تحفر مجراها في وجهي..

أتُنسيكِ وجهـيَ تـلـك المجـاري يا شـــام!

سأعود يوماً يا وطني .. يا شــام ❤

سارة

٢٦ يناير ٢٠١٥

Posted in Randoms - متفرقات

حالة شوق

جلست على حافة الرصيف ..

علّ قلبي يهدأ ..

وعقلي بالتفكير يبدأ ..

علّي ببحر الصمت أنعم ..

وبحفيف الشجر أدفئ ..

صمتت الأصوات جميعها ..

وارتفعت النبضات كلها ..

وتوقف الزمان عندما ..

في الافق رأيته .. يلوّح بيديه .. عمدا ..

في الحب والفرح ارتعشت ..

وفي الشك والقلق ترددت ..

بحضنه وحنانه تيممت ..

وببحر عينيه دعوت ..

الا يكون حلماً..

او في الجنون بدأت رحلةً ..

نهض قلبي مسرعاً ..

ورَمَيْتُ جَسديَ بحضنه تلهفاً ..

..

وفي لمح البصر ..

عاد صوت عقارب الساعة ينبض ..

والمشاة على قارعة الرصيف تركض ..

في لحظةٍ ..

شعرت بدمعةٍ تسقط ..

وفي الطريق وبين تائهٍ وسائحٍ انظر ..

فوجدت نفسي .. انا التائهة ..

وفي الشوق إليه .. انا المجنونة ..

وفي عشقه .. انا المهوسة ..

اكتشفت عندها اني ..

في فلكه محدودة ..

وفي قفصه مسجونة ..

اكتشفت حينها انه ..

مُسيطرٌ على حواسيَ ..

بِوَعيها وغَيبوبتها ..

بازدِحامها وشُحِّها ..

فبِتُّ أعشَقُ الشّرود ..

علّي أُصبِحُ أقرَب ..

علَّي أراه أكثر ..

سارة

14 سبتمبر 2014

Posted in Politics - سياسة

Obama’s partial awakening!

President Barack Obama made recently some significant improvements in his both domestic and foreign policy strategy. It seems that he is running out of time and that he would like to start scoring points before Republicans take control over the congress in its both chambers in 2015.

Afghanistan, to begin with; Obama decided to extend the US troops presence there to avoid repeating the same mistake he did in Iraq and to ensure a direct role in healing the wounds of the country that was ravaged by war.

This step came after the breakdown of his strategy in Iraq and the emergence of the Islamic State group, and it seems that he finally found out that withdrawing from Iraq when the country was absolutely fractured and unstable-in terms of military, security and political coherence-was an extreme bad idea. Therefore, it looks like he doesn’t want to repeat the same scenario in Afghanistan if the US troops withdrew by the end of 2016.

Immigration reform is another example, President Obama announced his plan to save over four million undocumented immigrants living in the US. It seems that he felt the urgency of presenting a serious amendment that can boost a little bit his popularity and bring back the confidence in the American people of his party, after they expressed their outrageous anger of his domestic and foreign policy in the last congressional elections in November 2014.

Another important factor that demonstrates Obama’s partial awakening is appointing Ashton Carter as a new Secretary of Defense who is well-known of his bipartisan praise, his disagreement with Obama on withdrawing combat troops from Iraq in 2011 and his disagreement on the rapprochement from Iran .

So Obama has partially woke up from his isolation, however, there is still so many pending issues, most importantly are, his strategy towards the middle east especially Syria and his strategy to defeat IS. We all understand that due to the bad experiences of the US army in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama acts carefully in taking any military action on Syria, however, IS threat is becoming bigger, not in terms of intimidating the US national security only but in terms of popular and congressional anger over Obama and the Democratic party.

It should be noted that dissociating Bashar al-Assad’s elimination from defeating IS, could be Obama’s strategy! because he wants to please Iran and have the least clashes possible with its leaders in order to end the twelve year standoff between both countries as well as putting an end to its nuclear capabilities.

In the same context, despite all the criticism and the challenges that Obama is facing from his closest circle whether in the white house’s administration or in the congress and especially when it comes to the IS’ strategy and the Iranian deal, however, he is insisting on his strategy assuming that this is the best way possible to degrade and ultimately destroy IS and maintain peace in the region.

This was the main reason why Mr. Chuck Hagel, the Secretary of Defense, stepped down or got fired-it does not matter-on Monday, 24 November 2014. Hagel was the only republican leader who opposed George Bush’s intervention in Iraq and calls for a timid military interference of the US in the world.

Despite all the childish acts that conservative republicans are doing, the lack of agenda and the division that is grunting their party, however, they are obviously united to wage war on Obama to weaken him and his party more.

This in return will help Democrats in the presidential elections in 2016, because people monitors every little and/or big step both parties take, therefore Democrats will still have the opportunity to show their unity and coherence to win the presidency.

Sarah

12 September 2014

Posted in Politics - سياسة

With or without AlBaghdadi; ISIS is Baqia wa tatamadad!

Abu Bakr AlBaghdadi might be dead and might not be! The real question is whether the Islamic State can survive without its Caliph or not!

The main reason why I think ISIS will survive and will continue to be strong with or without AlBaghdadi, is that the organization is focusing on “ideology” and addressing the Muslim communities around the world using this particular tool. It is true that they have pledged allegiance to the caliph and considered him as “Amir Al-Mo’meneen” however, the focus of this group is not on the caliph himself but on the establishment of the Islamic State and its growth, because:
1. AlBaghdadi appeared only once ever since he was appointed as a Caliph.
2. Jihadists are coming from all over the world to join ISIS for the sake of the cause itself and not for the sake of the caliph.
3. Al-Baghdadi has a cabinet of advisors and two top deputies Abu Ali al-Anbari who is responsible on the operations in Syria and Abu Muslim al-Turkmani who is in charge on the operations in Iraq and a chief spokesperson for ISIS Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, so this shows the importance of the distribution of tasks and powers in this group.

IS addressed people in the past couple of months using ideology as a tool to attract the Muslim communities around the world to join their cause, and fight the “Kuffar”! However, IS is now addressing people using the aggression on Sunnis led by the international coalition claiming that the world is fighting IS to defeat the Sunnis not IS itself.

Though ISIS lacks the infrastructure form of the state however, with the help of many Chinese, Malaysian and Indonesian experts as well as relying on so many stories from the Quran, the biography of the prophet and the Hadith they will still be able to keep functioning and growing because the ideology is what keeps these people alive.

ISIS is a whole new level of terrorism, and in order to defeat it, the international community should come up in parallel with a whole new level of defense mechanisms and strategies. I personally think that the international community didn’t find a new way to deal with this new threat, and this is giving IS the ability to grow, improve, expand and to remain existing.
Just like the rise of Ebola! Cancer treatment and medicines cannot be used to defeat Ebola.

This explains why President Obama’s strategy is not working well and is not meeting the required level of action to reach the coalition goal in defeating IS.
We should not underestimate the Islamic State’s capabilities.

Sarah

04 September 2014