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Syrian Opposition Leaders Meeting Today in Livonia
Syrian-Americans from across North America who oppose Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad are meeting in Livonia today to discuss ways to remove him from power.
“People are getting slaughtered,” said Dr. Yahya Basha, a Syrian-American leader from West Bloomfield who will be at the meeting. “I often sit with tears in my eyes, helpless that I can’t do much to help save the people.”
Today’s day-long forum at the Burton Manor in Livonia will feature three groups: Sryian-American Council, Syrian National Council, and Syrian Expatriates, which uses social media to spread the message of Syrian opposition groups. On Thursday, Basha was in Washington D.C. for a gathering of the Syrian-American Council that also drew leaders with Arab-American and Muslim groups that have Detroit chapters.
In Syria, Assad has cracked down this year on protests that sprung up after uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. His government has responded with a crackdown that has resulted in the deaths of about 3,500 people. The U.S. State Dept along with international groups like the United Nations and Arab League have condemned the government’s actions.
Called “On The Verge of Transition,” today’s event in Livonia will include discussions on how to end Assad’s rule and usher in a new era of democracy, said participants. It’s the latest local event involving Arab-Americans opposed to governments in the Middle East. On Sunday, Yemeni-Americans jammed a Dearborn center to hear Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman blast Yemen’s President.
Khalid Saleh, of Farmington, said today’s meeting “is one of the first events that the newly formed Syrian National Council is coordinating with Syrian-American organizations.”
Syrians will discuss “our plans for removing the Assad regime and our vision for a new Syria,” he said. The gathering will include a range of Syrian opposition leaders such as retired Syrian military leader, Brig. General Akil Hashem.
Basha said it’s important for people to speak up against tyranny even thought it might be difficult.
“Some Syrian-Americans are afraid to make statements even here in America” because of fear of reprisals by Assad’s government, he said.
In metro Detroit, there are some divisions among Syrian-Americans. Many Syrian Christians, Shias, and Alawites tend to support Assad, who is Alawite and considered Shia, while many Sunnis Muslims, a majority in Syria, are opposed to Assad. In June, hundreds packed a center in Dearborn for a pro-Assad rally that included Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab-American News, Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha, and some Arab Christian pastors.
But Basha said people of all backgrounds are now starting to speak out against Assad. At the Thursday meeting in Washington D.C., there were Christians and others who attended, Basha said.
“It looks like they were united,” he said.
The Syrian meeting in Washington D.C. drew Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, as well as leaders with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Islamic Society of North America and the American Task Force on Palestine, Basha said.
Basha is worried about family members in Syria and others. They’re afraid to speak to him over the phone because of fear of reprisals, he said. Basha said he had family members killed in the 1980s when Assad’s father repressed the opposition.
Despite the challenges, Basha said he’s optimistic that Assad’s government will fall, noting that many Arab countries now oppose him.
“The Assad regime has no support in the Middle East,” Basha said.
Niraj Warikoo
Detroit Free Press