Saturday 16 November 2013

Black Flag

I'm sure many Syrians outside in the diaspora, only able to follow events on the ground through the medium of the internet, have noted, with no small amount of worry, the seeming lack of Syrian revolutionary flags, and the prominence of various types of "Islamic banners", be it those brandished by rebel brigades or in whatever peaceful demonstrations still occur in Syria despite it being a time of war now (sadly).

While I am certainly not an "Islamist" in the conventional sense, I would not consider myself a secularist or liberal either (I'm still working it out), so popular religious sentiment doesn't bother me (on the contrary) as it might do for more secular Syrians, be they inside or outside the country. Regardless, it worried me as well initially, because it raised the possibility that the original goals of the revolution were being lost, that of freedom for Syrians of all stripes, to be replaced by a widespread call for an "Islamic state" (a vague concept even for its most vociferous proponents, who haven't bothered to flesh out what it means or entails).

I recently spent a week, working in liberated areas in Idlib and Aleppo governorates. I cannot say that I saw many revolutionary flags, and various flags and banners with the shahadah were much more prominent, at rebel checkpoints or in people's shops or houses. In a large town near Aleppo, the black flag, as I call it, was everywhere. On the walls of people's houses and shops, or flying from lamp-posts and so on.

I would tell you a bit more about the town. During the fight against the regime, most of the population fled, with someone telling me how it was reduced from 25,000 to 2,000, with FSA rebel fighters hiding in the hills on the outskirts of the town. Despite great odds, and precious little help, they managed to liberate the whole town, and capture the town's huge military base for themselves. Thankfully, the townspeople returned, and the population has now swelled to 50,000, what with the obvious influx of refugees.

I'm sure you can imagine how difficult and hellish that period of their lives must have been. Thankfully the town is tens of kilometres from the front against the regime in Aleppo, and the town is entirely liberated and free. While obviously the situation is far from perfect, it is in better shape than most other places, praise God.

The Syrian revolution started out as peaceful protests to try and induce this rotten regime to change, to allow for the freedoms they have denied us for so long. In response, Assad has turned the country into fire and ash, sending it into hell. To me, the revolution is now about something much more profound than simple political reforms and basic freedoms, although these are obviously still essential goals. It has now become a struggle about who we are as a people, and what values we hold. Are we slaves to willingly accept the boot of the thugs and murderers, who happily rape women and butcher children with knives, in response for mere "security"? Or are we to live as free men who refuse to compromise our dignity, and our belief in the sanctity of the lives of people whose only crime was to speak their minds?

When the revolution has now turned into a struggle over the most basic or even primordial rights (for lack of a better word), what will Syrians hold on to? Islam's affirmation of the sanctity of human life is a direct affront to this rotten regime, and to all the other rotten governments of the region, all of whom happily torture and execute unceasingly. In such an existential struggle, are we really surprised that Syrians would turn towards their religion even more than before (Especially in the conservative towns and villages of northern Syria)?

I met and spoke with many people of all stripes, and not once did I hear or get the impression that they were now fighting merely to impose an Islamic state - it still remains a struggle for freedom and dignity, albeit now with much greater urgency. Young men, younger than me, who are married with young children, all go and fight regardless of the risk to themselves. I met someone who fought on the frontline 4 days after getting married, and lost an eye, and he simply, pardon the language, didn't
give a fuck.

Interestingly, after having befriended some people and becoming "friends" on facebook, one thing which is noticeable is that the photos or posts they have on their pages earlier on in the revolution sport the tricolour revolutionary flag, but more recent ones feature the black "tawhid" banner - in the process, they hadn't suddenly become "fanatics", I can assure you.

After my limited time there, with hours and hours of conversation, I finally understand. The one souvenir I took from Syria is pictured below, which I will hang on the wall of my flat alongside the traditional revolutionary flag. It has earned its place.



ADDENDUM

One more thing, I saw the supposed "Al-Qaeda" flag sported by ordinary Syrians, those who absolutely despise the ISIS / Da3esh bastards - remember that that particular flag is an actual banner of the prophet, so don't automatically assume that anyone who waves it is automatically an ISIS supporter.

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