What is going on in Syria, our Northern neighbor? If you go by the papers, popular forces are fighting to overthrow a dynastic dictatorship to impose democracy. I see it differently. A persecuted minority, the Alawis, 12% of the population, seized the country fifty years ago and rules it with iron fist. The Alawis are aware of the fate of another Middle Eastern minority that lost the power -- the Christians in Lebanon -- they were decimated and had to emigrate. Should Assad jr. fall from power, a terrible bloodbath awaits the whole ethnic group and permanent discrimination forever. You dont have to be a Jew to know the fate awaiting hated, unarmed, powerless minorities. I mean in Europe, in the Middle East, and maybe, America.
Who are the Alawis? They are an inbred mountain ethnia, like the Druze, and like them, follow a secretive religion. They practice the taqiyya -- dissimulation. The English missionary Samuel Lyde describes them in 1860: "Heathen of whom St Paul wrote: filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness.” In 1925, the French set up an Alawi state, they overprinted Syrian stamps (pictured) “ALAOUITES”.
In short, Assad cannot and will not leave Syria. He and his Alawite army are fighting to death and will kill as many as necessary. They are our enemies but as we say in the barrio: Mejor mal conocido que mejor por conocer" -- A known evil is preferible to a better but unknown. But we will not help them, since Ariel Sharon's disastrous alliance with the Lebanese Christians we know to avoid intervening in inter-Arab conflicts.
9 comments:
It's said by some that currently the Syrian Alawites are de-facto Shi'ites, having all but given up their secretive religion.
It would be interesting if the Alawites end up dissimulating themselves into non-existence.
Are Druze in Israel on the same path?
So the Alawites will fight unto death? OK, if that's what they want. Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it. I don't think Assad is as crazy as Khaddafi. He could have a life outside of Syria - Iran would take him. For a 12% minority to rule forever in order to protect their minority rights is unsustainable in the long run and I think the long run is just about over in this case.
Generally, I subscribe to the "better the devil that you know" principle, or as it says in the Bible, "there came a new king who knew not Joseph" (whereupon all sorts of bad stuff started for the Jews in Egypt). But the Assad clan is pretty bad already and it's hard to conceive of worse - if anything, the new government will be weaker and less of a threat to Israel. On the other hand, as we have seen in Egypt, lack of authority may lead to lapses in their border control - Assad has been pretty good about keeping things quiet on the Syrian when he wanted them quiet, which was most of the time. Of course this did not prevent him from engaging in proxy war via Hezbollah.
K
The Druze are assimilating into the Jewish majority and after universal peace is established in the Middle East, they will return to their Israelite roots.
As for the Alawis, they are far away. Let them fight their wars unperturbed by Zionists.
There is absolutely no proof that the Druze stem from Israelite roots. Just because one of their elders makes such a claim to garner favor in Israel does not make it true. I'm also doubtful that they will end up blending into the Israeli Jewish majority because the insane ultra-Orthodox religious authorities that J always defends make conversion so difficult and miserable.
J I hope you are right, as you wrote it will be closing time for the Christians in Syria if the Alawites are finished. On the other hand the Alawites may well sell themselves to the Iranians to survive and thus Israel may not be able to stay out, much as she would like to.
Ivan
Anonymous 1 : Of course there is no proof that the Druze's roots are Israelite. How could it be? Yet their genotype is close to the Jewish and their prophets are ours. The main obstacle to their assimilation is -- you are right -- our rabbis. Their Judaism is not Catholic - meaning universal. That too may pass.
I shouldn't have mentioned the Druze.
I cant interpret your comment. But yes, there some sensitive subjects better left unblogged.
Post a Comment