By Mohammad El Sahily | Staff Writer
More than twelve years later, the war in Syria continues to rage, compounded by foreign intervention and the emergence of extremism. Nowadays, Bashar El-Assad is more powerful than ever: Gulf countries have normalized relations with him, especially after the recent tragic earthquake which led to a temporary suspension of sanctions against his regime, and he has virtually no concrete political or military competition. Here in Lebanon, we have been intertwined with the struggle of the Syrian people since its beginning, and the specter of the Syrian crisis looms larger than ever in our political and cultural consciousness to this day.
Syria has always been an impactful political force in Lebanon. From the days of Hafez El-Assad and his decision to intervene militarily-which led to the Syrian domination of the country until 2005-to the interference of Bashar in Lebanese political maneuvers, we have always been living in this cycle. In 2013, thousands of Lebanese Hezbollah fighters entered Syria to shore up Assad’s regime, then on the verge of nearly total military collapse. Stories of death, war, injury, and smuggling have colored the lives of people here, alongside the news coverage of atrocities committed by Assad forces and other Islamic factions.
Lebanon has been host to an estimated two million Syrian refugees, most of whom live in squalid conditions with minimal to no support from the United Nations and our already corrupt government. Recently, these refugees have been the victim of an increasingly hateful rhetoric being propagated by Lebanese politicians and a highly racialized population which sees them as an increasing economic burden and a threat to their demographic composition. There is a legitimate fear that hate crimes against helpless refugees are going to mount in the coming months, as hatred and racism spread unabated and unhindered in almost all social circles.
To assume that we should view the Syrian war and crisis from a strictly humanitarian view is false. As the main land bridge for Lebanon into the wider Arab region, the stability and prosperity of Syria is as important as ours. I’m amazed that when Lebanese, even those who claim to be leftists or “progressives”, look at Syria, all they see is refugees who have “caused their economic crisis” or “threaten the integrity of their homeland”. As if Lebanese people cared about their own country, or as if they are evenhanded in their approach when dealing with politicians and thieves.
The freedom of the Syrian people, their democracy, and their prosperity are inextricably linked to ours. We should always bear in mind some basic truths: Assad is a dictator who has actively worked to crush dissent in Syria and Lebanon, with the help of Lebanese political actors. When we advocate for Syrian democracy, we are also advocating for Lebanese democracy. Syrian people have hosted us when Israel bombed us in 2006, and they never complained. We should extend a hand to our Syrian brethren who are enmeshed in a struggle that concerns all of us in the quest for a bright future.