The U.S. Provokes Massacre in Hama, Syria

The United States has openly intervened in Syria’s affairs and demanded that Damascus cease operations in a number of Syrian cities. At this time “the shadow of Hama” is hanging ominously over Syrian President Bashar Assad. The situation in the city, which has a population of about 700,000, has escalated noticeably in recent days. Western and Arabic-speaking media have reported on the concentration of Assad’s security forces. Assad is allegedly preparing to repeat the “feats” of his father Hafez Assad, who drowned the uprising of local Islamists in blood back in 1982.

Today these events are presented in the West as an example of inhuman cruelty by the Syrian leadership. So-called Western experts still argue about how many people from Hama were killed and how the bloodthirsty Hafez Assad killed them. Some of them believe statements such as: “He shot them down out of tank guns, bombs killed 10,000 people… wait, it was 20,000 people!” Others argue, “No! He suffocated them with toxic gases and 30,000, no, 40,000 people were burned alive in the underground city.”

Western publications claim that tens of thousands of Hama residents have come out to the streets to protest against Bashar Assad since June 3. These demonstrations have allegedly “become the target of the secret police and the army.”* It’s argued that “al-Assad’s henchmen have killed over 50 people and wounded hundreds”* since the beginning of June.

According to some, on June, 2, Hama workers began a three-day general strike in memory of those killed at the hands of al-Assad executioners. The West fears al-Assad junior could make it a St. Bartholomew’s Day in Hama! People of Hama must be protected, they say.

The United States stands behind the opponents of the current government. They have demanded that Assad withdraw troops from Hama immediately and stop his bullying tactics. In an interview with Pravda.ru, Arab expert from Hama, Ankhara Kochneva, talked about what actually is happening in Syria, and Hama in particular.

Why is the situation in Hama escalating?

This is an old, well-known nest of Islamists, the “Muslim Brotherhood,” who hate secular government. This is a kind of capital for Islamic fundamentalists among the Sunnis in Syria. Just look at the clothing of the local population. You wouldn’t find so many “black bags” concealing women’s bodies elsewhere in Syria. It was in Hama that bloody coups were attempted in the past — the deadliest of them took place in February 1982.

Events in 1982 were preceded by an attempt on president Hafez al-Assad’s life by the Islamists as well as the bloody attack on Islamic students from the local military academy. A real rebellion broke out in the city after months of growing instability. At that time, people were so terrorized by the Muslim Brotherhood that they were afraid to let their children out onto the streets. It’s no wonder that one of my friends who lived there at the time said, “The Islamists have deprived us of childhood.”* However, there was no use of force until the Islamists struck first.

The events that took place then in Hama were terrible. A mobile guillotine was fixed onto a truck and driven around the city. The Islamists used it to destroy anyone who somehow displeased them. Even some citizens of the former U.S.S.R. fell victim.

What is happening there now?

These events were once again directed from abroad, particularly from Saudi Arabia, and there are lots of similarities. Violent riots are developing according to the same scenario. However, there was no army presence when it all began in Hama. This meant that thugs’ hands were unleashed.

We know how these “protests” were organized in practice. We know that the bandits went from home to home with demands that inhabitants participate in the performances. If they didn’t, residents were threatened with physical violence and vandalism against local shops.

As for protests in the country by the so-called opposition, many Syrians who worked in Saudi Arabia arrived in the country shortly before the protests began. Those who had already been arrested for anti-government protests testified to some interesting facts. It turns out that they were given an offer to leave and return home by their employers. Their tickets were paid for and workplaces were retained for them with significant pay raises. It is clear that the actions of the Saudis are coordinated from the United States. As for the latter, Saudi Arabia is obvious an ally against Assad.

Why does the United States support the actions of the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama? After all, the United States must clearly understand that they are a terrorist organization…

Not everybody in the West considers the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. After the defeat of the 1982 rebellion, the remnants of the radical organizations fled the country into exile. A significant number of them settled in the United States, Britain and Germany. One of the main groups settled in London, formally announcing the rejection of armed struggle. As we see can now, it was only a false declaration.

Islamists here are a weapon against Syria that the Americans want to use to weaken it. All means, foul or fair, are good. Americans are not the only ones who have been caught doing this. All sorts of interests coincide here. First and foremost, from the point of view of the West and Saudi Arabia, Syria is at fault because it allies with Iran, a country that has chosen its own way and refuses to dance to their tune.