So I asked Angry Arab's correspondent (protester) in Homs to comment on relations with `Alawites and about women, he answered (he asked me to remove some personal references to protect his safety): "I don’t know what Shadid said. But do you mean are there checkpoints at
which people are butchered according to their ID? Yes, from the shabihas side,
but not from the thuwar. X was severely beaten up several times
by the army just for being from Baba Amr. And his sister in law’s husband was
kidnapped, and severely tortured to death. He was a taxi driver. Also, Y owns a store in a suburb of Homs. The guy he was renting it to was
kidnapped and murdered, and SANA claimed that he was the leading funder of the
“terrorists”. Y hadn’t received rent on the place for three months, the
guy was so poor.
Y is a university student, and him and a hundred Homsi
students were arrested, just for being from Homs. Thankfully they only spent a
day in jail, but most of them needed medical aid when they came out.
So you see As’ad, this is just what happens to people I know. Multiply that
by what happens in Homs, Latakia, Hama, Deir al Zour, Damascus country side, and
a thousand other places that don’t make it to the news, and ask yourself what
people’s feelings towards Alawites should be? They should have murder in their
eyes when they hear the name Alawite, right? Well, amazingly, they don’t.
Inevitably some extremists might take matters into their own hands, but so far I
have been astonished by the Syrian people’s forbearance in the face of this
unprecedented brutality. The regime wants to turn this into a sectarian war, and
people in general have refused to oblige them...By the way, the latest Homsi joke is about the mazot shortage. You heard
the phrase “Souria, Allah Hamiha”. Well, now its “Souria, Allah Emdafiha”...There are women in the demonstrations, but they always go out veiled to
hide their identity. I know girls who usually don’t wear the veil but do so at
demonstrations. There are quick women only demonstrations at the main commercial
areas.
With regards to the chants, they haven’t changed much. Songs adapted to
political slogans. Believe me, I have not once heard anything against Alawites
or Christians, and it was only a couple of months ago that people started
chanting “Khayen khayen khayen, el jaish el Souri khayen”.
As for organization, all I can tell you is what goes on in my own
neighborhood. How do I know that the Ikhwan aren’t organizing the demos? Because
they would be better organized if they were. Once at a Friday demo we tried to
simulate the Syrian flag with colored pieces of cardboard. It took us half an
hour just to get the red, white and black in the proper places. We didn’t even
try to put the stars. Often I’ve seen disagreements on which chant to shout, and
even on who the chant leader should be at any given moment. Half the time the
video shots of the demos in my area aren’t very good.
I don’t know the people who organize the demos. I moved to my area at the
start of the year, and I’ve deliberately kept a low profile so no one in my
immediate area knows me too well. I’ve given numerous interviews to the BBC, and
the last thing I need is some shabih recognizing my English accent. The only
people who could possibly turn me in are close relatives, and if it’s come to
that, then I give up on this whole freedom idea.
I am however, amazed at how quickly professional looking banners are
printed for the occasion. It is only on Wednesday when the slogan for a
particular Friday is decided. By Friday morning banners are printed and
disturbed all over the city.
You mentioned on your website dodgy anti-regime videos. It’s the regime’s
fault really, they don’t allow impartial press coverage, so there is no way to
guarantee anything. Please remember that a video camera isn’t always around for
most of the atrocities that happen in Homs."
