Friday, June 01, 2012

sectarian affiliation of the victims in Hula

I have received information in the last few days that some of the victims in Hula were Shi`ites.  That was also reported on New TV and on the Syrian dissident website, Al-Haqiqah.  I was told that the victims from the families of `Abdur-Razzaq and As-Sayyid were Sunnis who had converted to Shi`ism in the 1980s.  I contacted those who reported that and I contacted people in Hula itself and I can tell you that there is no evidence whatsoever to that claim (which has obvious propaganda value particularly since that Syrian regime media never discuss issues of sects--unlike the Syrian opposition media which are blatant in its sectarianism and sectarian agitation).  And if you add this (the story that has not been proven) to the lousy and empty press conference in Damascus yesterday about the Syrian regime investigation of the massacre, I can only conclude that the Syrian regime is looking more and more guilty. We don't have all the facts as of yet, but this is my feeling now in the absence of evidence to the contrary. What makes the Syrian regime more frustratingly noncredible is that it never ever admits killing an innocent person--not even by mistake.