It hadn't occurred to Al-Asad Regime's fans to remember Gadafi as he was addressing the masses, waving his fist as they were watching al-Asad repeating the same game in the Umayyad Square in Damascus.

It is difficult for them to think of the similarities of the two leaders, because they are the self same ones who don't stop circulating the saying that the Damascus regime differs from the Libyan regime and the other ones in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen. Recalling the similarity elements of course depresses them and foments fear of the success of the treason that targets their beloved regime.

The other opponents of the regime and their sympathizers from those who side with humanity and freedom in our nation, see the similarity, that is why they repeat Gadafi's shouts, "forward, forward," when they see Bashar al-Asad speaking about defeating the conspiracy.

We cannot say that the masses who gathered in the Umayyad park (said to be hundred thousands,) are like al- Shabiha who kill the people, but they belong to the categories who believe that the downfall of the regime threatens their interests, or even their future, especially when they go too far in demonizing the opposition.

When the regime's loyalists were portraying the gathering as expressing the size of support to the regime, no one of the opposition said that the regime is entirely isolated and without a popular base.

what the General Secretary of Hizbolla Hassan Nasrallah said (we pointed to that in a previous article,) that there are six millions who support the regime is not completely untrue, since the majority of he Alawites do not hesitate to declare their support, while other facts show that a good majority of the Druze and the Christians stand on this side or that.
We regret mentioning the sectarian classification, however it is the humanitarian perspective that cannot be ignored. 

At the time of conflict people often resort to their clans and sectors for support and protection. 
It is noted that a limited category of the Sunnis (more than 75 percent of the population,) stand on the side of the regime (the leftist and nationalists don't like to be reminded of the belonging of this category to the bourgeoisie class. )

It is a situation that is not created by the revolution. It used to exist before it, and anyone who lives with the Syrians knows this very well, especially that the foreign policy of the regime didn't use to sympathize with those who used suffer suppression and corruption on the hands of other ruling regimes.

But the question is why don't the people take to the streets in such huge numbers to express their support to the revolution, as such numbers that poured into the Umayyad park?
It is a question that poses a kind of a quibble, because everyone knows that the limited numbers of protestors in the rural areas and towns is attributed to fear of killing and arrests, where the limited number of protestors in each demonstrations should not distract the attention from the huge numbers of protests that happen at the same time.

We dare the regime supporters to withdraw the army from streets and stop the killing for one week, in which the opponents and supporters are allowed to gather freely in the Umayyad park and the other parks in towns (do you remember the gatherings in al-Asi square and Hama town where most of the population took to streets.)

This will show the rate of supporters of Bashar al-Asad in comparison to their opponents. But if those think that the support of 20 or 25 percent of the people are enough from political, and ethical perspectives for the continuation of the regime, that will be their own problem.
Al-Asad tries in vain to enforce his control but the Syrian people stand firmly in his face in a brave and courageous attitude that cannot be described. 

It is the duty of the opposition forces to invent new ways for protests which will involve greater numbers of the people who oppose it, but they fear bullets and arrests. 
In the protest jurisprudence there are dozens of methods that denote this perspective, and through which the people can express their remonstrations, and will consequently confuse the regime and lead to its overthrow.

What about determining a certain hour in which all people write slogans of the overthrow of the regime and throw them in the streets from roofs and windows, or another hour in which they all chant Allah Akbar. 

It is important that the opposition forces should focus on activating and verifying their protests, because it is the task of the moment which oversteps the external relations which is like fighting on the skin before hunting the bear.


Yaser al-Za'atra
 from Jordanian "al-Dastor"