{"id":10544,"date":"2023-05-20T11:05:02","date_gmt":"2023-05-20T16:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whia.us\/?p=10544"},"modified":"2023-05-20T11:05:02","modified_gmt":"2023-05-20T16:05:02","slug":"betrayed-and-let-down-syrians-react-as-assad-welcomed-back-to-arab-fold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whia.us\/en\/10544\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Betrayed and let down\u2019: Syrians react as Assad welcomed back to Arab fold"},"content":{"rendered":"

WHIA- Washington Post<\/strong><\/p>\n

Story by Adela Suliman, Missy Ryan<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe international community has failed us completely.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the assessment of Razan Saffour, 30, a British Syrian human rights activist who was among the many watching in disbelief and anger Friday as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was welcomed on an international stage \u2014 returning to the Arab League after an 11-year suspension.<\/p>\n

While the league has limited political power, Assad\u2019s attendance at the regional summit was a major symbolic triumph for the former political pariah, whose forces have been accused of using chemical weapons and targeting hospitals and civilian areas during a bloody civil war that has lasted more than a decade and is still ongoing.<\/p>\n

Gulf nations were among those who had previously backed efforts to train and arm rebel factions seeking to overthrow Assad. However, Assad has since reclaimed control over much of the country with the help of Iran-backed militias and Russian air power, and some Arab countries have resumed diplomatic relations.<\/p>\n

For many Syrians affected by the conflict, Assad\u2019s rehabilitation made them feel not only betrayed but as if their suffering from the civil war had been erased from the region\u2019s memory completely.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of holding Assad accountable for his heinous crimes \u2026 he is welcomed and even rewarded, as if the past 12 years of suffering and bloodshed never occurred,\u201d said Wafa Ali Mustafa, 32.<\/p>\n

Mustafa, who fled Syria for Germany when her country was plunged into civil war after the Arab Spring uprisings, said her father, Ali Mustafa, a fruit seller, was forcibly disappeared by Assad\u2019s regime in July 2013.<\/p>\n

The last time she and her three siblings saw their dad, he was being removed for their Damascus home, she said. \u201cNormalizing relations is a betrayal to the victims and their families, including my own family. \u2026 Normalization can bring no peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia\u2019s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman opened the summit acknowledging the \u201cpainful years of struggle\u201d in Syria but added that he hoped the country\u2019s rapprochement would bring greater stability to the region. Arab leaders have accused the United States of neglecting the region in favor of a focus on competition with China and Russia, and analysts say this has prompted many countries to hedge their bets.<\/p>\n

Many Syrians have described feeling forgotten, as the world\u2019s attention was diverted to other crises, including the coronavirus pandemic and Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, and Syria is no longer considered an American priority.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt bothers us as Syrians how the international community dealt with the war in Ukraine and the support that was provided to the Ukrainians \u2026 compared to the Syrian refugees,\u201d said Haya Atassi, an organizer with a civil society group, referencing Russia\u2019s involvement in both conflicts.<\/p>\n

Atassi says her family fled Homs after her brother was detained by government forces and schools closed down. She now lives between Beirut and Istanbul.<\/p>\n

Within Syria, protests took place across a number of opposition-held cities on Friday, as people filled the streets to proclaim their outrage at Assad\u2019s participation at the summit.<\/p>\n

But some Syrians noted that his reintegration could provide some economic benefits for the nation, which is struggling with sanctions, the aftermath of the earthquake and the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n

Pro-Assad social media users hailed Assad\u2019s return as a victory, sharing images of him smiling and shaking hands with fellow leaders. One user on Twitter said he \u201cstood tall\u201d after Arab leaders had \u201cbet on his downfall,\u201d describing the about-turn from Arab states that funded factions to bring him down as a major victory.<\/p>\n

Despite Assad\u2019s presence at the event, the Biden administration, like European allies, has vowed to maintain its policy of isolation and pressure against him \u2014 noting that the war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced half the country\u2019s population.<\/p>\n

And Qatar, which has feuded with other Gulf states in recent years, said it disagreed with Syria\u2019s re-inclusion in the Arab League but would not pose an \u201cobstacle\u201d to a move backed by regional powers. Reports highlighted that its Emir, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, left the summit ahead of Assad\u2019s address.<\/p>\n

Arab embrace of Assad underscores divergence with U.S. over Syria
\nSaffour, who is now based in Doha, remained critical of both Arab and Western nations, saying: \u201cThey absolutely could have done so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her family from Aleppo and Homs have faced torture, bombardment, imprisonment and home destruction, she said, and relatives who survived now live as refugees in Turkey and Jordan or are contending with the aftermath of a February earthquake that shattered parts of northern Syria.<\/p>\n

Despite the world\u2019s attention shifting away, the plight of Syrians still has an impact on the wider world, she added. \u201cSyrians fled Assad \u2026 not just a war,\u201d she said, and his political rehabilitation would ensure fewer Syrians would be willing to return home.<\/p>\n

Mustafa, who continues to advocate for the return of her father, argued that Assad\u2019s international reintegration also sent a \u201cperilous message\u201d beyond Syria\u2019s borders to other authoritarian leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all vulnerable in a world that overlooks the gravity of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Syrian activists who spoke to The Post did not express any optimism that the political situation in Syria would improve, with Saffour noting that many Syrians had felt \u201cbetrayed and let down\u201d for a very long time.<\/p>\n

However, some also described drawing on their shared experiences, as well as their memories of their loved ones, for strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, we received a lot of trauma and learned to depend only on ourselves, and this is what we will do,\u201d Atassi said, adding that the war had bred resilience.<\/p>\n

Mustafa, meanwhile, said this of her father: \u201cI cherish the lasting memory of our car rides together \u2026 venturing into the mountains for hours on end. Those moments held an indescribable beauty that I carry within me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellen Francis contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WHIA- Washington Post Story by Adela Suliman, Missy Ryan \u201cThe international community has failed us completely.\u201d That was the assessment of Razan Saffour, 30, a British Syrian human rights activist who was among the many watching in disbelief and anger Friday as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was welcomed on an international stage \u2014 returning to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":10534,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[142,199,128],"tags":[],"series":[1027],"coauthors":[238],"class_list":["post-10544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-most-important-topics-en","category-top-stories","category-updates-en","series-whia-synergy"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/whia.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/\u0627\u0644\u0623\u0633\u062f-\u062c\u062f\u0629-e1684525634689.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/whia.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/\u0627\u0644\u0623\u0633\u062f-\u062c\u062f\u0629-e1684525634689.jpg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/whia.us\/en\/feed\/podcast\/whia-synergy","embedCode":"

\u2018Betrayed and let down\u2019: Syrians react as Assad welcomed back to Arab fold<\/a><\/blockquote>