Middle East Intelligence Bulletin
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  Vol. 2   No. 9 Table of Contents
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5 October 2000 


Syrian Intellectuals Call for Political Reforms
by Gary C. Gambill

The publication last month of a statement by 99 Syrian intellectuals calling for political reforms appeared at first to be a milestone in the gradual revitalization of Syrian civil society since the death of the late Syrian president Hafez Assad in June. The statement was not a communiqué by aging exiles cooling their heels in Europe or radical Islamist clerics venting their frustration in Amman (of which there have been many in recent decades), but a political manifesto signed by the most prominent artists, professors, novelists, poets, actors, and other intellects that Syria has produced over the last fifty years.

The statement, published in the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat, called upon the Syrian government to end the state of emergency and martial law that has been in effect since 1963; to issue a pardon for all political detainees and exiles; to recognize freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and freedom of expression; and to free public life from the restrictive laws and "various forms of surveillance" imposed on it. "No reforms, whether economic, administrative or judicial," the statement concluded, "will lead to security and stability if not fully accompanied by and [implemented] side by side with desired political reform because it is the only means of helping our society reach a peaceful shore."1

Bashar Assad
Bashar Assad

Signatories of the statement, most of whom live in Syria or visit the country regularly, included Adonis, one of the most prominent poets in the Arab world, living in London; Sadek Jamal al-Azm, a secular intellectual living in Damascus, considered one of the most prominent thinkers that Islamists "love to hate"; Khaled Taja, a popular and sophisticated television actor living in Damascus; Abdullah Hannah, a historian residing in Damascus who has written several books on Syrian nationalist figures during the French Mandate; Haidar Haidar, a communist living abroad whose most recent play, "Banquet of Seaweed," caused an uproar among Islamists and was banned by Al-Azhar University in Cairo; Fares al-Hellou, a renowned comedian living in Damascus; and Sarab al-Atassi, a university professor and daughter of the late Jamal al-Atassi, a cofounder of the Ba'ath Party.

Several aspects of the statement and its signatories are worthy of mention. First, the statement did not challenge the transfer of power to Bashar, nor did it explicitly call for democratization of Syrian political institutions. Second, the statement did not adhere to any particular ideological line. Third, the signatories did not include anyone with a history of anti-regime activity (the vast majority, in fact, had never been involved in any sort of political activity). In short, the manifesto was deliberately crafted to deny the Assad regime any grounds by which to accuse the signatories of reactionary intentions, political vendettas, or serving the "Zionist" enemy.

Nevertheless, official reaction in Damascus was extremely hostile. Syria's state-run print and audio-visual media not only declined to publish the statement, but unanimously refused even to mention that the statement had been made at all. In fact, according to one source, the Syrian ministry of information has now banned all foreign newspapers that carried reports about the statement. "While the banning order did not surprise me personally (nor, might I add, will I be surprised by further, more prohibitive, inclusive and draconian decisions), it is the kind of thing that ought to astonish those who used the terms 'different mentality' and 'modern outlook' in association with the transition of power to Bashar Assad," wrote Syrian journalist Sobhi Hadidi in the London-based Arabic daily Al-Quds al-Arabi (which, incidentally, has been banned in Syria since late last year).2

Indeed, an obsessive unwillingness to tolerate calls for political reform has become a trademark of the new regime. In August, one of the signatories of the recent statement, prominent Syrian author Antoine Makdassi, wrote an open letter to Bashar Assad in Al-Hayat calling for similar reforms and was promptly fired from his job at the Ministry of Culture.

Since many of the 99 signatories of the above-mentioned statement are employed by the state-run media, film industry, and university system, some expect that many of them will be fired from their jobs and perhaps even be imprisoned for their unsolicited attempt to participate in Syrian political life. At the very least, the state has communicated to them (and to Syrian civil society at large) that even the most obsequious and mild expressions of political dissent will not be tolerated in the future. At the same time, the statement could also provide ammunition to Bashar and his team to reactivate the so-called "anti-corruption" campaign and marginalize members of the "old guard" who retain positions of influence in the regime.

Notes

  1 Statement by 99 Syrian Intellectuals, Al-Hayat (London), 27 September 2000. Translation by Middle East Intelligence Bulletin.
  2 Al-Quds al-Arabi (London), 5 October 2000.

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