Press Release
ASSAD RUTHLESSLY MURDERS THE MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS OF SYRIA TO PROTECT HIS THRONE

On Saturday 7^th May, security forces of the Assad regime opened fire on an all-female demonstration on the main highway from Merqeb, a village on the outskirts of the coastal town of Baniyas that has become one of the main focus points for anti-regime demonstrations. They shot dead 4 women and wounded 5 others. The women were protesting against the siege of Baniyas by the Syrian army, the cutting of power and phone lines, and the mass arrest of their brothers, husbands, and sons by security police. In Dara'a in March, an 11 year old girl was killed by Syrian security forces during anti-regime protests. Yet Assad continues to absurdly maintain that state violence is being employed to control armed gangs and terrorist groups.

 Over 800 have been killed and over 8000 detained during Assad's massacre of protestors over the last few weeks. Women and children are included in those who have been arrested - even grandmothers have not been spared. Evidence from human rights organisations indicate that women and children alongside men have been severely tortured at the hands of Syria's notoriously ruthless Mahabharat to induce fear amongst those opposing the regime. Even children as young as 12 have faced heavy beatings by these secret police. Despite all this, Washington and the European Union continue to ‘stand by their man', calling for political reform in Syria rather than an end to this brutal dictator.

 Dr. Nazreen Nawaz, Central Media Representative, Hizb ut-Tahrir commented, "We condemn these ruthless, cowardly attacks by the Assad regime against unarmed protestors whose only weapons are their voices and inspirational courage in opposing this modern day Herod whose dynasty should have been discarded into the dustbin of history decades ago.

What kind of merciless system deems it acceptable to aim its guns at the innocent mothers and daughters of its people? This tyrant ruler may want to desperately instigate fear amongst his nation in order to cling to power, but it is his own fear that is tangible with the enactment of these despicable actions that expose to the world how ‘al assad(the lion)' has been reduced to a quivering, cowering ‘fa'r(mouse)' through the bravery of Syrian Muslims. He is deluded if he feels this bloodbath upon his citizens will secure his throne - rather these criminal acts are simply hastening the time of his welcome demise."

 "Sons of the Syrian army, how can you bear to stand behind this tyrant that brutally murders your mothers and daughters in cold blood? How can you give your allegiance to a leadership that is willing to unleash terror upon its own people in order to save its own skin and that has fed off the wealth of Syria like parasites, impoverishing your brothers and sisters?

How can you continue to give support to a regime that uses you to fight your own mothers and daughters while never having mobilised its military to liberate the Golan or the Muslims of Palestine? What dignity can you have when you witness the massacres, the bloodbath, the repression, the injustice against your Ummah and you have the ability to put an end to all of this yet you do not take action?"

 "We call you to embrace the honour that Allah(swt) will bestow upon you by becoming guardians of your Ummah through removing this cowardly, criminal, corrupt dictatorship and turning your support to the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" state that will implement the laws of Islam and return dignity to your hands and the lives of your brothers and sisters. Regardless of the number of concessions or promises of political reform, real change can never arise from a regime that has only ever been versed in the language of violence, brutality, repression, and fear. What goodness can you hope for from rulers who have no conscience? It is the Khilafah "Caliphate" state alone that will mark an end to the decaying political systems in Syria and the Muslim world that have kept your Ummah on its knees for so long. It is this Islamic system that will fight the cause of the weak and oppressed, seek to eradicate poverty, feed the hungry, protect the dignity of women, provide truly accountable transparent governance and mobilise the Muslim armies to protect and liberate the Muslim lands, making them the heroes of the people, rather than their enemies."

 Dr. Nazreen Nawaz

Hizb ut-Tahrir's Central Media Representative