On this Martin Luther King holiday, it is all the more fitting to shake our collective fingers at violent dictators like Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, and remind them that, as MLK put it so eloquently, “unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
Truth and justice do not hide behind guns, bombs, and torture devices. And, history has shown that the former carry moral legitimacy that far outweighs the morally bankrupt expediency of violence and brutality. The former also is more powerful in disarming the bully than the latter will ever be in oppressing the innocents.
Fear is never the best weapon. It’s a temporary emotion, and tyrants will only have temporary effectiveness. Noncooperation, noncompliance, and disobedience will always be stronger than tyranny, especially when they are infused with an infectious stubbornness that will not die. This is Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, and also MLK’s.
Today Al Jazeera is reporting that Imad Ghalioun, a member of the Syrian parliament, has defected and joined the opposition. According to Al Jazeera –
“Imad Ghalioun, who represented the central city of Homs, told the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV on Sunday night that the city is “disaster stricken” and has been subjected to sweeping human rights violations. Ghalioun said he was able to leave Syria before a travel ban was imposed on officials.
He said there are many legislators who support the uprising but have not said so publicly.”
It’s just a matter of time, for fear is temporary. Stay stubborn in the path of truth and justice. I leave you with a quote by MLK:
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
NOTE: Everything I write in this blog constitutes my personal opinions and views.
Hayat Alvi, Ph.D. 