Syrian protesters now demand regime change, says Vatican analyst

August 03, 2011

Public protests in Syria were not originally intended to bring down the Assad government, according to a noted Vatican Arab scholar. But the brutality and corruption of the regime’s response has now changed the protesters’ outlook.

“In reality, most Syrians are just fed up,” says Father Samir Khalil Samir, SJ. “Except for the regime’s cronies, everyone is tired to see their demands written off and their most basic rights, like freedom of expression, denied.” At first the protests were designed to make the government take notice of public dissatisfaction. But the slaughter of thousands of peaceful protesters has left the people thinking that regime change is the only real option.

Father Samir essentially agrees with the protesters. Despite the real fear that a change in government could produce an Islamic regime, he argues that the Church and the West should embrace the need to oust the Assad regime.

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Syria’s uprising: violence will not stop a people seeking freedom and dignity (AsiaNews)