Americans of Syrian descent have banned together to demand that President Obama help the Syrian people oust Bashar Assad’s regime.
The group today announced their creation of “Save Syria Now” (SSN) an organization to pressure the administration to achieve their desired ends. Along with their formation announcement, SSN released a a letter to Obama pleading him to rally to their side.
Calling Syria a “republic of fear,” SSN wrote that America has a duty to take the lead to bring the international community to the Syrian people’s aid.
“As the United States stays incredulously at ‘arms length,’ apathetic and indifferent, more and more innocent Syrian citizens fighting for a voice will die and disappear in the coming days,” the letter reads. “As we write this letter, the protests are now on the verge of being met with mass murder and annihilation by evil henchmen of the Assad regime. In just the last week hundreds have died viciously in the streets.”
According to SSN, turning Syria into a functioning democracy would be a significant blow to America’s enemies in the region, including Iran, Hezbullah, and other “pan-Islamist.”
They are seeking a number of things from the administration including, imposing economic sanctions, insisting on a free Syrian press, release of political prisoners, oversight of a democratic reform movement, and ultimately the complete removal of Assad and his government.
“Throughout the recent monumental changes in the Middle East we have seen that pressure from the international community has had significant impact on the decisions of these tyrants to finally vacate their seats of power. Mubarak in Egypt left office after it was clear the United States was no longer going to support his regime. NATO’s current intervention in Libya on behalf of the rebel forces while chaotic seems to be presenting an opportunity for Libyans to see a world without Qaddaffi,” SSN writes. “The Syrians deserve the same support and the same opportunity.”
Thursday, Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsay Graham, and Conneticut Independent Joe Lieberman issued a joint statement urging the President to aid the Syrian people.
“Rather than hedging our bets or making excuses for the Assad regime, it is time for the United States, together with our allies in Europe and around the world, to align ourselves unequivocally with the Syrian people in their peaceful demand for a democratic government,” they said.