Were the Syrians spared by God’s Will?

In human history, this was a miracle. Perhaps, there has not been a force of greater evil, than the terror that was rained down on helpless Syrians…..by their own leader Bashar Al Assad. And, their own army, that worked in collusion with foreign forces, unleashing the gravest sins, wickedness, and atrocities, on their people. Cruelties were boundless. And, the savagery had shaken the gods. A combined might of the superpowers was up against the helpless Syrians, who only looked upon the sky, for divine mercy.

Was all that had happened in Syria, the Will of God?

I have carefully observed the successive events in Syria’s recent history, and the western government’s role, in a game of evil and chaos, that has lasted for many years. I have also been wondering if

God did have a role to play, in the affairs of men, on this lonely planet.

I think all people, religious or not, who care about humanity will derive strength from the resilience of the Syrian people, in the face of overwhelming odds.

If you look back to the start of the conflict and the subsequent years, during which Qatar had funded ISIS, while Saudi Arabia had funded Al Qaeda warriors in Syria. A large population of this country had remained under fanatics (terrorist) control. At one point, it looked as if the fanatics may succeed in creating a human exodus of over 15 million Syrians. The people of the biblical land were ready to flee the carnage.

The US, UK, and France (which were also more covertly involved from the beginning) had also revealed their hands. These countries bombed Syria, to set up illegal bases which provide ISIS and Al Qaeda, a free pass to commit atrocities in the remaining areas they controlled. Turkey and Israel had also been active in the war. Israel has been almost a daily visitor, bombing the Syrian army and arming the extremists.

Perhaps, Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah had helped in turning back the tide, but it was only the bravery and unity of the diverse Syrian army and the people, that determined the outcome of the conflict. In a military sense, you can’t explain how Syria has prevailed over this combined evil, that had used bombs and were aided by ethnic and religious intolerance, as tools of regime change.

In recent years I have sensed that something has changed in the way I look at things. I link this partly to events in Syria and the war crimes being committed by the West. Along with their support for terrorism, conducted under the garb of ‘humanitarian’ intervention. Rather than be consumed by outrage and burdened by the disturbing knowledge I now possess, I seem to have acquired some kind of ‘faith’. I am not sure if this faith is spiritual or based, purely on what I’ve observed over the years – or, both.

This faith is centered on a belief that good eventually prevails over evil. I try to go out of my way to help others who are vulnerable. I have confidence in my abilities, which was never there before. It is hard to explain this, but I feel I have had a ‘helping hand’, to work through some personal health issues, and all, that has put things into perspective.

I believe this renewed strength has come to me by way of my deep appreciation of the resilience of the Syrian people, who fought heroically, to protect the unity of the many ethnic groups and religious faiths, living side by side in Syria. I feel privileged to use my knowledge and ideas to spread this message of my inspiration, through my writings.

At the moment I am making some serious endeavors trying to learn about religion, particularly in the context of what’s going on in the world. I guess in my early years I would have described myself as agnostic but more, tending towards atheism. But then, I hadn’t really studied religion and kept an open mind on the subject until I had more time to explore it and think….deeply, about it!

I want to share a book, authored by Hamza Andreas Tzortzis, titled ‘The Divine Reality’. This is indeed a good starting point for those who wish to understand the main defense, in favor of theism and atheism.

The book is more focused on Islam. For a book promoting theism, I, as a relative learner, was surprised to find it had some very rational arguments, about the precision of the universe….for example, the position of the planets and sun seems too perfect to happen, by chance.

The author of the book has argued that science has not provided adequate explanations for our existence and in their absence, theism merits due consideration.

One of the common reasons for believing there can be no god is that, otherwise, suffering in the world would definitely have been prevented

Hamza has confronted with this common objection. He explains it is God, who gives us the tools to be the good people and do the good things. Worshipping God, therefore, is not just about praying but doing good deeds, in our everyday life.

In a way, life is like an examination, to see how we get on, and use these tools. There is a posthumous reward for those who pass this crucial test, in this current life, or the Afterlife. Unfortunately for those, who do not qualify, consistent suffering awaits them.

So there is the suggestive view to illustrate that if there is a God, His day to day intervention to prevent injustices, is not the way, it would work. It is largely up to us to live up to decent values. Looking back at history, you can see a pattern where wholesale injustice inflicted on many were finally corrected one way or another, by forces other than what we had imagined.

Remember, in World War Two, the Nazis were allowed to destroy much of Europe; but was there a God, who had decided around 1942, that enough was enough and intervention of a godly kind was the only way to defeat the tyranny?

Looking back in the last fifty years, we have been severally and jointly responsible for the destruction in Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and countless other states. Could it be that…..if there is a God, it has been decided that enough is enough, and the red line had been crossed in Syria?

The victors and victims on the right side of history during World War Two, namely, the United States, Britain, Israel and France, today have become so utterly corrupt and lewd. So much, that they resembled the forces of darkness, that the victors themselves, were fighting against, in 1942.

Syria is healing again, yet there exists a danger. This is another conflict…a proxy war, now being fought by the major world powers. Fault lines are opening up all over the Middle East. Any historian or geopolitical expert studying these past conflicts and the recent events, would be but hard pressed to see how global conflict can be avoided. The signs are there of a major conflict that may erupt at any time sooner than later.

The end of hostilities in Syria is the modern version of a biblical miracle. Perhaps, we are at a crucial tipping point and there is a God, providing us with the tools to remove the enemy from within – and this is also, the right time to do it. Perhaps God is testing us again, watching us, if we wake up and confront these issues or carry on with our nefarious business of creating warfare, strife, and human miseries, for our profits.

As we continue to do it, we also continue to remain oblivious to the suffering that our governments are causing, in our name. Let us prove that we are worthy of a trust reposed in us, and it is time to step up to exhibit that our planet can survive safely in our hands.

We must all display our solidarity and respect, to the true heroes of the day – the Syrian people.

In the year, that is about to end, I have particularly noticed that many people are distracted or stressed by Christmas – and not in a good way. Going to work this week, I’ve nearly been almost run over by impatient traffic and pushed back on the workplaces and pavements.

Why not take some time out, this coming eve of the New Year, to be more self-aware and tolerant towards others. Let us help someone – perhaps a vulnerable neighbor or a colleague, and make an effort for one act of kindness towards someone outside of the immediate family or circle.

Once you’ve done that, you will not experience negative energy, that could have been triggered by the stresses of Christmas. Such tensions are known to be elicited by the frenzy of religious festivals, is celebrated around the world.

It has augured well for me, and hope it does so for all my readers. I wish everyone a Happy New Year, as it is celebrated across the globe.

Copy Edited by Adam Rizvi