wadistocracy واديقراطية

**البحث عن السحر

wadiqratiya — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 10:21:06 +0000

Conversation with a Lebanese War Child

wadiqratiya — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:14:48 +0000

M: Hi. What’s happening in beirut?

Y: there was shooting at tariq il jdeedeh. we didn’t hear anything

M: I heard it was a bomb

Y: like a car bomb?

M: I dunno

Y: Wait i’m reading something. People are saying there’s an explosion at verdun

M: can you hear anything from your house?

Y: No. Fuck this shit

M: Do u think it will last?

Y: I don’t know. It could

M: I don’t think it will

Y: It’s directly linked to what’s happening in syria. I think the gulfies are trying to pressure the current government. One thing about war is that drugs would be available for cheap.

M: there you go, glass half full!

Y: probably a good time to start a small investment too. At least it will be safer

M: what will? what are you talking about? drugs will be safer?

Y: The chances to get arrested will be smaller

M: why because they have bigger problems?

Y: yes, and because they will not inspire fear anymore

M: Who, drug dealers or general security? Are you in war mode now? Is that what’s happening?

Y: Security forces will not be scary anymore

M: Won’t they be more scary because there’s a war?

Y: Yes

M: You just said no

Y: So the fighting in tareeq il jdideh between mustaqbal and some party called al tayyar arabi. a pro-syrian ex-mustaqbal guy. Shaker al Birjawi

M: What do you know about him?

Y: Nothing. haven’t hear of him before. I would love some soujouk now

On Mona El Tahawy and ‘Native Informants’

wadiqratiya — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:00:21 +0000

The problem with Tahawy’s article, as others have pointed out, is that she attempts to depoliticize the patriarchy and make it about emotion–hatred–because, you know, Arabs are all ‘hot-blooded’ and whatnot. Such a reductive argument would never be accepted as an explanation for patriarchal practices in the West. But her thesis seems to fold in on itself: if oppression of Arab women is rooted in hatred fed by a uniquely misogynistic religion and culture, then oppression in other places is rooted in what, general malaise? To say misogyny is rooted in hatred is just redundant. Misogyny isn’t rooted in hatred, it IS hatred, and hatred of women is a symptom, not a cause, of the patriarchy in which both men and women participate.

Mona el Tahawy’s arguments are rickety at best, and she deserves to be called out for them. I also think there is an argument to be made that she should have written this piece in Arabic. If she truly is motivated by concern for Arab women, then shouldn’t she include them in this conversation? Instead, she very deliberately addresses non-Arab readers, explaining that “…when it comes to the status of women in the Middle East, it’s not better than you think” and ‘”You — the outside world — will be told that it’s our ‘culture’ and ‘religion’ to do X, Y, or Z to women. Understand that whoever deemed it as such was never a woman” [emphasis mine].

Mona el Tahawy! YOU are the woman who just told them that X,Y, and Z abuses are “fueled by a toxic mix of culture and religion”! Tahawy’s presumption in speaking on behalf of Arab women and then telling her audience to ignore the voices of anyone who disagrees with her is truly enraging. That being said, I have a problem with the term ‘native informant’ and any criticism implying that her stance somehow makes her less Egyptian. The point is not that she’s a traitor, it’s that she’s an idiot. I get that it’s frustrating to watch an Arab woman get up on a soapbox and tell racists and Islamophobes exactly what they want to hear, but calling someone a ‘native informant’, even when it’s wielded by Arabs against Arabs, is just another convenient way to dismiss people of color without actually addressing the content of their arguments. If we’re going to start disqualifying people for being ‘too Westernized’, whatever the fuck that means, then half the Arab blogosphere would be out of the game, including many of Tahawy’s esteemed critics. ‘Native informant’ invokes someone’s non-white status in order to discredit them, which does nothing to subvert the racist power structures Tahawy’s argument speaks to.

Tigers on the Tenth Day by Zakaria Tamer

wadiqratiya — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:56:24 +0000

The forests had forsaken the tiger, imprisoned in his cage, but he could not forget them. He glared hatefully at the men beyond the bars; their eyes, curious and unafraid, studied him. One of them spoke in a calm, authoritative tone: “If you truly want to do what I do, to become a tamer, you must never for a moment forget that your adversary’s stomach is your primary target. You will see that this profession is both easy and difficult at the same time. Look at this tiger: he is fierce, arrogant, proud of his freedom, his power and his strength. But he will change, become meek, gentle, and obedient–like a small child. Watch what happens between he who holds the food and he who does not, and learn.”
The men rushed to profess their dedication as students to the profession of taming. The tamer beamed, then addressed the tiger sarcastically: “And how is our honored guest?”
“Prepare my food; it is time for my meal,” said the tiger
“You, my prisoner, giving me orders?” said the tamer with mock astonishment. “What a funny tiger you are! You should realize that I am the only one who gives orders around here.”
“No one gives orders to tigers,” said the tiger.
“But you are no longer a tiger,” said the tamer. “In the forest, you are a tiger, but here, you are caged. Now, you are merely a slave who carries out orders and obeys my will.”
“I am no one’s slave,” the tiger replied testily.
“You must obey me because I am the one who holds the food,” said the tamer.
“I do not want your food,” said the tiger.
“Go hungry then if you like,” said the tamer. “I won’t force to you do what you don’t want to do.” Then, to his students, he added: “You’ll see how he changes his mind, for a head held high does not satisfy a hungry stomach.”
So the tiger went hungry. He remembered with sadness the days when he ran like the wind, free of constraints, chasing down his prey.
The next day, the tamer and his students surrounded the cage once more.
“Are you not hungry?” said the tamer. “You must be so hungry it hurts. Say you are hungry and you will receive all the meat you can eat.”
The tiger was quiet.
The tamer continued: “do as I say and don’t be foolish. Admit that you are hungry and you will be fed immediately.”
“I am hungry,” said the tiger.
The tamer laughed and told his students: “Now he has fallen into a trap he will not escape.” He gave the order, and the tiger was given much meat.
On the third day, the tamer said to the tiger: “If you want to get food, do as I say.”
“I will not obey you,” said the tiger.
“Don’t be so hasty,” said the tamer. “My request is very simple. You are currently pacing in your cage. When I tell you ‘stop’, you stop.”
The tiger thought to himself: “It really is a minor request; there is no need for me to be stubborn and go hungry.”
“Stop!” shouted the tamer in a harsh, commanding voice.
The tiger froze immediately.
“You’re getting better,” said the tamer in a friendly tone.
The tiger was glad, and he ate heartily as the tamer explained to his students: “In a few days he will be a paper tiger.”
On the fourth day, the tiger said to the tamer: “I am hungry–tell me to stop.”
“He has begun to love my orders,” the tamer told his students. Then turning to the tiger, he said: “You’ll get no food today unless you meow like a kitty cat.”
The tiger swallowed his rage and said to himself: “It will be fun to meow like a kitty cat,” and so he did.
The tamer frowned, and said disapprovingly: “That was terrible. A snarl is not a meow.”
And so the tiger tried again, but the tamer’s face remained grim.
“Just shut up,” said the tamer contemptuously. “Your meow is still terrible. I’ll give you a day to practice meowing, and tomorrow I’ll test you. If you succeed, you’ll eat, but if you don’t, you won’t.”
The tamer stepped away from the tiger’s cage with slow, deliberate steps, his snickering, whispering students in tow. The tiger called to the forests beseechingly, but they were too far away.
On the fifth day, the tamer said to the tiger: “If you can meow like a kitty cat you’ll get a big piece of fresh meat.”
The tiger meowed, and the tamer clapped.
“Excellent!” the tamer said with glee. “You mew like a cat in heat,” and he threw the tiger a big piece of meat.
On the sixth day, as soon as the tamer neared the tiger’s cage, the tiger meowed, but the tamer’s brow remained furrowed.
“But I meowed like a kitty,” said the tiger.
“Bray like a donkey,” ordered the tamer.
Said the tiger, full of resentment: “I am a tiger. The animals of the forest fear me. Bray like a donkey? I would rather die.”
The tamer left the tiger in his cage without a word.
On the seventh day, the trainer approached the tiger’s cage with a gentle smile.
“Don’t you want to eat?”
“I want to eat,” said the tiger.
“The meat you will eat comes at a price,” said the tamer. “Bray like a donkey and you will be fed.”
The tiger tried to remember the forest, but he could not. He closed his eyes and let out a “Hee-haw!”
“Your bray is not very good, but I will give you a piece of meat out of pity,” said the tamer.
On the eighth day, the tamer said to the tiger: “I will deliver the beginning of a speech, and when I finish, clap as if you like it.”
“I will clap,” said the tiger.
So the tamer began his speech: “Oh citizens…we have on many occasions clarified our position on the defining causes of our time, and this resolute, honest position will not change no matter how the enemy powers conspire against us, and with faith, we will be victorious.”
“I did not understand what you said,” the tiger responded.
“You must like everything I say and clap enthusiastically.”
“Forgive me,” said the tiger. “I am ignorant. Your words are great, and I will clap as you wish.” And the tiger clapped.
“I don’t care for hypocrisy, or for hypocrites,” said the tamer. “You will go without food today as punishment.”
On the ninth day, the tamer came carrying a bag of hay, and threw it towards the tiger.
“Eat,” he said.
“What is this?” asked the tiger. “I eat meat.”
“From now on, you’ll eat nothing but hay,” said the tamer.
And when the tiger’s hunger grew, he tried to eat the hay. He was shocked by the taste and backed away in disgust. But he went back, and gradually became accustomed to it.
And on the tenth day, the tamer, his students, the tiger and his cage disappeared, and the tiger became a citizen, and his cage a city.

**********************************************************************************

The story ‘An-Namour fii al-Youm al-’Asher’ is taken from the book by Zakaria Tamer of the same name, first published in 1978 by Riad El-Rayyes Books. Republished here under the rules of Fair Use. The illustration is Franz Marc’s Der Tiger (public domain via wikimedia commons).

The Arabic text:

[UPDATED] Palestinian Intellectuals to Syrian Regime: Not in Our Name! (English trans)

wadiqratiya — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:47 +0000

UPDATE: There are credible reports that many of the supposed signatories to this document never saw it and had no knowledge that their names were being used. I respectfully request that anyone who has republished this translation take appropriate measures to inform their readers.

A collective Palestinian statement
To apply for membership in the Syrian Writers Union and in solidarity with the Syrian people

It is our honor, as Palestinian writers and signatories to this statement, to request as a group to be inducted into the Syrian Writers Union, which has been recently established by the free Syrian writers and intellectuals who stand with the people as they climb the ladder of freedom which has been smeared with blood by the hand of the tyrant. The establishment of the Syrian Writers Union constitutes an essential pillar of the Syrian revolution and places the true intellectual in his or her rightful place beside the people as an effective partner in building a new Syria free of dynastic authoritarianism–a diverse, democratic, civil system based on the rights of the citizen, one that embraces the rights of expression and creation, a system incapable of falsifying the free Syrian intellectual’s will through hollow structures that arrogate the potentials of culture, usurp the role of the intellectual and falsify his or her will, always a device in the hand of the tyrant and his apparatuses.

Now more than ever, Syria needs a mature voice that speaks from its very heart, a voice which strengthens national unity and derives strength from the diversity and richness of Syrian society [...] [which will serve as] the basis for building a democracy.

We have recently heard a representative of the Syrian regime at the UN Security Council use the Palestinian cause and its painful and honorable course as cover for its terrifying crimes in Syria. We say to the Syrian regime and its representatives: not in our name, not in Palestine’s name, will these crimes be committed in our beloved Syria, oh killers. Do not make our just cause a mask for your inhumane crimes against our Syrian brothers and sisters. It is the Syrian people who have historically adopted our cause, and sacrificed martyrs for its sake, not your regime, of which we have painful memories. We will never forget its role in the massacre of Tel Az-Zaatar in 1976, nor in the terrible assault on the Nahr al Bared camp near Tripoli in 1983, nor the siege of the camps in Beirut in 1985, nor any of the other acts which have bitterly weakened Palestinian national unity. Do not use Palestine’s name, for it is no longer your winning card.

A unified, free and democratic Syria is what Palestine needs, and this is the Syria that is being born today from the womb of a bloody revolution ignited by a great people. We are confident that Palestine’s name will remain in the heart of this courageous, revolting people and its cultural elite.

Mourid Barghouti (poet and writer)
Taher Riyad (poet)
Ghassan Zaqtan (poet)
Zuhair Abu Shayib (poet)
Azmi Bishara (intellectual)
Mahmoud Ar-Rimawi (writer)
Ma’an al-Biyari (writer and journalist)
Youssef Abu Laouz (poet)
Najwan Darwish (poet)
Rub’i al-Madhoun (novelist)
Adel Bishtawi (writer, novelist and researcher)
Antoine Shalhat (writer and critic)
Fakhri Salih (critic)
Hussein Shaweesh (writer)
Huzama Habayeb (writer and novelist)
Nasr Jamil Shaath (poet)
Ahmed Abu Matar (academic critic, researcher and activist)
Mohammad Khalil (writer)
Youssef Abdel Aziz (poet)
Moussa Barhouma (writer)
Issa Ash-Shu’aibi (writer)
Moussa Hawamdeh (poet)
Na’il Balaawi (poet)
Khalil Qandeel (writer)
Ghazi at-Theeba (poet)
Wissam Joubran (poet and musician)
Omar Shabana (poet)
Qusai al-Labadi (poet)
Ali al-Aamari(poet)
Jihad Hudeib (poet)
Ziad Khaddash (writer)
Nasr Rabah (poet)
Bassem Al Nabrees (poet and writer)
Raji Bathish (writer)
Shaher Khadra (poet)
Raed Wahish (poet)
Asma Azaiza (poet)
Mahmoud Abu Hashhash (poet)
Khodr Mahjaz (novelist, poet, researcher, academic critic)
Bassel Abu Hamda (writer)
Ibrahim Jaber Ibrahim (writer)
Abdullah Abu Bakr (poet)
Osama al-Rantisi (writer)
Issam As-Saadi (poet)
Khalid Juma (poet)
Naim al-Khatib (writer)
Akram Abu Samra (poet)
Hanin Juma Takrouri (writer)
Najwa Chamoun (poet)
Mohamad As-Salimi (poet)
Hani As-Salimi (novelist)
Bilal Salameh (poet)
Osama Abu Awad (writer)
Jaber Sha’at (poet)
Youssef al-Qadra (poet)
Nesma al-Aklouk (writer)
Othman Hussein (poet)
Rizk al-Biyari (poet)
Yasser al-Wiqaad (poet)
Subhi Hamdan (writer)
Imad Mohsen (writer)
Leila Violet (poet)
Tayseer Muheisen (writer, critic, and political activist)
Fayez As-Sirsawi (visual artist and poet)
Rajab Abu Sirriyeh (writer)
Fuad Hamada (academic critic, researcher, and political activist)
Mai Nayif (academic critic, researcher, and gender activist)
Yusri Al-Ghul (writer and critic)
Hussein Abu An-Najja (writer and academic researcher)
Nasr Aliwa (novelist and critic)
Abdel Karim Aliyan (writer and education researcher)
Walaa Tamraz (researcher and political writer)
Omar Sha’aban (writer and researcher)
Hassan Mai (writer and academic critic)
Ma’an Samara (poet and journalist)
Mohamad Hassouna (academic and critic)
Aoun Abu Safia (novelist)
Atif Hamada (poet and academic critic)
Ghiath al-Madhoun (poet)
Rajaa Ghanem (poet)
Tariq al-Karmi (poet)
Ahmed al-Ashqar (poet)
Ali Abu Khitab (poet and writer)
Dunia al-Amal Ismail (poet)
Isra Kalash (writer)
Moussa Abu Karash (poet and writer)
Abdel Fitah Shihada (poet and novelist)
Yasser Abu Jalala (poet and visual artist)
Khalil Hassouna (poet and novelist)
Muheeb al-Barghouti (poet)
Abdel Nasr Aamer (poet, visual artist)
Nidal al-Hamarna (writer)
Ashraf Amro (writer)
Asma Nasr Abu Ayyesh (writer and journalist)
Maya Abu al-Hiyaat (writer)
Zeinat Abu Shaweesh (writer)
Suzanne Salameh (poet)

The original Arabic text can be found here. I’ve taken a few small liberties for the sake of clarity and flow in English, but tried to remain as faithful to the text as possible. I have also taken the liberty of adding “his or her,” which is generally not used in Arabic for stylistic reasons but I feel is in the spirit of the statement since the signatories include women.

And to my critics, I say…

wadiqratiya — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:57:00 +0000

I was between projects, on the prowl for cheap (literary) thrills, and a friend of a friend recommended Ihsan Abdel Quddous. I am withholding judgement until I’ve finished the book, but I have to say, based on the author’s forward, we are off to a dubious start:

Many people have said to me: if you had a daughter, you would not have written these stories that you write, nor espouse these daring opinions as you do…

They are wrong.

A writer, when forming his opinion, does so based on his view of the whole society, not his view of himself or his family…in any case, there are many girls in my family…they have all read my stories, and I hope that each and every one has taken my words to heart.

This speech I dedicate to my little niece Fatima Al Jundi, and to all daughters…may I see them all happy.

-Ihsan Abdel Quddous

And just what might these ‘daring opinions’ be? I suppose we’ll find out soon enough…

The original text in Arabic:

Book titles taken from subject lines of drunk e-mails to best friend

wadiqratiya — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:41:33 +0000

A Girl Unloved by Men

My first thought when I saw the Arabic title of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was pretty negative.

“Right,” I thought. “Because all complex female characters are actually just bitter harpies who need to get laid.”

The publishers can be somewhat forgiven, since, on further investigation, I discovered that the original title in Swedish is Män som hatar kvinnor, or Men Who Hate Women. A similar theme, but it’s still worth noting that in Arabic the implicit blame has shifted to the girl.

Full disclosure: I have not read the book, and from what I understand the female protagonist does, indeed, have intimacy issues, but I still think this is a pretty bad title. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo promises seduction, mystery, and escapism at its best and most sordid. A Girl Unloved by Men sounds like a coming of age tale involving a troubled teen and an equally wild horse slowly learning to trust each other over the course of a fateful summer on her uncle’s ranch. That’s if it were published in English. In Arabic, Fataatoun La Yuhibuha Ar-Rijaal sounds like khaleeji chick lit, and not the good kind (yes, there is a good kind).

A sad day in human-jinn relations

wadiqratiya — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:45:50 +0000

Security forces surround the mountain: Omani kidnapped by Jinn who ties him up in a cave using her hair as mediation by human sheikhs fails

While it is important not to make generalizations about the entire jinn community based on a few bad apples, we must also recognize the societal factors that lead to high rates of kidnapping, possession and shape-shifting among jinn, particularly the youth. The destruction of abandoned houses and banana groves, in particular, as well as the terrible living conditions of stray animals, many of which are in fact jinn, feeds resentment towards humans, leading some jinn to lash out as we’ve seen here.

تعويذة بلا سحر

wadiqratiya — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:12:53 +0000

عندما بدأت بقراءة ثالوث و تعويذة بقلم الكاتبة العمانية زوينة الكلباني، كنت أتطلع إلى التمتع بقصة رومانسية خفيفة يتخللها التشويق النفسي، و لكن سرعان ما خابت تطلعاتي. أدركت أن الرواية ليست بالخفة التي تخيلتها ، فهي محاولة صادقة في كتابة رواية شاملة في قصتها و رموزها وتشكيلاتها الفكرية. و رغم ذلك، أقول محاولة لأنها تعاني من نقص واضح يتمثل بالانشغال بأخلاقيات إجتماعية تقدمها الكاتبة بشكل تبسيطي و سطحي، مما يؤثر سلباً على العمل الروائي، إذ تمنع هذه المقاربة التعمق في الشخصيات نفسها و في علاقاتها بعضا ببعض، و تقطع متابعة ردود فعلها الطبيعية

تدور أحداث الرواية حول بنت عمانية اسمها نورة، تعيش عقدة نفسية بسبب توجّسها من الرقم ثلاثة، وعلاقتها بشاب إماراتي تتعرف إليه في لندن. تسعى الرواية إلى أن تكون أكثر من مجرّد قصة عادية عن الحب و القدر، و لكنها تفشل في سعيها هذا، فالثرثرة الكثيرة عن الموت في الرواية لا تنتج أي وحي جديد عن الموت أو الحياة أو أي من المواضيع الوجودية الأخرى. و أمّا على مستوى التسلية، فيشوب الرواية قدر كبير من الجدية الزائدة، و قد يكون مردّ ذلك الأمر إلى عدم تمكن كاتبة تأتي من بيئة خليجية محافظة من أن تكتب في الحب إلا إذا أكدت على قيمها و قيم بطلتها الأخلاقية. في هذا الإطار، تصبح الشخصيات الثانوية مجرد دعائم تقوم عليها أفكار الكاتبة، إذ تغيب عنها مكونات أدبية أساسية، مما يجعلها غير قابلة للتصديق. توظف الكاتبة هذه الشخصيات إذا في تبرير أفعال البطلة نورة و خياراتها، و ربما حتى في تبرير خيار الكاتبة نفسها في الكتابة عن الحب

إحدى هذه الشخصيات الثانوية الصامتة هي سمير؛ فكانت نورة في لندن حين وردها خبر انتحار سمير، زميلها السابق الذي كانت قد كتبت ضده شكوى عندما كانا يعملان في المكتب نفسه. كان سمير مثليا و نورة لا طاقة لها على احتمال هذا “المسخ البشري” على حد قولها، و لا دور لسمير في الرواية إلا ظهوره عنصرًا يبرز تعصب نورة ضد خرق الأعراف الإجتماعية، ليثبت أنها فتاة طاهرة رغم علاقتها بشاب

لم أتوقع من شخصية عمانية أن تدافع عن حقوق المثليين، نظرا لحساسية هذا الموضوع بحسب المعايير الإجتماعية العمانية، ولا أنقدها من وجهة نظر ثقافية أو أخلاقية أو دينية، و لكن من ناحية أدبية نقدية؛ إن هذا النوع من المراوغة أو المقايضة الأخلاقية هي نقطة ضعف في المنطق السردي

و ليس سمير الضحية الوحيدة في القصة. زوج أخت نورة له صديق إسمه أحمد يشجعه على تمضية الليالي الحمراء و عيش مغامرات مع نساء أخريات و لكن لحسن حظ أخت نورة يصاب أحمد بمرض الايدز و يسلم الروح بعد بضعة أسابيع فقط ( هل تدخلت يد الله في هذا الحدث؟؟!) و هنا يظهر التبسيط مرة أخرى عبر إقحام البعد الأخلاقي في أحداث الرواية. لنضع جانبا تجاهل الكاتبة حقائق طبية (يمكن للمرء أن يعيش سنوات طويلة بعد تشخيص الإصابة بالإيدز). بدلا من أن تتحرى الكاتبة تناقضات و صعوبات الحياة الزوجية، تفضل أن تتخلص من المشكلة من دون أن تخوض في أية تعقيدات، فيندم الزوج على خيانته و ينتهي الأمر ببساطة و بسرعة

يبدو لي أن الكاتبة قدمت هذه الأمثلة لكي تبرئ بطلتها مما يمكن أن يحسب عليها عيوب بحسب الثقافة الخليجية، و تتمثل عيوب البطلة بسفرها إلى الخارج بمفردها و تورطها بعلاقة عاطفية خارج الزواج. و للأسف فإن الانتقامات التافهة التي تخضع لها الشخصيات الثانوية في الرواية تنتقص من جمال النص و تضع حاجزاً بين الشخصية الرئيسة و القارئ، حيث تبدو نورة قاسية و مخطئة في أحكامها. كيف نستطيع أن نحب بطلة تبكي لدى إعدام الرئيس العراقي السابق صدام حسين الذي قتل الآلاف من شعبه و لا تظهر إلا القسوة و الشراسة تجاه شاب مُثلي لم يقترف أي ذنب حقيقي؟

ليس من الضروري أن تقدم الكاتبة هذه القرابين لكي يسمح لها القارىء برواية قصة حب، فليس من واجب الأدب أن يطلب السماح من قرّائه ولا أن يفاوض على واقعيته.

Clever Homsis defy stereotype, turn state propoganda on its head to comic effect

wadiqratiya — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:24:49 +0000

There are a lot of jokes about people from Homs and their alleged stupidity, but this is mostly good-natured ribbing, and I’ve never met a Homsi who didn’t take it in stride with a smile. It seems the brave people of Homs have not lost their sense of humor, despite a sustained military assault over the past few weeks that has devastated the city.

The sign held by the two men above reads: “Syria is over…and the crisis is fine. God damn your soul, Hafez.”

This sign is of course an inversion of the official line, which is ‘The crisis is over, and Syria is fine.’

I salute your courage, and your lulz, Homs.