• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Syria’s War, Victims, and How Those Most Complicit Rationalize Horrors

Stephen J. Lyons by Stephen J. Lyons
07/07/20
in Opinion
A Syrian government flag flies above the rubble in the neighbourhood of Hajar al-Aswad near Yarmouk refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria

Rebuilding infrastructure is no substitute for rebuilding a society. Photo: AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

I am Omran Daqneesh, five years old, sitting in an ambulance, bloodied, dazed, and alone. My older brother’s name is Ali. Soon, someone will tell me he is dead and that my mother is hurt. I don’t know about my father. I hope someone will tell me where to go because I already know that our home is destroyed.

I am the pilot who dropped the bombs during the airstrike in Aleppo that killed Omran’s brother Ali and severely injured his mother. Sometimes the bombs contain poison gas. I never know which ones. Nonetheless, I have been sworn to obey orders without any doubts. I fly my missions with pride. Sometimes I wonder what happens when my bombs hit the ground, but I cannot afford to think about this too often. Do you know that I am a hero in my hometown? I have been awarded medals for bravery.

I am the ruler who orders the fighter planes when and where to drop their bombs on Omran’s hometown of Aleppo. I will do anything to stay in power and power is what I have. No Arab Spring on my watch. Collateral damage is part of war. It cannot be helped. Look away if it bothers you.

I am the factory worker who, in war after war from Vietnam to Syria, dutifully packs the shrapnel, the chemicals, and the chlorine gas in the bombs that killed Omran’s brother Ali, wounded his mother, and maimed thousands. The money I make supports my family. We live well, and we are thankfully far removed from war zones. I take pride in my work. It is not my job to think of the consequences of my labor, but I admit that some nights I do not sleep too well.

I am Aylan Kurdi, three years old, a refugee from the war in Syria. I was found face down on a Turkish beach, in my red shirt, blue shorts, and my Velcro sneakers. My arms lay at my side as if I was asleep on a soft bed in my Syrian home. I was told the boat we were on would take us to an island called Kos; that we would then be safe on Greek soil. But we never made it.

I am Rihana, the mother of Aylan and four-year-old Galip. My husband Abdullah held us in his strong arms as the boat capsized in the middle of the darkest night, but the water swept us away from his grasp. In the morning, a Turkish man with a big heart found Aylan and carried him gently from the shore. I am forever grateful to him for giving my son the dignity he deserved. I can only hope my courageous husband Abdullah can overcome his loss and continue his journey to freedom. Because there is no home left to go back to.

A Syrian refugee holds a baby in a refugee camp set in the town of Harmanli, south-east of Sofia
Over 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011. Photo: Nikolay Doychinovnikolay/AFP

I am Abdullah, the husband of Rhiana and father of Aylan and Galip, all of whom slipped through my hands into the Aegean. I will leave Turkey and travel to Syria to bury my family. I only wish I was dead, too, so we could be reunited. From this day forward my life is meaningless.

I am Sergeant Mehmet Ciplak, the Turkish policeman who found young Aylan and who cradled him like he was my own son. When I first saw him lying there in the sand I prayed with all my heart that this boy, this beautiful boy, would still be alive. I would have poured my last breath into his. But I was too late. I can still feel his small, cold body. I am overcome with a grief I have never felt before. I am forever broken.

I am the politician in the United States and Europe who rails against the refugees pouring across our borders. I am the one who says “enough is enough.” Our nations are wealthy, but why do we always have to take in the displaced? We have our own problems. We cannot take in everyone and, besides, some of the refugees might be terrorists that would harm our children.

I am the American sitting on a couch fingering the remote watching the video loop of Omran rubbing his eyes in shock. Over and over again I view the rubble of hospitals pancaked by the airstrikes that killed more than 20,000 Syrians – including 4,500 children – and led to a worldwide refugee crisis. I listen to the war correspondents as they wonder why we do not see what they see: the entire destruction of a nation and its people. And why the world stands by and does nothing.

I am the one who thinks of his own children and grandchildren, and whose heart fills with sorrow when the cable news shows the photo of Aylan lying on the beach in his red shirt, blue shorts, and Velcro sneakers. After a few minutes, I cannot take any more. I touch the button that changes the channel, but the images remain.

I feel guilty and helpless. I do not know how to fix any of this.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Globe Post.
ShareTweet
Stephen J. Lyons

Stephen J. Lyons

Author of six books of reportage and essays, most recently “Searching for Home: Misadventures with Misanthropes” (Finishing Line Press)

Related Posts

A Syrian government flag flies above the rubble in the neighbourhood of Hajar al-Aswad near Yarmouk refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria
Middle East

UN Security Council Convenes Over Situation in Syria

by Staff Writer with AFP
December 9, 2024
A migrant boat off the coast of Libya.
Refugees

UN Says 2023 Was Deadliest Year for Migrants in a Decade

by Staff Writer with AFP
March 7, 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping
World

China Announces ‘Strategic Partnership’ With Syria

by Staff Writer
September 22, 2023
Myanmar Rohingya refugees look on in a refugee camp in Teknaf, in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, on November 26, 2016
Refugees

US Announces $26M in New Aid for Rohingya

by Staff Writer
March 8, 2023
Syrian rescuers and civilians search for victims and survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building, in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's Idlib province on the border with Turkey, early on February 6, 2023. Syrian rescuers (White Helmets) and civilians search for victims and survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building
World

Quake Kills Over 1,200 Across Turkey, Syria

by Staff Writer
February 6, 2023
Greek Immigration Minister Notis Mitarachi
Refugees

Greece Denies Turkey Claims Over Six Migrants Killed at Sea

by Staff Writer
September 14, 2022
Next Post
Children wave flags of Kosovo during the 2018 anniversary of the end of its war and the withdrawal of Serbian forces

Serbia and Kosovo Agree to Resume Detente Talks

The National Guard confronts protestors

'Enough is Enough:' Georgia Declares State of Emergency, Deploys 1,000 Troops

Please login to join discussion

Recommended

Tens of thousands of protestors shut down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday, April 5, 2025, protesting the Trump administration's abuse of the separation of federal powers as well as the deep cuts to governmental services overseen by presidential advisor Elon Musk.

Civil Society Is Holding the Line. Will Washington Notice?

June 17, 2025
An Iranian walking in front of a wall painting of the Iranian flag in Tehran

How Much Damage Has Israel Inflicted on Iran’s Nuclear Program?

June 16, 2025
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on November 19, 2017

Israel MPs to Vote on Opposition Bid to Dissolve Parliament

June 11, 2025
Two protesters wave Mexican flags while standing on a vandalized Waymo vehicle during a demonstration in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025, following a series of aggressive federal immigration operations in the city.

Unrest in Los Angeles Over Immigration Raids as Troops Sent by Trump Fan Out

June 9, 2025
US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on August 4, 2020. Photo: Drew Angerer/AFP.

US Steel, Aluminum Tariff Hikes to Take Effect Wednesday: W. House

June 4, 2025
textile workers in Kenya

Workers’ Rights in ‘Free Fall’ Globally: Report

June 2, 2025

Opinion

Tens of thousands of protestors shut down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday, April 5, 2025, protesting the Trump administration's abuse of the separation of federal powers as well as the deep cuts to governmental services overseen by presidential advisor Elon Musk.

Civil Society Is Holding the Line. Will Washington Notice?

June 17, 2025
A Black Lives Matter mural in New York City.

Fuhgeddaboudit! America’s Erasure of History

April 2, 2025
Bust of Deputy Rubens Paiva in the Chamber of Deputies

Democratic Brazilians Are Still Here

March 18, 2025
A woman from Guatemala

Dispatch From Central America

January 28, 2025
US President Donald Trump

Dear Trump Supporters: Is This the America You Wanted?

January 28, 2025
Putin talks to Trump in Hamburg

From Roosevelt to Trump: The Complicated Legacy of Personal Diplomacy

November 15, 2024
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post