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Madaya: On the hypocrisy of the humanitarian complex – Editorial

SHAFAQNA – Over the past few days a veritable media frenzy has been built around the Syrian town of Madaya, with officials and journalists deploring the alleged cruelty of Damascus government over its alleged humanitarian siege of the city.

Painful images of starving children and desperation often accompanied new reports and televised debates, painting a harrowing picture of the war in Syria. The public was told ad nauseam that President Bashar al-Assad was to blame, that it was his administration and his army which had besieged and starved Madaya on account villagers had rebelled against his rule …

Only THAT was the manipulation. If Madaya has been indeed starving, it was not by Damascus’ design and it was certainly not over any rebellion. Madaya holds no grudge against its government, Madaya actually has been calling and crying for its government to intervene.

Madaya has suffered a tremendous injustice, one made worse by media manipulation, as the pain of a people was exploited to sell governments’ propaganda and advance their humanitarian complex narrative – the new veneer behind which imperialism is hiding behind.

Madaya has been under radical occupation – this is a fact which has been verified by the Red Cross and observers on the ground. Back in October the Red Cross managed to deliver humanitarian aid to the city – only food, medicine and other vital supplies were requisitioned by Wahhabi-militants as spoils of war. While militants gorged on stolen aid, villagers were left to wither away.

But not only that, Madaya was supposed to have enough food supplies for two months, and so media talks of acute starvation do not align with reports from the Red Cross that supplies should have carried the town until the end of December.

Madaya was set up as a false humanitarian flag to better distract the public.

US Ambassador Samantha Powell issued a scathing statement this week where she denounces the suffering impose on the people of Madaya, falling short of calling the crisis a holocaust.

“Look at the haunting pictures of civilians, including children, even babies, in Madaya,” she told the UN General Assembly.

She added, “These are the pictures we see. There are hundreds of thousands of people being deliberately besieged, deliberately starved right now, and these images remind us of World War 2.”

There is a great degree of hypocrisy and selectivity  in US officials’ outrage – no such words were ever spent on Yemen over Saudi Arabia’s organized humanitarian blockade for example, or the suffering imposed on Bahrain as it remains under de facto Saudi military occupation.

Speaking to Shafaqna in exclusive comments Samantha Beeley, a political analyst stressed: “The Obama Administration is knowingly aiding and abetting the Saudis in murdering millions in Yemen. This is a fact. And, it is a fact which is quite ironic given that the current Obama-appointed US Ambassador to the UN is Samantha Power — an individual who came to prominence through her Pulitzer-winning book which condemned the West’s failure to respond to genocide throughout the world. In the case of Yemen, however, the genocide is not happening due to the mere omissions of the West, and in particular the US — rather, it is taking place with the active support of the US, including Power’s own intervention at the UN which prevented any independent investigation of the Saudi crimes in Yemen.”

It seems there is great bias and prejudice today when it comes to humanitarian outrage – Shiite Muslims it appears have been conveniently shun, their hardship ignored to fit Saudi Arabia’s hateful sectarian campaign.

There are many cities in Syria which remain under  radicals’ siege, and many are in fact majority Shiite towns – those  will unlikely make the news ….

Human suffering and injustice should be systematically opposed and denounced, beyond any religious or ethnic criteria. How can we ever claim to follow God’s Words if we can not practice compassion and mercy. Governments have a duty of care over their people, they should not profile their mercy, and design their policies according to fascist ideologies.

Madaya today was offered humanitarian reprieve following the intervention of Hezbollah and the Syrian army. It was under their impetus that radical militants were made to allow humanitarian aid back in – this time people will have their dues.

Madaya is a Sunni majority village – still Hezbollah did not allow for any religious prejudice to cloud its judgement. Why you may ask – because Shia Islam does not abide by the rule of takfir [declaring others apostates], because Shia Islam will always serve justice and denounce despotism.

Islam does not profess genocide – it is an injunction for social order and justice on the basis of civil liberties and human rights. It is Wahhabism which has renounced and defile the Islamic faith by calling men and communities to rise against one another by calling for bloodletting.

 

 

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