Petition: An Opportunity for Parliamentarians to Work for Peace
Beloved Syria
by Susan Dirgham
1M ago
This article, slightly abridged, was first published by ‘Pearls and Irritations‘ on 9 February under the title: An Opportunity for Parliamentarians to Work for Peace. Petition EN5846 to the House of Representatives calls on the Australian government to suspend Australia’s ‘autonomous sanctions’ on Syria. A considered, conscientious response to the petition could have major implications for Australia’s foreign and defence policies. The US-led unilateral coercive sanctions on Syria are causing enormous suffering to the people of Syria. Furthermore, they prevent the country from rebuilding after ..read more
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Petition to the House of Representatives – Suspend Sanctions; Set up Friends of Syria Group
Beloved Syria
by Susan Dirgham
1M ago
Petition Reason The people of Syria are not our enemies. Yet Australia has lacked the commitment to seek the truth about the war in Syria while Syrians have become impoverished. In response to the 21/08/2013 alleged sarin gas attack in Ghouta, Syria, America and Britain threatened military strikes against the Syrian Arab Republic. However, credible reports indicate it was most likely a false flag operation committed by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra group and assisted by foreign intelligence agencies. On 7/04/2018, an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria, did result in west ..read more
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Call on Federal Parliament to investigate Australia’s role in the war in Syria
Beloved Syria
by Susan Dirgham
2M ago
To The Hon Anthony Albanese, MP, Prime Minister, and The Hon Peter Dutton MP, Leader of the Opposition Ten years ago, US-led military strikes against Syria were threatened. Fearing such military action could spark a world war, Australian religious and political leaders urged restraint.  Today, Australians have reason to be disturbed by the violence and bloodshed inflicted in other wars. At the same time, we are increasingly divided about the causes of current conflicts. This does not portend well for the future. We believe to counter potentially ugly divisions and to unite the country, th ..read more
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Seeking the truth about the alleged sarin gas attack in Ghouta, Damascus, 21 August 2013
Beloved Syria
by Susan Dirgham
2M ago
Victims of a massacre. Ghouta, 21 August 2013. Screenshot from video. This article was first published by Pearls and Irritations on 13 Nov 2013 under the title ‘What prevents Australia from showing empathy for Syrians?‘ Australian foreign policy makers seem not to realise that the demographic makeup of Australia means increasing numbers of us are connected to victims of wars instigated by the United States. If loyalty to Australia is required of us in a future war, it may not be forthcoming from huge sections of the community.  The problem of a divided country and divided loyalt ..read more
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The Warmth and Spirit of Syrians 2
Beloved Syria
by Susan Dirgham
2M ago
This gallery of images brings together photographs already presented on other pages of Beloved Syria. When I took these pictures, I was given permission to present them online -to a world that knows so little about life in Syria, so little about the remarkable warmth and spirit of Syrians.   (Note: It is very possible some of the images were taken a year before or after stated in the text.) Susan Dirgham, August 2023   ..read more
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It is time to seek the human story of Syria and so work for peace
Beloved Syria
by Susan Dirgham
2M ago
The article below was first published by Pearls and Irritations, 15 December 2022   In September 2003, I started teaching English at the British Council in Damascus. Over eighty years before that, my grandfather had been in Syria’s capital with Australia’s 8th Light Horse Regiment when the British were claiming victory over Turkish forces. What took my grandfather to Syria was an oath: I will well and truly serve our sovereign Lord the King. All those years later, I was in Syria to get to know the locals and, quite frankly, to confront underlying prejudices I might have had against the Ar ..read more
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(Article in Arabic) Catastrophic effects of unilateral sanctions across all walks of life in Syria
Beloved Syria
by Susan Dirgham
2M ago
The Statement below can be sourced from the Office of the High Commissioner, United Nations Human Rights, 10 Nov 2022: UN expert calls for lifting of long-lasting unilateral sanctions ‘suffocating’ Syrian people *** النتائج الأولية التي قدّمتها المقررة الخاصة المعنية بالتأثير السلبي للعقوبات أحادية الجانب على التمتع بحقوق الإنسان الأستاذة الدكتورة ألينا دوهان بعد الانتهاء من زيارتها  إلى الجمهورية العربية السورية    دمشق في 10 ..read more
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The Impact of Unilateral Coercive Sanctions – Extract from Preliminary Findings
Beloved Syria
by Susan Dirgham
2M ago
Below is an extract only. For the full statement, please go to the press release from the Office of the High Commissioner, United Nations Human Rights, 10 Nov 2022: UN expert calls for lifting of long-lasting unilateral sanctions ‘suffocating’ Syrian people Preliminary findings of the visit to the Syrian Arab Republic by the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights Prof. Dr. Alena Douhan, Damascus, 10 November 2022 Impact on Economy From 2000 to 2010, Syria’s economic growth averaged more than 5% per year. The subsequent ..read more
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The suffering of Syrians and US sanctions
Beloved Syria
by Susan Dirgham
2M ago
The article below was first published by Pearls and Irritations, 11 August 2023 Returning to Syria in 2019, I visited a private girls high school in Damascus, close to where I used to work. Open to students from all faith backgrounds, Dar Al Salam School had once been a church and a home for nuns. In the years that I lived in Syria (2003 to 2005), I’d often see students returning home after school. They looked smart in their pink and blue uniforms; many of them wore a white hijab, others wore their hair out. To my eyes, they seemed as cheerful and confident as their Australian peers.  A B ..read more
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AUSTRALIANS AND SYRIANS IN ONE WORLD
Beloved Syria
by Susan Dirgham
2M ago
Australians for Reconciliation and Truth Towards Syria (ArttS)   To secure a sustainable, equitable world – one without war – the work of peace-building, truth-telling and reconciliation will be critical. At the core of that work will be deep listening. Image taken by Susan Dirgham, May 2023 The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an opportunity for Australia to become a more inclusive and mature nation. Using both heart and mind, we have the possibility of transforming Australia’s character, and thus of working more confidently at an international level for a sustainable, equitable world ..read more
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