‘Syrian administration will not be able to resist demand for freedom’

“This revolution will remain influential until a democratic government is established in the country. If the Assad administration responds affirmatively to the popular demands and moves to a democratic order, this will be good for both the people and for himself. The revolution will continue until this outcome is secured,” Bayanouni said, adding that the Syrian people are determined to continue the fight for democracy and that no political power could stand against the demand for democracy and freedom.

Bayanouni's remarks came during an exclusive interview with Sunday's Zaman at his house in London, where he has been living in exile for 11 years.

Bayanouni is a politician who has served as the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, which has stood against the Assad regime for years. The movement, which has been involved in democratic processes since independence, was violated by the Baath regime. The movement lost power and organizational ability after the 1982 Hama Massacre, when thousands of its members were executed and many of its top executives fled the country.

Bayanouni praised Turkey for welcoming Syrian refugees who fled the country due to the Syrian administration's violent crackdown on protestors.

Protests first erupted in Syria in mid March as part of the Arab Spring, a push toward democracy. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad responded by unleashing the military to crush street demonstrations. Human rights activists say more than 1,400 Syrians have been killed and 10,000 detained.

Assad has promised a series of reforms that would have been unthinkable before the uprising, which was inspired by the revolutions sweeping through the Arab world. He lifted the country's reviled emergency law, which gave the state a free hand to arrest people without charge, and said a national dialogue would start soon. But the protesters, enraged by a growing death toll, are increasingly calling for nothing less than the downfall of the regime.

According to official numbers, 15,228 Syrians have sought refugee in Turkey as a result of tensions caused by countrywide protests and a bloody crackdown by the Assad administration. More than 5,000 of them have since returned to Syria of their own volition. Currently, there are 10,227 Syrian refugees in Turkey being accommodated in tent cities set up for them in the southern province of Hatay. “Turkey has shown a great humanitarian gesture by opening up its borders to the asylum seekers,” he said.

People's expectations not fulfilled; Syria on its way to revolution

Born in Aleppo, Bayanouni (73) underlined that the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the major elements of Syrian society, noting that the Baath regime had taken a fairly hostile approach vis-à-vis the movement and enacted a bill allowing the execution of its members. A graduate of the Law School of Damascus University, Bayanouni practiced law for many years and also assumed the leadership of the movement; he was sent into exile by Hafez al-Assad in 1970. The Syrian opposition leader notes that he has been in exile ever since.

Arguing that the recent popular uprisings in Syria could be attributed to the ongoing brutality and cruelty, the Syrian dissident leader also said: “The people have remained patient expecting comprehensive reforms and the institution of a framework of freedoms for many years. They were patient during the rule of Hafez al-Assad and then Bashar al-Assad. However, their expectations have been unfulfilled; the expansion of freedoms never happened.”

Bayanouni, who noted that it is a matter of time before the country saw a revolution similar to those in Tunisia and Egypt, further said: “Arrests, human rights violations… We are in a period of single-party rule. There is a dynasty or a family that shares the national resources. The rest of the people suffer from abject poverty. Brutality is prevalent and corruption is everywhere. The regime resorts to all means to repress the uprising; it even uses live bullets, just as his father did in the 1980s.”

Bashar al-Assad following in father's footsteps

Although the regime is formally a republic, Bashar al-Assad inherited his post from his father, Bayanouni said. “The Syrian constitution states that the president should be at least 40 years old. The constitution was amended in 15 minutes because Bashar al-Assad was 34; and the law was rearranged in a way to allow Bashar to become president.”

“The Syrian people were hopeful that Assad would introduce comprehensive and genuine reforms, considering how he was young, well-educated and open-minded,” he said.

The Muslim Brotherhood leader further underlined that contrary to expectations, Assad adopted an even harsher line on politics. “Despite his promises for reform, Bashar al-Assad was not a reformer. He made promises of reform in his presidential address; however, these remained unfulfilled. The Assad administration is a continuation of his father's rule. It is an administration in which corruption and repression dominate.”

People alone are behind the revolution

Speaking on rumors that the Muslim Brotherhood is orchestrating the revolution in Syria, the former Brotherhood leader underlined that the revolution was a spontaneous reaction and that no creed, party or ideology is behind it. “This movement is peaceful and revolutionary. It is a revolution involving all segments of society. … No party or community played a determinative or lead role in the start or continuation of this revolution.”

Noting that the Muslim Brotherhood has always called for the introduction of reforms and a transition to a democratic system, Bayanouni said: “This revolution is taking place in response to the longstanding brutality and repression in the country. Therefore, neither the Muslim Brotherhood nor any other group played a role in the breakout of the revolution. This revolution is being staged by the youth and the people.”

The Muslim Brotherhood offered a political project drafted in Arabic and English in 2004, the Syrian politician said, adding that it included recommendations on how to create a civil, democratic, pluralistic and modern state. Bayanouni further said the project underlined that elections should be held transparently and that election results should be honored, regardless of who is elected.

Noting that there are different religious, sectarian and racial groups in Syria, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim, Bayanouni said: “We do not want any clique or group, minority or majority to dominate the country. We want a transition period for the establishment of a national government in which all social segments that constitute the Syrian nation have a say. A fair and transparent election to be held afterwards will determine who will rule the country. In countries such as Syria, no clique, creed or group can rule all by itself. To achieve this, a national unity government should be formed to purge the remnants of the entrenched, repressive and dictatorial era.”

Hezbollah, Iran and Israel against regime change in Syria

The former Muslim Brotherhood leader says Israel is joined by both Iran and Hezbollah in opposing the popular revolt in Syria and that all three support the Assad administration. “They argue that those engaged in the revolution are agents and are being manipulated by foreign actors. According to insider accounts from Syria, they even extend material and technological support to the Syrian army to help it in its efforts to crack down on the uprising. I should also note that some Hezbollah members have aligned themselves with the Syrian army to repress the revolution. We have strong evidence of this. It is clear that Iran and Hezbollah support the Syrian administration against the popular Syrian revolution.”

Asked whether he thought Israel was using Hezbollah, Bayanouni said: “I don't think so. But Israel is pretty concerned about the dethronement of the Syrian government; it wants this government to stay. Hezbollah and Iran have ties to the Syrian regime. I believe that it is because of these ties that they extend full support to the regime. I don't think Israel has anything to do with this issue.”

Speaking on the probable relations between Israel and a new government in the event of the Baath regime being toppled, Bayanouni noted that Israel has occupied a part of Syria and that the new administration should consider this fact when deciding on its stance vis-à-vis Israel. “Syria's territories in the Golan Heights are still under Israeli control. According to the Syrians, Israel is an occupying country. However, the current administration does nothing to address the Israeli occupation. This issue should be one of the new administration's priorities. Of course there won't be a war with Israel with the disappearance of the Baath regime; however, it is inevitable for the new administration to draft a national program seeking to free the occupied lands through legal and legitimate means.”

Developments in Syria closely concern Turkey

Noting that Turks and Syrians have a lot in common and share a common history, Bayanouni said what has been happening in Syria closely concerns Turkey. He says Turkey has repeatedly called on the Assad administration to introduce reforms but that Assad has never responded. “Turkey did the right thing by displaying solidarity with the Syrian people. It embraced the people fleeing bullets, brutality and arrest.”

Bayanouni says Turkey's Syrian policy is much better and more consistent than the policy pursued by Arab and other Muslim countries. Turkey has shown a principled stance and approach by welcoming those who sought refuge from the brutality of the Baath regime, and the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government should be given credit for this, he adds. “I wish Turkey goes further and extends full support to the Syrian people, and also puts pressure on the Assad government so that he moves to a democratic system.” Turkey's warmness in welcoming the Syrian people will never be forgotten, he says.

Arguing that the Assad administration is uncomfortable with Turkey's decision to keep the border gates open to refugees, he says it will seek to exact revenge on anyone fleeing the country. “The Syrian foreign minister's accusations directed at Turkey on this matter are baseless and inappropriate. The Syrian administration has been fairly uncomfortable because the refugees have exposed the real side of the story in Syria. … Turkey's humanitarian stance has put the Syrian regime into a difficult position.”

Syrian Kurds under pressure as well

Noting that the Muslim Brotherhood has executed projects to address the Kurdish issue, Bayanouni said the Assad regime's brutality also affected the Kurds as well. “They were denied the right to express their culture and language. Kurds did not have the right to become Syrian citizens; moreover, those who were granted citizenship had to give it up due to growing pressure. We support the reinstitution of the rights of Kurds to be treated like all other Syrian citizens. In addition to their citizenship rights, they should also be allowed to speak their language and receive education and training in their native language. Of course, we believe that this should be achieved in a way that ensures they remain integrated with Syria without expressing ambitions to break away from the country.”

Noting that a state based on religious, linguistic or sectarian identity is of no use to anyone, the opposition leader said: “If that happens, the Alawis would have one state, the Turks another and the Kurds their own. The Turkmens should be given their state as well. But none of these groups would benefit from this. … The Alawis, the Kurds, the Turkmens, the Druze and the Circassians will all be citizens in the future state.”

Turkey could serve as role model for Middle East

Noting that Turkey could serve as a role model for the Middle East and Arab countries, Bayanouni said: “Turkish democracy is a rich experience that should be used; and this could serve an example for the Arabs. I think this experience represents a lead role in its field. The people freely cast their votes. Politicians elected by the people govern the country. Any party serving the nation could attract their support. This new experience has become more relevant with the AK Party coming to power. This is why it should be taken as a model and as an example by both the Arab world and Muslim countries.”