I was at a gathering with some friends, and we were engaged in a conversation about the development of the situation in Syria. We talked about the horrible consequences of such developments in more than area of the country, most notably the savage and barbaric attacks on Aleppo – Syria’s largest city – where the main districts have been subjected to flagrant violations and the “Souk al-Madina ” – a world heritage site culturally renowned for being the largest and oldest indoor market in history – has been burned down. The magnitude of destruction brought about by the Syrian regime will secure its eternal place in dark history, surpassing the devastation of criminal leaders as violent as Adolf Hitler and Hulagu Khan.

However, during the gathering, one of my friends raised an important question: Is it possible that Bashar and his regime could emerge victorious and stay in power? The question seems logical and legitimate, and there is no harm in quoting some examples provided by those who champion the theory that Bashar al-Assad will remain in power and will not be ousted.

There are those who cite the fact that Saddam Hussein once quelled the popular unrest against him in southern Iraq. Others provide the example of the Algerian regime’s lengthy confrontations with extremist Salafi movements, although the subsequent heavy human and material losses sustained by the country cannot be underestimated. There is also the case of Sudan and its confrontation with Darfur’s rebels. These are all important examples put forth by those who champion the theory of al-Assad remaining in power. However, none of the aforementioned events can come close to the amount of killing, repression and brutal force carried out by the Syrian regime, and none of them were met with such overt international rejection of the regime staying in power.

Through its media trumpets and officials, the Bashar al-Assad regime has claimed that what is happening in Syria is the product of an international conspiracy, with the aim of sabotaging the resistance project, which Syria is at the forefront of. Of course, the “resistance” issue is an obvious lie that the regime has repeated throughout the years, promoting it like a broken record.

However, the irrefutable fact is that were the al-Assad regime to remain in power, this would represent the practical fulfillment of the biggest global conspiracy against Syria. The crimes of this regime have exceeded all that is rational and conceivable; they have transcended all limits, and al-Assad is responsible for an endless series of assassinations and turmoil. Therefore, the ouster of the Syrian regime is now an inevitable popular demand because divine law and human dignity can no longer accept it staying in power. Nevertheless, it still seems for some that this regime’s “role” is not over yet, and that it can still “remain” in power. Yet what they do not take into account is the will of the Syrian people, the rivers of blood being shed, and the amount of killings committed. These numbers are irreversible, and what is broken and destroyed cannot be repaired.

The magnitude of the crimes committed by the al-Assad regime against its own people is unprecedented. It is a reckless and savage practical application of the slogan raised on the first day [of the demonstrations]; “Either al-Assad or we burn the country”. It seems that humanity and heritage are no longer of any value. The regime is exhibiting a primitive spirit of savagery and a bloodthirsty instinct that exists only in those that have lost their mind. This is the literal explanation of what the al-Assad regime is doing to its own people today. It is useless trying to gauge what the regime feels when it massacres, burns and destroys, for it is clear that the ideas, intentions and desires of this regime have no connection to human conscience, morality, or religion. The al-Assad regime cannot even be deterred by the scene of a crying child, an old man being slaughtered or a woman being burned alive.

Syria will survive and so will the noble Syrian people. The al-Assad regime will fall and meet its deserved fate. Yet what will remain is the troubled conscience of those who did not have the courage to say the truth and stand up for it by all means possible. When this regime goes, there will be no room for remorse or grief. Remember well that there is nothing worse than the al-Assad regime except those who stand up for it and justify its actions. Anyone who does this, or even remains silent and fails to criticize the regime, is complicit in every single drop of innocent blood being shed on Syrian soil.

Al-Assad will leave because we were brought up to know that falsehood always disappears when the truth comes. The hour of truth has arrived in Syria!