I've been keeping track of news in Syria, which continues to be dire. I found this Syrian Revolutionary Poem, which I'm sharing with my readers. The original is in Arabic, and I used Google Translator and the help of a consultant to translate it into English.
SYRIAN REVOLUTIONARY POEM
from the Syrian Revolution 2011 site
(Syrian Revolutionary Poem in Arabic)
SYRIAN REVOLUTIONARY POEM
from the Syrian Revolution 2011 site
In Homs, since the beginning of the
revolution,
We have learned to distinguish the
sounds of missiles and bombs,
But we have not forgotten the songs of birds nor the
bustle of school children;
In Homs, we have learned the odor
of gunpowder and toxic gases,
But we have not forgotten the scent
of jasmine and the smell of rain on the ancient streets;
In Homs, we have learned to shut
windows so as not to see death by the side of the road,
But we have not forgotten the birds in the sky and white
snow in January;
In Homs we have learned the taste
and feel of torment and sadness,
But we have not forgotten the taste
of apricots, eggplant, and licorice on Ramadan;
In Homs we have learned to look at
the wounds of children and feel their warm blood,
But we have not forgotten how to
peer into the hearts of ordinary people;
In Homs, our five senses have taught us what freedom is.
We miss you Homs
We miss the call to prayer from the Khalid bin Walid Mosque
And the sounds of the bells of the
Church.
We will return, beloved Homs!
(Syrian Revolutionary Poem in Arabic)
وسنعيد بناء سورية الحبيبه غصبا عنك يا بطة
~~
July 22, 2013
ASSAD ARMY DESTROYS HISTORIC KHALID BIN WALID MAUSOLEUM IN SYRIA
Syrian army shelling destroys centuries-old mausoleum of companion of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) in central city of Homs.
|
|||||
BEIRUT
- Syrian army shelling destroyed the centuries-old mausoleum of a
companion of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) in the central city of Homs on
Monday, a monitoring group and activists said.
Reports
of the destruction of the Sunni Muslim pilgrimage site emerged as an
intense army campaign to reclaim rebel-held areas of Homs, a strategic
junction city, entered its fourth week.
"Activists from
the Khaldiyeh neighbourhood in the city of Homs have reported the
destruction by army shelling of the mausoleum of the prophet's companion
Khalid bin Walid," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Housed
in the rebel area of Khaldiyeh, the Khalid bin Walid mosque had already
suffered significant damage during earlier fighting for control of the
city.
Amateur video distributed by activists showed the
mosque, renowned for its two towering minarets, and images of what was
identified as the destroyed mausoleum.
"The Khalid bin
Walid mosque was shelled, and the shrine was completely destroyed," said
the unnamed activist filming the footage.
The images show mounds of rubble, stone and metal at the site identified as the mausoleum.
The video also shows an unidentified man lashing out at the world over the destruction of the shrine.
"I
want to tell Arabs and Muslims, how will you face God after Khalid bin
Walid's shrine has been destroyed? Why have you abandoned besieged
Homs?" says the man.
Speaking to AFP via the Internet,
Khaldiyeh-based activist Yazan said the mosque holds symbolic importance
not only for Homs' residents but for Sunnis as a whole.
"People
used to come and visit the shrine from the world over," Yazan said,
adding that the mosque housing the shrine is "practically destroyed".
Khaldiyeh
and the Old City neighbourhoods of Homs, still under rebel control,
have been under suffocating army siege and near-daily bomb attacks for
more than a year.
The mosque housing Khalid bin Walid's
shrine, an important pilgrimage site for Muslims, was built over
several centuries. The shrine itself dates to the 11th century, while
the mosque was constructed by the Mameluks in the mid-13th century.
Known
for his military prowess, Khalid bin Walid's forces captured Damascus
from the Byzantine empire. A military commander under Prophet Mohammed
and under two successive caliphs, he died around the year 642, in Homs.
Bin
Walid's mausoleum is the latest of a series of Syrian religious and
cultural sites damaged or destroyed in the course of the country's
28-month war.
In the war-torn northern city of Aleppo,
the minaret of the landmark Umayyad mosque was destroyed in April, while
parts of the ancient souks were burnt down in September last year.
~~~~
Here are some blogs and FB Sites about the Syrian Revolution - Use Google Translator
Free Halab: A Blog about the Syrian Revolution (in English)
AND don't miss Save the Children's "Untold Atrocities: The Stories of Syria's Children" ~~~ Read also my other blog entries about the Syrian War:
~~~
tags: Syria, Syrian, Homs, Aleppo, Damascus, Middle East, Khalid bin Walid, Revolution, Civil War, Conflict, Assad, Sunnis, genocide, massacre
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment