Syria may be over six thousand miles away, but for some N.C . State students, the hearts of the protesters in Syria resonate with their own. To demonstrate their solidarity and support, Syrian-American Zubair Jandali organized a Facebook event titled “Virtual ‘March of Millions’ in Solidarity with Syrian Protesters.” The event aims to bring together supporters from all over the world to shed light on the on-goings in Syria, which affect both the Syrian public and individuals on campus.
“The aim of this movement is to draw public attention to the atrocities perpetrated by the government against the peaceful movement to bring about democratic and human rights to Syria,” Jandali said.
The Syrian protests began in March as an attempt to push political reform towards freedom and democracy However, protestors were met with security forces and tanks under the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad . Nearly 3,000 protesters have been killed and more have been imprisoned. The “Virtual ‘March of Millions'” has called the attention of individuals across campus to the violence occurring in Syria, which may otherwise never have been exposed.
“The Syrian government has expressly prohibited the journalists from covering the movements of Syria and even foreign journalists have been prohibited from entering the country,” Jandali said. “This has been an effective way of keeping the audience from knowing what is actually going on in Syria and with the movement.”
The event, occurring entirely online, represents a new method of protest that people all over the world are embracing. This has caused many governments, including Syria, to attempt to repress networks and communication. Regardless, this has not stopped Jandali , who drew inspiration from similar groups created during the Egyptian, Tunisian, and Libyan revolutions.
Farris Barakat , a senior in chemical engineering and a Syrian-American, shared the views of Jandali and joined the movement along with numerous other N.C . State students.
“I took a role in the event because I really wanted to get involved and show my support to the Syrian people,” Barakat said. “I have family there, so I know a lot more about what is going on than the media lets on.”
Both Jandali and Barakat seek to spread awareness of the effort to students and bring the struggles of Syrian protesters to the forefront of students’ minds.
“I feel the public, including N.C . State students, should know what is going on in Syria, so I’ve contributed [to the event], by getting the word out and translating the videos from Syria into English, so that people may see and understand the protesters,” Barakat said.
Currently, the event has ended, but according to Jandali , it may restart due to the continued unsettled conditions in Syria.
“This group will remain active until such a time that the people on the ground in Syria have achieved their goal, which is the removal of the Assad Regime,” Jandali said. “As long as the people are in need of international support, then this effort will certainly continue.”
