Syrian iPhone App Exposes Violence, Unites Syrian Revolution
An application for the Apple iPhone and iPad called “Souria Wa Bas,” or “Syria and That’s All,” helped unite the people’s movement against the Syrian regime and coordinate the resistance.
The application is an amalgamation of news links and videos pertaining to revolutionary activities, a map of opposition hot spots, and jokes about the regime’s leader, and the government itself.
The application was necessary because of the Syrian regime’s violent crackdown on protestors under President Bashar al-Assad. Over 3,500 were killed since March that could have disparaged future open dissent.
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Because foreign journalists are strictly prohibited from entering Syria, and the regime pumps out biased accounts of various events, the application’s anonymous creators decided something needed to be done.
“Under the fast-moving events in Syria … And the deliberate attempts to distort the facts by some. We have compiled the most important Syrian news sources available,” said the application’s website.
Souria Wa Bas showed users what the government media had not reported, like the Free Syrian Army’s attacks around Damascus yesterday morning.
Other events reported by the application are aggressive beatings handed out by government security forces and shots fired at protestors.
Coverage of these events and acknowledgement of various resistance groups help promote a sense of togetherness among the Syrian public, and fosters feelings of discontent for their current dictatorship.
“In our attempt to spread the news about our beloved country at the highest levels, we have designed and developed this program specifically for these reasons. In fulfillment to the martyrs of Syria and its people,” the application’s website said.
The effort of the Syrian application could negatively affect the tyrannical government and the reign of al-Assad, the leader for the past 11 years. In fact, it might have already influenced things in the troubled country.
This past Saturday, the 21 members of the Arab League decided to eject Syria from their ranks in lieu of their gross violations of human rights. King Abdullah of Jordan took things one-step further, publicly recommending that al-Assad resign.
The Arab League and Jordan are not enemies of Syria; however, they fear outright civil war. As with Libya and Egypt, a civil war in Syria could further upset the balance of power in the region, making the League look weak.
Al-Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad, ruled Syria for 29 years using methods of torture, imprisonment, and murder of political opponents. Al-Assad has continued his father’s domination of political events in the country using similar means.
