http://www.sacouncil.com Just another WordPress site Thu, 23 May 2013 14:56:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://www.sacouncil.com/media-briefs/media-brief-thursday-may-23-2013/ http://www.sacouncil.com/media-briefs/media-brief-thursday-may-23-2013/#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 14:56:11 +0000 chowerton http://www.sacouncil.com/?p=4059 Continue Reading »

]]> U.S. Fears the Fighting in Syria Might Spill Over Into Lebanon, Kerry Says
Turkey shuts Syria border crossing after deadly bombs
U.S. Non-Intervention In Syria Could Mirror Outcome In Congo
Bosnia may offer road map for Syria
Featured Articles:
U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Wednesday downplayed recent battlefield advances by Syria’s military, saying they do not signal that the government of President Bashar Assad is gaining the upper hand against rebel forces in the more than 2-year-old conflict.
The New Scientist has mapped violence in Syria, illustrating how the conflict has evolved in scale and severity since hostilities began in early 2011. ]]> http://www.sacouncil.com/media-briefs/media-brief-thursday-may-23-2013/feed/ 0 http://www.sacouncil.com/news/press-releases/cds-commends-foreign-relations-committee-approval-of-s-960/ http://www.sacouncil.com/news/press-releases/cds-commends-foreign-relations-committee-approval-of-s-960/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 16:33:35 +0000 sacadmin http://www.sacouncil.com/?p=4042 Continue Reading »

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With a bipartisan vote of 15 in favor and 3 against, the Committee sent the bill to the full Senate. The CDS Board urges Senate leadership to bring this important bill to the Senate floor for debate quickly. “This bill represents an important and long overdue step in the right direction for American foreign policy. It sends a strong message to Iran and Russia that the US will actively oppose the brutal Assad regime and will improve the image of the US in Syria and the region. The bill helps show Syrians as well as Assad that the US means business beyond the usual rhetoric, and that democratic transition must happen immediately,” said CDS Board Member Mohammed Alaa Ghanem.

The Coalition for a Democratic Syria is a group of Syrian-American non-profit organizations working together to bring about a swift end to the conflict and support the establishment of peace, freedom, and democracy in Syria. The CDS is a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, non-partisan organization. The CDS includes: Syrian Emergency Task Force, United for Free Syria, Syrian American Council, Syrian American Alliance, Syrian Expatriates Organization, Syrian Christians for Democracy, and Association of Free Syrians. ]]> http://www.sacouncil.com/news/press-releases/cds-commends-foreign-relations-committee-approval-of-s-960/feed/ 0 http://www.sacouncil.com/news/sac-news/sac-leaders-meet-with-turkish-pm-in-san-francisco/ http://www.sacouncil.com/news/sac-news/sac-leaders-meet-with-turkish-pm-in-san-francisco/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 20:33:13 +0000 sacadmin http://www.sacouncil.com/?p=4055 Continue Reading »

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His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey paid an official visit to the US. Following his meetings in Washington DC, he visited San Francisco. As part of his program in San Francisco he met with the representatives of the Muslim American and Syrian American communities, on Saturday, May 18th.

PM Erdogan delivered an inspiring speech and affirmed his support for the Syrian people. SAC Chairman Hussam Ayloush, and SAC Board Member and President of the Northern California chapter Feras Alhlou attended the meeting and shared with him what the Syrian American community has done in terms of relief work and advocacy. They thanked him for Turkey’s support and urged him to do more to help the Syrian people. See photos here.]]> http://www.sacouncil.com/news/sac-news/sac-leaders-meet-with-turkish-pm-in-san-francisco/feed/ 0 http://www.sacouncil.com/news/sac-news/sac-forms-new-chapter-in-pennsylvania/ http://www.sacouncil.com/news/sac-news/sac-forms-new-chapter-in-pennsylvania/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 20:22:48 +0000 sacadmin http://www.sacouncil.com/?p=4045 Continue Reading »

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SAC, the largest Syrian-American advocacy organization, is pleased to announce the formation of a new chapter in Pennsylvania – its 22nd chapter across the nation. The new chapter will be led by Dr. Jehad Charabati as president of the Pennsylvania chapter.

SAC has become the leading American organization dedicated to promoting human and civil rights in Syria. During the past two years, SAC has witnessed a significant increase in the number of chapters and activities as a result of the Syrian-American community’s desire to support the revolution and to stop the atrocities committed by the Assad regime. ]]> http://www.sacouncil.com/news/sac-news/sac-forms-new-chapter-in-pennsylvania/feed/ 0 http://www.sacouncil.com/media-briefs/media-brief-monday-may-20-2013/ http://www.sacouncil.com/media-briefs/media-brief-monday-may-20-2013/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 15:28:17 +0000 chowerton http://www.sacouncil.com/?p=4035 Continue Reading »

]]> The Headlines:
Qusair, Syria Rebel Stronghold, Hammered By Hezbollah, Assad Forces (Huffington Post)
Syria’s President Assad: No intention of stepping down (BBC)

Featured Articles:
Syria: Without Water, Revolution (New York Times, Ya Libnan)]]> http://www.sacouncil.com/media-briefs/media-brief-monday-may-20-2013/feed/ 0 http://www.sacouncil.com/blog/global-qiyam-for-syria-05-17-13/ http://www.sacouncil.com/blog/global-qiyam-for-syria-05-17-13/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 21:40:22 +0000 sacadmin http://www.sacouncil.com/?p=4024 Continue Reading »

]]> SAC is joining organizations around the globe this Friday, May 17, 2013, for a Global Qiyam for Syria. Dozens of organizations will come together in unity to show solidarity and pray for the people of Syria, and to mobilize communities across the nation and beyond to take action.

To fully appreciate the magnitude of this tragedy, look at the following statistics provided by CNN:

• 70,000: The estimated death toll as of mid-February, according to the United Nations Human Rights Center.
• 22,530,746: Syria’s estimated population in July 2012, according to the CIA World Factbook.
• 0.311: Approximate percentage of the Syrian population killed so far. For comparison’s sake, 0.311% of the population would be 976,066 people for the United States, 196,077 people for the United Kingdom and 4,177,476 people for China, the world’s most populous country.
• 3,043: Average number of deaths per month.

While these numbers are appalling, CNN continues, “And that might be an underestimate. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Syria’s raging civil war has made it “increasingly challenging” to collect accurate and reliable data.” Talk with Syrian friends and these numbers turn to horrific images of murder, plunder, rape, displacement and psychological torture.

SAC encourages its members to join a local #GlobalQiyam4Syria or organize one. Click here to learn how to organize a local Qiyam. We urge all participants in the #GlobalQiyam4Syria to take this opportunity and mobilize the community to act. Here’s what YOU can do to help Syria:

• Donate generously to relief organizations providing aid to the victims of the two-year brutal crackdown
• Donate to SAC to help us continue our work to advocate for Syria.
• Write Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor that highlight the danger of ignoring the fight for dignity and freedom in Syria.
• Print this leaflet and distribute it to raise awareness about the suffering in Syria. Find more resources here.
• Advocate for Syria by contacting your elected officials and ask them to co-sponsors the Free Syria Act of 2013 and the the Syria Democratic Transition Act of 2013.

]]> http://www.sacouncil.com/blog/global-qiyam-for-syria-05-17-13/feed/ 0 http://www.sacouncil.com/news/sac-news/fundraiser-co-hosted-by-indianapolis-chapter-of-sac/ http://www.sacouncil.com/news/sac-news/fundraiser-co-hosted-by-indianapolis-chapter-of-sac/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 20:24:06 +0000 sacadmin http://www.sacouncil.com/?p=4049 Continue Reading »

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On Saturday, May 11th, the Indianapolis chapter of SAC co-hosted a night to remember and raise funds for Syria’s people. More than 150 people attended the event and raised approximately $165,000.

Speakers included Safaa Zarzour, the Chief Operating Officer at Zakat Foundation and a group of students who recently returned from Syria. SAC Board Member Kenan Rahmani, Hamza Jamal, and Mohamad Saltagi were part of a team who recently returned from a humanitarian mission to assist Syrian refugees. The event was co-hosted by Zakat Foundation and Watan Syria.]]> http://www.sacouncil.com/news/sac-news/fundraiser-co-hosted-by-indianapolis-chapter-of-sac/feed/ 0 http://www.sacouncil.com/blog/sac-joins-experts-group-to-discuss-institutional-reform-in-a-post-assad-syria/ http://www.sacouncil.com/blog/sac-joins-experts-group-to-discuss-institutional-reform-in-a-post-assad-syria/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 05:53:43 +0000 sacadmin http://www.sacouncil.com/?p=4012 Continue Reading »

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SAC’s Mohammed A. Ghanem joined the second and final gathering of the Syrian Expert House – a group of top members of the Syrian political and military opposition, defected diplomats, academics, lawyers and judges, and human rights activists. The meeting took place in Turkey during the first two weeks of May.

The group met for the first time in October 2012 to discuss the topics of constitutional reform and rule of law, political and administrative reform, electoral law reform, security reform, and economic reform. Since then, Syrian experts have written draft reports on each of the thematic topics. The purpose of this second meeting was to go over the draft reports, discuss ongoing events in the Syria conflict, update the reports to reflect recent events, and consult with international experts.

On constitutional reform and rule of law, the group discussed previous Syrian constitutions and made recommendations for a future constitutional assembly. The recommendations will be included in a final document which will be released in July. On the second day, a delegation from the US Department of State joined as observers as the different judicial councils talked about their efforts in providing justice where the state does not exist. The DoS officials are part of a rule of law committee created through the advocacy of the Syrian-American community to support rule of law in Syria

Interim Prime Minister Mr. Ghassan Hitto joined later to discuss unifying the multiple judicial councils and bar associations operating in the liberated areas, and an update was given about where the interim government stands now.

To discuss security challenges and how to transform the seventeen different police formations, Yezid Sayigh from the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, and London-based security analyst Usama Butt joined the group. Commander of the Homs Front Col. Fateh Hassoun gave a presentation about the Supreme Military Command which was followed by a presentation by SMC military commanders about each of the five military fronts the SMC has divided Syria into.

On electoral law reform, Peter Erben, one of the world’s foremost experts on this topic, explained the different election systems. Erben was previously invited by the UN to administer polling for the the first parliamentary elections in Afghanistan. Former dean of International Relations School at University of Kalamoon Dr. Marwan Kabalan and Dr. Radwan Ziadeh moderated this session.]]> http://www.sacouncil.com/blog/sac-joins-experts-group-to-discuss-institutional-reform-in-a-post-assad-syria/feed/ 0 http://www.sacouncil.com/news/press-releases/cds-welcomes-strong-un-resolution-on-syria/ http://www.sacouncil.com/news/press-releases/cds-welcomes-strong-un-resolution-on-syria/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 19:54:51 +0000 sacadmin http://www.sacouncil.com/?p=4007 Continue Reading »

]]> Washington, DC, 5/15/13 — The Coalition for a Democratic Syria welcomes the General Assembly resolution passed today at the United Nations regarding the situation in Syria. The resolution passed 107 to 12 with 59 abstentions. The vote today in the General Assembly sends an important political and moral signal. It reflects the determined view of the majority of UN Member states that the authorities must stop the systematic use of violence and human rights violations; grant full humanitarian access; and make progress on the political transition.

“We are happy to see a resolution by the UN that condemns the use of violence against civilians and human rights violations as well as acknowledges and welcomes the National Coalition of the Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces. With deplorable humanitarian conditions throughout Syria, we welcome the resolution’s call for full humanitarian access and implementation of a humanitarian action response plan. The outcome of today’s vote reaffirms the commitment of the international community to bring about a peaceful end to the conflict in Syria,” said CDS Board Member Dr. Yahia Basha

The resolution text reaffirms the immediate need for a political transition based on the Geneva communiqué, reflects the international acknowledgement of the Syrian Coalition, and highlights the international consensus on the way forward on Syria. It condemns all violence and calls for an end to all violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses by all parties as guided by the United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which concluded the Syrian regime are primarily responsible for the violence.

The Coalition for a Democratic Syria is a group of Syrian-American non-profit organizations working together to bring about a swift end to the conflict and support the establishment of peace, freedom, and democracy in Syria. The CDS is a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, non-partisan organization. The CDS includes: Syrian Emergency Task Force, United for Free Syria, Syrian American Council, Syrian American Alliance, Syrian Expatriates Organization, Syrian Christians for Democracy, and Association of Free Syrians.]]> http://www.sacouncil.com/news/press-releases/cds-welcomes-strong-un-resolution-on-syria/feed/ 0 http://www.sacouncil.com/news/press-releases/cds-condemns-inhumane-treatment-in-syrian-conflict/ http://www.sacouncil.com/news/press-releases/cds-condemns-inhumane-treatment-in-syrian-conflict/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 09:18:18 +0000 sacadmin http://www.sacouncil.com/?p=4010 Continue Reading »

]]> Washington, DC, 5/15/13 — The Coalition for a Democratic Syria condemns in the strongest possible terms all inhumane acts committed in the Syrian conflict. In recent days news agencies have been circulating a video clip depicting a member of the rebels in Homs committing inhumane and disturbing act.

“We denounce all acts of sectarian based violence, mutilation of bodies, and inhumane treatment. This recent horrific act of violence and all others like it must be stopped. The actions and sentiments depicted in the video contradict those of the FSA and the Syrian people. We must remember all those who have lost their lives in the last two years, including the thousands slaughtered in the Banyas and other massacres. ” said CDS board member Dr. Mohamed Kawam.

The FSA is a national army above all, formed to defend civilians and deliver the Syrian people from the mentality of revenge and crime. It completely rejects the ill treatment of the wounded and the disfigurement of the dead. Opposition leaders will try the rebel commander in question.

The Coalition for a Democratic Syria is a group of Syrian-American non-profit organizations working together to bring about a swift end to the conflict and support the establishment of peace, freedom, and democracy in Syria. The CDS is a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, non-partisan organization. The CDS includes: Syrian Emergency Task Force, United for Free Syria, Syrian American Council, Syrian American Alliance, Syrian Expatriates Organization, Syrian Christians for Democracy, and Association of Free Syrians.]]> http://www.sacouncil.com/news/press-releases/cds-condemns-inhumane-treatment-in-syrian-conflict/feed/ 0