Bashar al-Assad
From Wikiquote
Bashar al-Assad (born September 11, 1965) has been president of the Syrian Arab Republic since 2000.
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Sourced[edit]
- [The Jews] tried to kill the principles of all religions with the same mentality in which they betrayed Jesus Christ and the same way they tried to betray and kill the Prophet Muhammad.
- As quoted in "The disappearance of the Jews", The Economist (May 10, 2001)
- There is no such things as "Islamic terrorism," because terrorism differs from Islam. There's just terrorism, not Islamic terrorism. But the term "Islamic terrorism" has become widespread.
- I am president, I don't own the country so they are not my forces.
- Disclaiming responsibility for the killing of 4,000 people by Syrian security forces.
- Quoted in The Week, 10 December 2011, p. 111
- The army is engaged in a crucial and heroic battle... on which the destiny of the nation and its people rests. The enemy is among us today, using agents to destabilise the country, the security of its citizens... and continues to exhaust our economic and scientific resources. They (the enemy) wanted to deprive the people of their national decision... but they were astonished to see these proud people, who confronted their plans and defeated them. You men of the country... you have demonstrated, in dealing with the war waged against our country by the terrorist gangs, that you possess an iron will and a keen awareness. Our military remains the backbone of the motherland.
- Daily Telegraph (1 August 2012)
- I'm not a puppet. I wasn't made by the west to go to the west or any other country. I'm Syrian. I'm made in Syria. I have to live in Syria and die in Syria.
- Interview with RT(November 2012)
- [Enemies of Syria] are the enemies of the people and the enemies of God. And the enemies of God will go to hell.
- As quoted by Holly Yan et. al. Al-Assad touts plan for resolution, says enemies of Syria 'will go to hell', CNN (Jan. 17, 2013)
- We are facing an external attack against us, which is more dangerous than any other previous wars... We are dealing with those who are extremists, who only know the language of killing and criminality.
- As quoted by Holly Yan et. al. Al-Assad touts plan for resolution, says enemies of Syria 'will go to hell', CNN (Jan. 17, 2013)
Quotes about Assad[edit]
- Alphabetized by author
- My patience ran out on President Assad a long time ago. The reason why is because he houses Hamas, he facilitates Hezbollah, suiciders go from his country into Iraq, and he destabilises Lebanon.
- George W Bush, as quoted in Bush 'loses patience' with Syria, BBC News (20 December 2007)
- There’s a different leader in Syria now. Many of the members of Congress of both parties who have gone to Syria in recent months have said they believe he’s a reformer.
- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CBS Face The Nation interview (27 March 2011).[1]
- For me he is the last Arab ruler, and Syria is the last Arab country. It is the fortress of the remaining dignity of the Arabs, and that's why I'm proud to be here.
- British MP George Galloway in a speech at the University of Damascus. The speech aired on Al-Jazeera TV on November 13, 2005. [2]
- no way – no way possible in the imagination – that the man who has led the brutal response to his own people could regain the legitimacy to govern. One man and those who have supported him can no longer hold an entire nation and a region hostage. The right to lead a country does not come from torture, nor barrel bombs, nor Scud missiles. It comes from the consent of the people. And it’s hard to imagine how that consent could be forthcoming at this point in time.
- US Secretary of State John Kerry, at the Geneva II Conference on Syria, Washington Post (22 January 2014)
- Today, Bashar Al-Assad is playing the role of the son of the Levanter, offering his services to any would-be buyer through interviews with whoever passes through the corner of Damascus where he is hiding. At first glance, the Levanter may appear attractive to those engaged in sordid games. In the end, however, the Levanter must betray his existing paymaster in order to begin serving a new one. Four years ago, Bashar switched to the Tehran-Moscow axis and is now trying to switch back to the Tel-Aviv-Washington one that he and his father served for decades. However, if the story has one lesson to teach, it is that the Levanter is always the source of the problem, rather than part of the solution. ISIS is there because almost half a century of repression by the Assads produced the conditions for its emergence. What is needed is a policy based on the truth of the situation in which both Assad and ISIS are parts of the same problem.
- Amir Taheri, Opinion: Like Father, Like Son , Ashraq Al-Awsat (Feb 20, 2015)
External links[edit]
- Profile: Syria's Bashar al-Assad at BBC News
Video clips[edit]
- Syria holds referendum May 2007