We should take a moment to honor 27-year-old Abdul Baset al-Sarout, a Syrian soccer star from Homs who became known as the “singer of the revolution” for leading rallies as part of the Arab Spring uprising in 2011. He led a unit of fighters against Syrian regime forces & was killed in a battle with them last Saturday in Hama province. Four of his brothers & his father were killed in earlier battles with regime forces.
This courageous young idealist is who Assadists vilify as an “al-Qaeda affiliated Salafi-jihadi terrorist.” We honor him for representing the highest ideals of human freedom from dictatorship, inequality, & violence. May his noble spirit Rest In Peace.