Independent Journalism Slowly Returning to Syria

By Sami Moubayed

Like everything else, journalism in Syria can be divided into two distinct eras: before the Ba’ath Party came to power, and after. The pre-Ba’ath era witnessed a healthy journalistic culture that was rich, influential, and politically pluralistic. Syria in 1949 boasted 46 independent newspapers, 13 of which appeared as evening editions. Among them, the 46 papers represented the ideologies of the National Party, the People’s Party, the Communist Party, the Ba’ath Party, the Syrian Socialist National Party, and the Muslim Brotherhood. In every sense, the only “red line” Syrian journalists had to observe was the president of the republic. Every other topic and opinion was tolerated, no matter how sharp and, in some cases, how precise.

Almost all first-rank journalists also were political activists in their own rights, members of political organizations and, not infrequently, deputies in Parliament representing their native districts.

The first clash between journalism and politics occurred in March 1949, when Syria’s chief of staff, Husni al-Zaiim, launched a coup d’état, outlawing all political parties and publications, and placing their founders behind bars. Zaiim’s dictatorship, to be followed by his successors in Syria, allowed only publications which supported the “Leader.”

Four months later Zaiim was overthrown, civilian rule was put in place, and independent journalism restored. Journalists suffered two more blows, however, during the military regime of Adib al-Shishakli (1951-1954), and that of Gamal Abdul Nasser (1958-1961). The healthiest years for freedom of expression and political dialogue followed: those of the civilian regime of Nazem al-Kudsi (1961-1963).

When the Ba’ath Party came to power in March 1963, fearful of everything and everyone, its leadership issued a decree outlawing all political parties, shutting down all newspaper offices, arresting all non-Ba’ath politicians and journalists, and terminating their civil rights as Syrian citizens. These laws, in place for nearly 40 years, finally have started to dissolve at the instigation of President Bashar Al-Assad.

Unlike his father and predecessor, the late Hafez Al-Assad, who tolerated no opinion other than his own, the young Syrian leader came to power in July 2000 wanting to hear what he labeled “the opinion of the other.”

Al-Domari was the first Syrian paper in 40 years that represented something different.

Accordingly, he issued a decree in the early days of his rule allowing all socialist parties in coalition with the Ba’ath to publish their own newspapers. Until then, the only papers that existed were al-Ba’ath (the party’s official mouthpiece since 1947), al-Thawra (a 1963 Ba’ath daily meaning “revolution”), and Tishreen (a 1973 Ba’ath daily).

The first independent newspaper to respond to Assad’s call was the Communist Party weekly Sawt al-Shaab (“Voice of the People”) this past February. The paper, outlawed in February 1958 and refused a license since then, presented hard-line Communist views, and ran a front-page editorial praising Vladamir Lenin as the “Hero of the Working Class.” Emblazoned on page one was a bold print statement saying: “Workers of the World Unite—You Have Nothing to Lose But Your Chains”—a cliché with which, after so many years of socialist rule, Syrians are fed up. Beneath the slogan was the symbol of the former Soviet Union. True to its principles, the paper denounced all proposed reforms, claiming that a private banking sector and civic society contradicted Communist principles, and called on Assad to refrain from revoking any socialist program. As a result of its antiquated attitude, Sawt al-Shaab lost all potential of mass readership from day one, except for a limited audience which still believes in hard-core Communism.

The country’s second experiment with independent newspapers, however, was by far more rewarding. Also in February of this year, renowned Syrian cartoonist Ali Firzat launched a satirical publication called al-Domari (“The Lamplighter”). The paper was an overnight success, being the first Syrian paper in 40 years that represented something different from state views and socialist principles. Working with Firzat was a group of outspoken intellectuals renowned for their liberal views: comedian Yasser al-Azma, economist Aref Dalilah, writer Mamdouh Udwan, and philosopher Burhan Ghalioun. Articles were written in informal language, often using slang words to appeal to the common reader, and addressed issues such as unemployment, inflation, lack of housing, corruption, and more or less avoided political analysis or reporting. al-Domari reached Syrian newsstands at 8:00 a.m. every day, and was sold out throughout Damascus by 10:00 a.m. at the latest—a record achievement.

The Third Entry

Syria’s third non-Ba’ath newspaper, al-Nour (The Light), appeared on local newsstands in May. Run by Youseff Faisal’s Communist Party branch, the paper returned to print after 43 years of state banishment. Speaking of his new paper, Faisal, a former minister from the early Assad years, said, “It is open for all progressive and leftist forces, Marxist and nationalist, and also enlightened religious thinking.”

Faisal emphasized his paper’s content, claiming it would be dedicated “to the affairs of workers, peasants, youth and women.” Staying in line with state policy, al-Nour made certain to praise the Ba’ath leadership’s vision and support the Palestinian intifada, along with “the distinguished Syrian-Lebanese ties.”

In a deviation from the Ba’ath Party line, however, the paper addressed Syria’s independence from France in 1946, and acknowledged the fact that “leaders of this struggle were the National Bloc and its heroic members.” The Bloc, a composition of civilian and urban landowners, were opponents of the Ba’ath in the 1950s and, since coming to power in 1963, the Ba’ath have declined to mention their role, or recognize their achievements.

In his open editorial, Faisal provided a brief historical review of the paper, noting that it first was published in 1955 and its writers and columnists then included Communist Party veteran Khaled Bakdash, novelist Hanna Mineh, and the poet Badawi al-Jabal. Al-Nour boasts of having had as its editor-in chief Communist Party leader Farjallah Hellou, whose name made headlines in 1960 when he was arrested, and killed by sulfuric acid in Gamal Abdul Nasser’s prisons.

Among other non-Ba’ath publications that have appeared recently are al-Wehdawi (The Unionist), a pro-Nasser weekly published by the Unionist Socialist Party, and al-Iktisadiyya (The Economist), an economic weekly published by Waddah Abdrabboh, editor-in-chief of the Paris-based magazine al-Shahr, originally published by his father, the veteran journalist Yasser Abdrabboh.

Authorities in Damascus, however, have turned down an application to re-launch the political daily al-Qabas (“The Firebrand”), outlawed by the Ba’ath Party upon coming to power in 1963. The request by publisher and journalist Riad al-Rayyes was rejected with no proper explanation. Riad’s father, Najib al-Rayyes, originally launched al-Qabas in September 1928, and wrote in favor of democracy and civilian rule. Like all other private newspapers in Syria, al-Qabas was shut down on March 8, 1963 and, with the death of Najib al-Rayyes, his son Riad was forced to pursue a journalistic career elsewhere. He headed first for Beirut, then London, becoming the Arab world’s most renowned publisher. Although Riad al-Rayyes publishes a satirical weekly in Beirut called al-Nuqqad (“The Critics”), he worked strenuously to re-enter Syria’s journalist sector, but to no avail. Evidently his record, and his father’s views, still conflict with those of the state—signaling that a complete Ba’ath truce with its former enemies is not yet in the cards.

Making the point clear, in May the Ba’ath also turned down an application to re-launch the Damascus daily al-Ayyam (“The Times”), a mass-circulation paper that was run by Syria’s dean of journalists, Nasub Babil.

Contrary to the cases of Rayyes and Babil, however, another pre-Ba’ath journalist, Abdul Ghannie al-Itri, has applied for re-activation of his weekly, al-Dunia (“The World”), and received government approval. Speaking to the Beirut Daily Star, Itri said, “They are not allowing daily newspapers, yet seem lenient with comprehensive ones that deal with issues other than politics.”

Al-Dunia, he added, was first launched in 1946, then outlawed in 1958 for speaking out against Gamal Abdul Nasser. When the Ba’ath Party came to power in March 1963, its license was withdrawn, and its owner arrested. After 37 years of state banishment, Itri, who is now 81, plans to re-activate his magazine. When asked who will run it, he replied, “I will, of course. I have been writing books for 40 years, and now it’s time to return to my original profession as a journalist.”

Al-Dunia’s first edition will be launched in July, under the headline, “Al-Dunia returns after 37 years.” Its feature article, by this writer, will cover the life and achievements of pre-Ba’ath politician Mounir al-Ajlani, currently living in self-imposed exile in Saudi Arabia. Ajlani, who was ousted from Syria in 1963, is the embodiment of pre-Ba’ath Syria, and for decades his mere mention in Syria was a political taboo. Today, that taboo has been broken.

If the state continues to display lenience in its attitude toward political publications and journalism, many “ex-journalists” obviously will want to return to their professions. A new generation of Syrian youth, educated abroad and with much to say, will also contribute to their country’s journalistic culture, for it stands today as the only pulpit from which marginal freedom of expression is permitted. As one young Syrian intellectual put it, “We would love to restore the democratic principles of the past, and reactivate democratic culture. Unlike what some people are saying, we do not want to write off the past 37 years because, with all their faults, they represent the evolution of society in specific and Syria in general.

“Writing them off,” he continued, “would be writing off our own history. What we are striving for is correcting the mistakes of these four decades.”

Sami Moubayed is a Syrian political analyst.