Saudi Gazette Not much was known about Bashar Al-Assad prior to the death of his brother, Basil, in a car accident in 1994. Before that time Bashar was not groomed to be a next-in-line to the succession of his father, Hafez Al-Assad. In 1970, then “Syrian Air Force” General Hafez Al-Assad, an Alawite, took power and instigated “The Corrective Revolution” and “Correction Movement” in the Baath Party. In 1971 Al-Assad became president of Syria, a function that the Constitution allows only a Sunni Muslim to hold. In 1973 a new constitution was published omitting the old requirement that the religion of the state is Islam and replaced it with the statement that the religion of the republic's president is Islam. After the death of Hafez Al-Assad in 2000, his son Bashar Al-Assad maintained the outlines of his father's regime. Although the Alawites comprise the entirety of the top military and intelligence offices, government employees from lower bureaucratic ranks are largely from the majority Sunni Muslim faith, representing about 86% of Syria's population. Today, the Alawites exist as a minority, but are the most politically powerful sect in Syria and the only one with directly government control. Bashar was born September 11,1965 completed secondary education in 1982. He joined the College of Medicine at Damascus University, graduated in 1988 Specializing in Ophthalmology; did his residency in a military hospital and continued further training in London until the year 1994. The still- mysterious car accident that led to the death of Basil changed the young physician life. On the military level, Bashar joined the armed forces becoming, in 2000, the commander of the Syrian army and armed forces. Bashar began involvement in the public life in1994 heading the Syrian Computer Society, supervised a program of educational reform and in 1997 launched the National Program for IT. As he has been rushed through military ranks, Bashar has also to pay attention to the political life in Syria, the Arab and Islamic world and abroad in preparation for the tasks of the succession of his father. Facing ambitious uncle After the death of Hafez Al-Assad on June 10, 2000 there were fears that Rifaat, Bashar's uncle, who was commander of the “defense brigades,” showed ambition to succeed his brother, according to observers. To put end to Rifaat's political ambitions the Syrian Article 83 of the Constitution required the presidential candidate to be 40 years old. It was hurriedly amended to read: The President's age can be 34 years old. The parliament enabled Bashar to be president, thus the rug was pulled out under the feet of his uncle, Rifaat. Domestic policy In his domestic policy, he has been criticized for a disregard for human rights, economic lapses, and corruption. He was expected to take a more liberal approach than his father. In an interview he stated that he saw democracy in Syria as “a tool to a better life” but then argued “it could not be rushed.” In his foreign policy, Al-Assad is an outspoken critic of the United States. Politically and economically, Syrian life has changed only slightly since 2000. Immediately after he took office a reform movement made cautious advances during the Damascus Spring, which led Bashar to shut down Mezzeh prison and release hundreds of political prisoners. However, security crackdowns commenced again within the year. Human rights A 2007 law required Internet cafes to record all the comments users post on chat forums. Human Rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have detailed how Bashar's regime and secret police routinely torture, imprison, kill political opponents, and whoever speak out against the regime. Since 2006 it, Bashar expanded the use of travel bans against dissidents. In an interview with ABC News in 2007 he stated : “We don't have such (things as) political prisoners. Arab-Israeli conflict In a speech about the Israel-Lebanon conflict in August 2006, Bashar Al-Assad said that Hezbollah had “hoisted the banner of victory,” hailing its actions as a “successful resistance.” He claimed that Arab resistance was growing stronger, and warned Israel that “your warplanes, rockets, and your atomic bomb will not protect you in the future. In the same he described Arab leaders who have criticized Hezbollah as “half-men.” According to United States diplomatic cables leak, Hamas an “uninvited guest” and said “If you want me to be effective and active, I have to have a relationship with all parties. Hamas is Muslim Brotherhood's extension but we have to deal with the reality of their presence.” Comparing Hamas to the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood which was crushed by his father Hafez Al
