Following the recent collapse of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime, evidence of the regime’s ruthless brutality has become evident, especially as the residents of Syria are discovering, investigating and speaking more freely about mass graves holding multiple thousands of those who fell victim to the former leader’s political oppression.
The Economist reports that a mound of dirt blocks the road to a walled compound on the outskirts of al-Qutayfa, a town located just north of Damascus, Syria. An area the size of two football fields, former President Bashar al-Assad’s military turned this wasteland into a mass grave—believed by Syria’s new rulers to be one of his largest. For years, earthmovers would reportedly arrive late at night, followed by refrigerated trucks packed with bodies.
Until a week ago, this was one of the most sensitive areas in Syria—a garrison town where stopping your car in the wrong place could mean being arrested. Locals remained silent, paralyzed by fear. The former mayor of al-Qutayfa, Haj Ali Saleh, said that “whatever they sent me, I was supposed to bury.” After resigning in 2012, Saleh was briefly detained by the authorities after refusing to follow orders to construct a mass grave. Everyone in al-Qutayfa knew that something horrifying was happening, but to say anything was to risk ending up in the grave.
The Economist article may be read in its entirety HERE.
My brothers and sisters, the evil in the heart of totalitarian leaders such as Bashar al-Assad is beyond words. In our Western society, it seems unimaginable, despite all of the crime and political angst in the United States and elsewhere, for coworkers, friends and loved ones to simply disappear, and then realizing that even asking about their whereabouts could also land you in one of the regime’s local mass graves.
With al-Assad’s asylum in Russia, as reported HERE by the BBC, the murderous leader is now safely residing in a country led by another murderous and evil leader, Russian President Vladimir Putin. Similarly, Putin thinks nothing of murdering thousands of Ukrainians in an unjust war, not to mention his political adversaries and even his own citizens when they ‘fall out of line’ or criticize his leadership.
You see, evil finds company with evil. The Bible tells us that evil runs from the light to avoid being exposed, but the Lord hates those who run to evil and His light exposes the darkness:
Proverbs 6:16-19 (NKJV)
“These six things the Lord hates, [y]es, seven are an abomination to Him: [a] proud look, [a] lying tongue, [h]ands that shed innocent blood, [a] heart that devises wicked plans, [f]eet that are swift in running to evil, [a] false witness who speaks lies, [a]nd one who sows discord among brethren.”
John 3:19-20 (ESV)
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”
Luke 12:2 (Amplified Bible)
“But there is nothing [so carefully] concealed that it will not be revealed, nor so hidden that it will not be made known.”
