Absurdity continues: Syrian Opposition Elects Muslim Brotherhood Prime Minister

Daniel Greenfield


The media is spinning Ahmad Tomeh’s selection (he ran unopposed) as Prime Minister. He’s being described as a dentist, a humble man and a moderate consensus figure. When his Islamism is mentioned, it’s only to describe him as one of those nice friendly “moderate” Islamists.

The stories concentrate on his signing of the Damascus Declaration, without mentioning that the Declaration was an act of collaboration between the Brotherhood and democracy activists.
A real bio of Ahmad Tomeh takes us into dark territory.

According to a biography published by the National Coalition, his political career began in 1992, when he helped set up a peaceful resistance group in Deir al-Zour. He began to preach Friday sermons at mosques in 1997, but was stopped after two years by the authorities.

So the “dentist” also moonlighted as an Islamic religious figure.
The BBC gives his human rights credentials
In 2001, Mr Tomeh joined the Committee for the Revival of Civil Society in Syria, which campaigned for democracy, the release of prisoners of conscience, and the protection of human rights.

Mr Tomeh was one of the founders of the Damascus Declaration for Democratic National Change (DDDNC), a coalition of political parties, human rights groups and pro-democracy activists named after a 2005 document that demanded Syria’s transformation from a “security state to a political state”.
In December 2007, Mr Tomeh became the DDDNC’s secretary general. One week later, he was detained with several other leaders of the coalition and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

The stories concentrate on his signing of the Damascus Declaration, without mentioning that the Declaration was an act of collaboration between the Brotherhood and democracy activists.
A real bio of Ahmad Tomeh takes us into dark territory.

According to a biography published by the National Coalition, his political career began in 1992, when he helped set up a peaceful resistance group in Deir al-Zour. He began to preach Friday sermons at mosques in 1997, but was stopped after two years by the authorities.

So the “dentist” also moonlighted as an Islamic religious figure.
The BBC gives his human rights credentials
In 2001, Mr Tomeh joined the Committee for the Revival of Civil Society in Syria, which campaigned for democracy, the release of prisoners of conscience, and the protection of human rights.
Mr Tomeh was one of the founders of the Damascus Declaration for Democratic National Change (DDDNC), a coalition of political parties, human rights groups and pro-democracy activists named after a 2005 document that demanded Syria’s transformation from a “security state to a political state”.
In December 2007, Mr Tomeh became the DDDNC’s secretary general. One week later, he was detained with several other leaders of the coalition and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

Comment:  This sounds like a "Back to the Future" epic-who remembers that Assad was a nice, gentle ophthalmologist and from London no less?