Syria stands today at an important crossroads in its modern history, as many of its citizens are poised to boycott the upcoming presidential referendum, just as they did with the April parliamentary elections. They plan to do so in response to calls by the country's various opposition groups, independent dissidents and democracy and rights activists inside and outside the country, and in the face of frantic attempts by the Syrian authorities to mobilize support for the country's president. In this quiet way, the Syrian people are gradually taking on their oppressive regime, and they would need all the support that we can give them in the coming days and months.

The Syrian people see clearly that President Bashar al-Assad through his henchmen manipulated the legislative elections in order to allow for his hand-picked candidates to win all seats assuring himself a unanimous approval for his nomination for a second term in office. Despite restrictions on the presence of external monitors, Syrian rights groups working in collusion with their colleagues outside the country managed to monitor the electoral process and recorded many of the abuses committed by Syrian authorities. They also observed that over 90% of registered voters chose to heed the opposition call for boycotting the farcical process.

This unprecedented development sent the Syrian regime reeling, and led them to move up the date for the presidential referendum to May 27, in order to obfuscate any opposition plan for challenging the process. Plus, the regime has initiated the rumor campaign threatening painful consequences to those who boycott. Despite this, recent reports on lack of popular participation in demonstrations organized by local officials in various parts of the country indicate the intimidation campaign has not succeeded.

The policies of Bashar al-Assad and his coterie of corrupt officials, army general and yes-men are finally driving the Syrian people into action, and the wall of fear is beginning to crack. Mass civil disobedience through a popular boycott of the presidential referendum is the next step in replacing fear and kleptocracy with dignity and democracy.

At this historic point in time, the Syrian people need and merit all the support that we can give them. Support should not be "engagement" where the message can be exploited by this criminal regime and cynically misconstrued as permission to take drastic measures against dissidents, sentencing them to various prison terms ranging from 3-12 years on a variety of ludicrous charges.

We invite all freedom loving people to express their support for the Syrian people and their desire for freedom and justice to join the Syrian opposition in demonstrations on May 26, 2007, 12-4 pm (local time) in front of the Syrian embassies in Washington D.C., London and Berlin. Join us to vote "NO" to tyranny and repression. Join us to call on Mr. Assad to free the country's many prisoners of conscience and to enact the necessary and longed-for political and economic reforms that the country so desperately need.

Respectfully,

Husam Abdo Aldairi

 Mr.

 I agree with you and it is so easy to say. You've lived in Syria I assume, and you must understand what happens to you if you don't even mention the name Bashaar al-Assad without (Mr. President) before it.

The amount of fear of the Syrian people is immense and I don't blame them. Taxi Drivers being part time informants for the Intelligent says it all.

The fear factor in my opinion is very important. I don't even being to know how the Syrians can free themselves from it, to take on their govt