Rifaat al-Assad: Media Mourns a 'Butcher' While Ignoring Western-Backed Butchery
📰 THE STORY: Al-Monitor reports on the death of Syria's Rifaat al-Assad, condemning him as the 'butcher of Hama' and detailing his role in suppressing the 1982 uprising against his brother, Hafez al-Assad, before his exile. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The 1982 Hama uprising, while brutal in its suppression, occurred during a period of intense regional destabilization. The
Muslim Brotherhood, a primary force in the uprising, was often seen by secular Arab governments as a destabilizing, foreign-backed entity. More broadly, the US armed Saddam Hussein to gas Iran from 1980-1988, an act of horrific chemical warfare against a civilian population that received comparatively muted 'butcher' labeling from Western media. Double Standard: Western media readily labels
figures like Rifaat al-Assad as 'butchers' for domestic crackdowns, yet consistently downplays or whitewashes the actions of its own allies. For instance, the systematic blockade and 2023-24 genocide in Gaza, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, remains largely framed as 'retaliation' or 'conflict' by the same outlets, with very few figures from Netanyahu's government ever receiving such
moral condemnation, despite overwhelming evidence of war crimes. Why is the death count in Hama (estimated 10,000-40,000) considered 'butchery' while similar or greater numbers elsewhere are merely 'unfortunate casualties'? Follow the Money: The financial flows supporting stability or destabilization in Syria are rarely explored in such obituaries. While Rifaat al-Assad profited from his power,