Mr. Adnan Oktar’s live conversation with Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani, the Founder of Syrian Liberal Democratic Union on A9 TV (January 7th, 2017)
PRESENTER: Tonight, our guest is Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani. He is considered to be one of the most prominent members of the Syrian opposition movement. He founded the Syrian Liberal Democratic Union. Dr. Al-Labwani is a medical doctor and also a painter. I would like to give you some brief information from his biography: In 1982, while serving as a military doctor, he observed the Hama Massacre perpetrated by Hafez Assad. This caused him to oppose the ruling Ba'ath Party and he founded the Syrian Liberal Democratic Union. Kamal al-Labwani was arrested in September 2001 after attending a political seminar and he was not allowed to write or read in prison, and his entire connection with the outside world was severed. After he was released in September 2004, he visited the British Parliament, the European Parliament and the White House to hold meetings on democracy and human rights in Syria. He was the first member of the opposition ever invited to the White House. On his return to Syria in 2005, Dr. Al-Labwani was arrested once again. Although his opposition to the Ba’ath Party was totally peaceful, he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and that cut off his communication with the outside world once again. He applied to the European Union, the United Nations, to Amnesty International as well as to the British and American governments for his release. Since his release in 2011, he is living outside the country. Now, he is pursuing his efforts for Syria as the Chairman of the “Damascus Institute for Research and Studies” that he has founded. In addition, in his visit to Israel in 2014, his statement that as a Syrian, “We are neighbors with Israel and can be friends” was mentioned frequently in the media.
MR. ADNAN OKTAR: Welcome, it is an honor for us to have you. We have been delighted. Your life has passed with great honor and dignity. You are a true man of cause. May God prolong your life, and remove all the hardship and pressure upon you. This persecution will not go on continually; there is a time when all this tyranny will come to an end. There should be some topics that you would like to bring up, we would like to listen to your words.
DR. AL LAWBANI: I believe that we have to work together with all the components of this area because now, the Middle East is suffering a lot from civil wars, from national wars and interventions. So, we have to find new ideas to gather ourselves, to make a union. To make a union for peace and stability, because the lack of stability and the lack of peace is very dangerous and we are suffering a lot, so we find Turkey as a big brother for us. Give us humanitarian help, and give us a chance to live. And now, we cannot find solution in Syria without the influence of regional states.
MR. ADNAN OKTAR: Turkey is a servant, and the Islamic world is a big brother for us. We are only at their service.
DR. AL LAWBANI: We hope that we will find a big lever to make stability in the Middle East. But we think that the intervention of Russia and others are forbidding some kind of solution. I am afraid that the region is going into a wider war; now Saudi Arabia and Iran, maybe Israel with Iran, Hezbollah, maybe Russia will intervene. We have to think and we have to find which policy we have to do, to avoid this dilemma.
MR. ADNAN OKTAR: The best and soonest outcome will be accomplished with the unity of the Islamic world. That power will resolve these matters, otherwise when Muslims are in partition, they will not be able to overcome these issues. There could be different states and republics, but there is need for a unity of love, and a unity of power. All the Islamic armies should be directed from a single headquarters. This Islamic Union will be one like NATO yet this is not to be established by force, but with love. However, its power should also be recognized. What is most important is that the Shia should not be excluded; that would be a calamity. There is no reason to shut out the Shia, they are very pure and honest people. I find it really difficult to understand this. Both Sunni and Shia are people of light, and there is no reason to prevent them from being brothers. That is why all the Islamic countries should right away establish unity and togetherness on the basis of brotherhood, friendship and love. Then all these issues will be put right in even less than a week. This is my view. What do you think about this matter?
DR. AL LAWBANI: I believe that now the international system needs new values and Islam has it. Because now the international system depends on power, not on values. So, Islam has a big message to push this civilization's advantages and give it ideas which make for the unity of humanity. So I believe we can use a good understanding of Islam to take our part in this civilization and we can, because the Islamic world is very large and very rich. So, this is our duty. But the problem now is that there are several readings. Now, somebody uses Islam for terror, some others use Islam to make sectarian conflicts and we need a cultural project for establishing a modern Islam, based on love and peace, not fanaticism or slaughter. This is a cultural project, but until now unfortunately politicians use it for their own benefit, not for the sake of Islam. This is the problem.
MR. ADNAN OKTAR: Particularly, Islam is the highest level of modernity, and your mentioning of this is really very nice. A Muslim is the most modern person of the world. After this entire affliction, the Sun will be rising and everywhere will be illuminated. Insha’Allah, you will see this.
DR. AL LAWBANI: I hope we can succeed, we need a new understanding and a good reading for Islam because some misunderstand and misuse this very rich and holy religion. We have a duty to do that, and I believe that your project is very important to teach how we can understand our Book and understand our religion. Thank you.
MR. ADNAN OKTAR: We are doing this with all our strength and power, and we will go on striving.
