DOCSLIB.ORG

New Tensions in Kirkuk As Kurdish Peshmerga Surround City by Michael Gunter

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
New Tensions in Kirkuk As Kurdish Peshmerga Surround City by Michael Gunter VOLUME IX, ISSUE 13 uAPRIL 1, 2011 IN THIS ISSUE: BRIEFS..................................................................................................................................1 THE KHURASAN MUJAHIDEEN SEEK TO ELIMINATE ESPIONAGE IN WAZIRISTAN By Zia Ur Rehman....................................................................................................4 NEW TENSIONS IN KIRKUK AS KURDISH PESHMERGA SURROUND CITY By Michael Gunter.......................................................................................................6 Khurasan Mujahideen in Waziristan SOLIDARITY IN RESISTANCE: MIDDLE EAST REVOLUTIONS STRENGTHEN HEZBOLLAH By Chris Zambelis....................................................................................................8 Terrorism Monitor is a publication of The Jamestown Foundation. The Terrorism Monitor is SYRIAN REGIME DEPLOYS MILITARY IN NAVAL PORT OF LATAKIA designed to be read by policy- makers and other specialists For the first time in his 11 years as ruler of Syria, President Bashar al-Assad has yet be accessible to the general deployed elements of the Syrian military against a domestic target – the protesters public. The opinions expressed that had taken to the streets of the Syrian port of Latakia to demand political within are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily and economic reforms (Reuters, March 28). The insertion of the military on reflect those of The Jamestown March 27 came as official sources reported the death of 12 individuals in Latakia Foundation. on March 26, including demonstrators and security officials (Syrian Arab News Agency [SANA], March 27). Unauthorized reproduction or Though the region surrounding Latakia is dominated by members of the ruling redistribution of this or any Jamestown publication is strictly Alawite faith, the city itself (350 km northwest of Damascus) is a mix of Alawites, prohibited by law. Sunni Muslims and Christians. Since a 1966 internal coup within the Ba’ath Party, Alawites have dominated Syrian politics despite being a national minority that many orthodox Muslims believe has only superficial connections to Islam. Alawites continue to dominate the highest ranks of the Syrian military and the intelligence services. Latakia was recently in the news as the port where two Iranian naval ships docked after passing through the Suez Canal (see Terrorism Monitor, March 10). While in Latakia, Iranian Admiral Habibollah Sayyari and Syrian naval commander Lieutenant General Talib al-Barri signed an agreement of mutual For comments or questions about naval cooperation (Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran Radio 1, February 26). our publications, please send an The small Syrian Navy consists of two frigates, at least ten missile attack craft email to [email protected], or and a host of smaller craft. Latakia is one of four ports used by the Syrian Navy. contact us at: Syrian officials were incensed by remarks from Muslim Brother and well-known 1111 16th St. NW, Suite #320 Islamic scholar Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who told a Doha mosque congregation Washington, DC • 20036 that Arab regimes such as Syria’s were failing to learn from each other’s mistakes, Tel: (202) 483-8888 Fax: (202) 483-8337 continuing repressive policies despite the “train of the Arab revolution” having Copyright ©2011 TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE TERRORISM MONITOR, VISIT http://www.jamestown.org TerrorismMonitor Volume IX u Issue 13 u April 1, 2011 arrived in Syria. Al-Qaradawi described Assad as “a Lebanese and pointed to a foreign conspiracy: “The only prisoner of his corrupted entourage” and predicted side happy with what is happening in Syria is Israel, and that the Syrian army would play “a decisive role” in some members of [U.S.] Congress who are mobilizing determining Syria’s future (Gulf Times, March 26). against Syria” (al-Watan, March 27). Damascus has Assad’s media advisor responded to the shaykh’s charges been organizing pro-government marches in which the by saying: “‘According to all Koranic or faith logic, it participants stress “their rejection and condemnation of is not up to a cleric to incite sedition; and this is not the organized foreign campaigns targeting Syria’s safety, one of the tasks of men of religion at all” (al-Watan stability and national unity” (SANA, March 26). [Damascus], March 27). In his first remarks on the unrest in Syria, President Assad The Assad regime has taken extraordinary lengths to declined on March 30 to repeal the 1963 emergency law pin responsibility for the disturbances on a host of with its wide powers for repression, a key demand of foreign sources rather than acknowledge discontent the protesters. Having identified the source of Syria’s within Syria. On March 11, Syrian security forces unrest as a “foreign conspiracy,” the president’s speech reported seizing a shipment of arms from Iraq that was was followed by hundreds of protesters taking to the crossing the border into Syria in a refrigerated truck streets of Latakia to chant “Freedom” (Reuters, March (SANA, March 11). Iranian and Hezbollah sources 30). The Syrian cabinet resigned en masse on March have described an anti-Syrian conspiracy centered on 29 as Facebook activists try to organize massive anti- the Tayyar al-Mustaqbal (Future Movement) led by government rallies for Friday, April 1. former Lebanese Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri. Syrian authorities tied the movement to the reported seizure UGANDA’S COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH of seven boats from Lebanon to Latakia with cargoes LIBYA’S MU’AMMAR QADDAFI of weapons, money and narcotics. Hariri was also connected to Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia, In a surprise announcement, Uganda has offered who was accused of “guiding the complex American and refuge to Libya’s embattled leader, Mu’ammar Qaddafi [Saudi] Arabian plan for creating unrest in Syria” (Fars (AP, March 30). The offer came at the same time as News Agency, March 29). A Lebanese MP denied the Ugandan government institutions began seizing Libyan allegations, noting the Future Movement did not even assets and investments in Uganda. Libya has extensive have weapons to defend itself (LBC, March 29). Syria’s investments in Uganda through its Libyan African Grand Mufti, Shaykh Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, took Investment Portfolio. Among those assets seized are to national TV on March 25 to confirm that external Uganda Telecom (69% Libyan ownership) the Tropical “instigation” is seeking to undermine the anti-Israel Bank (99.7% Libyan ownership) and the four-star Lake “resistance” (Day Press [Damascus], March 26). Israel’s Victoria Hotel (99% Libyan ownership) (New Vision Foreign Ministry in turn attempted to implicate Iran and [Kampala], March 29; Daily Monitor [Kampala], March Lebanon’s Hezbollah in the attacks on demonstrators 1). Total Libyan investment in Uganda is estimated at by saying demonstrators heard some members of the $375 million. Libya is also a major source of funds for security services speaking Farsi (Hezbollah members the African Union and the Ugandan-dominated African speak Arabic rather than Farsi) (Israeli Defense Force Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Radio, March 27; Jerusalem Post, March 28). Qaddafi’s most controversial involvement with Uganda Syrian officials also blamed the violence in Latakia on came in 1979, when he sent 2,500 Libyan troops Palestinians from the al-Raml refugee camp outside the together with armor, rockets, artillery and air cover to city. The allegations were denied by Ahmad Jibril, the support Ugandan dictator Idi Amin from an invasion by leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ugandan dissidents supported by Tanzanian regulars. – General Command (PFLP-GC), which runs the camp Only a year after Major General Idi Amin seized power and is known for its loyalty to the Syrian regime. The in Uganda, Qaddafi had managed to persuade him to Syrian claims were strongly criticized in the Jordanian abandon his Israeli patrons in return for substantial press, which asked why Palestinian refugees would cash donations and investment. The deployment was a volunteer to shoot demonstrators who are their “kin and military disaster. Far from saving Amin, the arrival of neighbors” (al-Dustur, March 28; al-Ra’y, March 28). the Libyan troops was interpreted by Amin’s defenders A Syrian spokesperson noted that among those arrested (many of whom were Sudanese) as an opportunity to in Latakia were one Egyptian, one Algerian and five flee Kampala with looted goods as the Libyans provided 2 TerrorismMonitor Volume IX u Issue 13 u April 1, 2011 cover against the encroaching anti-Amin forces. Many departure from Uganda. While the Ugandan leader of the Libyans appear to have been told they were going continued to be critical of Qaddafi’s efforts to create a to southern Libya for military exercises. Confusion “United States of Africa,” Museveni now confided he reigned and the Libyan forces were shattered. Casualties was afraid Qaddafi would try to kill him by attacking were heavy as the survivors were taken prisoner by the his plane in international airspace (cable of June 18, invaders. There were many reports of captured prisoners 2008, carried by the Guardian, December 7, 2010). being executed while some luckier Libyan troops were eventually repatriated to Libya, where Idi Amin also Given Libya’s lengthy and complicated relationship sought refuge before moving on to permanent exile in with Uganda, President Museveni penned an open letter Saudi Arabia. on his views of the relationship published by
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Faith Conquers Fear
    Faith-filled tradition Parishioner-built stone grotto is a staple of Assumption feast day in Franklin County, page 3. Serving the Church in Central and Southern Indiana Since 1960 CriterionOnline.com September 6, 2013 Vol. LIII, No. 47 75¢ Archdiocese to Faith Submitted photo pray and fast for conquers peace on Sept. 7 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Last Sunday, Pope Francis called the fear Catholic Church throughout the world to mark Saturday, Sept. 7, as a day of Young woman prayer and fasting for peace in Syria, strives to touch the Middle East and throughout the the hearts world. He also invited members of other religions, and all of youths in people of good will, to participate in this trouble around Archbishop initiative in whatever Joseph W. Tobin way they can. the world Through his heartfelt words during the Angelus in By John Shaughnessy St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father united himself clearly with the anguish of suffering Jenna Knapp never considered herself people across the globe but, especially, with in danger as she walked into prisons the victims of the bloody civil war in Syria. in El Salvador where she routinely He did not mince words in condemning met with male and female youths who the obscenity of that slaughter, particularly, were serving sentences for crimes that While Jenna Knapp, center of back row, visited gang members in jail and wrote down their stories the apparent use of chemical weapons included extortion and murder. during her three years in El Salvador, she also volunteered to help younger children avoid that that resulted in the massacre of hundreds, Instead, the 25-year-old Indianapolis future, teaching them life skills and vocational skills.
    [Show full text]
  • Syria 2014 International Religious Freedom Report
    SYRIA 2014 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT Executive Summary Religious freedom continued to decline. Although the constitution formally expresses government respect for and freedom to exercise all religions, significant limitations and restrictions were imposed in practice. With the worsening conflict, the government did not control significant terrain within the country, rendering it incapable of governing those portions of the country. Government regime repression increased against Sunni Muslims, whose religious status the government viewed as a proxy for political opposition to the government. Regime forces and allied Shia militias targeted Sunnis and religious minority groups with killings, torture, arrests, and attacks on Sunni and religious minority neighborhoods and religious sites. For example, Lebanese Hizbollah killed 200 civilians in February near Rasm an-Nafl, and the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas brigade, a domestic Shia militia allied with the government, killed 26 Sunni civilians near Aleppo in February. Regime forces and their Shia militia allies arrested Sunni clerics and destroyed Sunni mosques. Extremists groups targeted Shia, Alawites, and religious minorities with killings, kidnapping, torture, and arrests in the areas of the country under their control. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) publicly executed Western hostages, referring to them as “dogs of Rome” and “crusaders,” and stoned to death and beheaded men, women, and children on charges of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy. ISIL established court and policing systems in areas it controlled and handed down strict punishments based on its interpretation of sharia. ISIL lashed men for not following its proscriptions about religious observance. ISIL required Christians to convert, flee, pay a special tax, or face execution in territory it controls, and systematically destroyed churches, Shia shrines, and other religious sites.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Governance in Syria Amid Territorial Fragmentation Thomas Pierret, Laila Alrefaai
    Religious Governance in Syria Amid Territorial Fragmentation Thomas Pierret, Laila Alrefaai To cite this version: Thomas Pierret, Laila Alrefaai. Religious Governance in Syria Amid Territorial Fragmentation. Wehrey Frederic. Return to Islamic Institutions in Arab States: Mapping the Dynamics of Con- trol, Co-option, and Contention, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2021. hal-03259910 HAL Id: hal-03259910 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03259910 Submitted on 14 Jun 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Religious Governance in Syria Amid Territorial Fragmentation - Isl…ption, and Contention - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 14/06/2021 1502 RETURN TO ISLAMIC INSTITUTIONS IN ARAB STATES: MAPPING THE DYNAMICS OF CONTROL, CO-OPTION, AND CONTENTION https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/06/07/religious-governan…VGRxweWlvGyRC5kMOB2uewbbLsqrRHEj7Gm4Nl2uSVOxQZFe7yvQ-tvxNig Page 1 sur 33 Religious Governance in Syria Amid Territorial Fragmentation - Isl…ption, and Contention - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 14/06/2021 1502 https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/06/07/religious-governan…GRxweWlvGyRC5kMOB2uewbbLsqrRHEj7Gm4Nl2uSVOxQZFe7yvQ-tvxNig Page 2 sur 33 Religious Governance in Syria Amid Territorial Fragmentation - Isl…ption, and Contention - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 14/06/2021 1502 Religious Governance in Syria Amid Territorial Fragmentation Thomas Pierret, Laila Alrefaai In Syria, disparate governing figures have different levels of involvement with and power over religious institutes.
    [Show full text]
  • Erkenntnismittelliste Syrien
    VERWALTUNGSGERICHT STADE Verzeichnis der vorhandenen Materialien über die Arabische Republik Syrien - 10. Kammer - Stand: 16.09.2021 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Das Gericht beabsichtigt, gemäß § 86 VwGO die genannten Materialien gegebenenfalls zur Entscheidung heranzuziehen. Falls Sie Einsicht in ein nicht frei verfügbares Erkenntnismit- tel benötigen, wenden Sie sich bitte an die Service-Einheit der 10. Kammer. I. Auswärtiges Amt A. Lageberichte 01.04.2004 13.12.2004 14.07.2005 17.03.2006 26.02.2007 05.05.2008 09.07.2009 28.12.2009 (Ad-hoc Ergänzungsbericht) 07.04.2010 (Ad-hoc Ergänzungsbericht) 27.09.2010 17.02.2012 (Ad-hoc-Bericht) 13.11.2018 Stand: November 2018 kein regulärer Asyllagebericht; Er- stellung im Hinblick auf die IMK im November 2018 20.11.2019 Stand: November 2019 kein regulärer Asyllagebericht; Er- stellung im Hinblick auf die IMK im Dezember 2019 19.05.2020 Fortschreibung des Berichts über die Lage in der Arabischen Republik Sy- rien vom November 2019 (Stand: Mai 2020), kein regulärer Asyllage- bericht; Erstellung im Hinblick auf die IMK im Juni 2020 04.12.2020 Bericht über die Lage in der Arabischen Republik Syrien (Stand: November 2020), kein regulärer Asyllagebericht; Erstellung im Hin- blick auf die IMK im Dezember 2020 - 2 - B. Auskünfte Datum Adressat Inhalt 14.01.2004 VG Darmstadt staatenlose Kurden; rot-orange- nes Plastikdokument; Wehr- dienst 14.01.2004 VG Darmstadt staatenlose Kurden; Ausweispa- piere; Bescheinigung des Orts- vorstehers; rot-orangene Plas- tikkarte; Maktumin 14.01.2004 VG Darmstadt Echtheit Personaldokument - Wehrdienst staatenloser Kurden 19.01.2004 VG Darmstadt Identitätsbescheinigung eines Mukhtars; geringer Beweiswert 19.01.2004 VG Bayreuth Identitätsbescheinigung; Volkszäh- lung 1962; rot-orangene Plastikkar- ten 04.03.2004 VG Braunschweig Ehrenmorde; Familienehre; Az.
    [Show full text]
  • Is the Assad Regime Secular?
    Is Assad regime secular? Is the Assad Regime Secular? Many media are still describing Al-Assad as “the secular leader”. Is it true? Is it enough to claim secularism, have a cravat and a wife who speaks English to be secular? It seems that the media say so. Geopolitical studies -1- Peace House Geopolitical studies 22 – June -2019 Is Assad regime secular? Is the Assad Regime Secular? Alaa Aldin Alkhatib Many media are still describing Al-Assad as “the secular leader”. Some of them, who want to be fairer, say “the secular dictator”. Indeed, even many Arab media define the Al-Assad regime as a secular regime too1. Historically, Al-Baath party, who ruled Syria since 1963, was classified as a secular party. Hence, they continued to see both Al-Assad, the father hafez and the son Bashar, as secular rulers, for many reasons related to the Western colonialism of Arab countries, when it was believed that France and the UK supported the secular values, and to the cold war time, when the regimes of Syria, Egypt, Algeria, and Yemen allied with the Soviets, which was defined as a communist secular camp. This reputation survived a long time thereafter, and it spread more after the rise of Islamist Jihadist in the nineties, because many thought that the Al-Assad regime and the other Arab regimes were the defending line against Islamism. So the CS Monitor reported on July 13, 2010 “For this reason, securing secular strongholds, such as Syria, is imperative not only for the peoples of the region, but also to the national interests of the US, Europe, and all major powers”2, and the Economist, after the misery of Syria, reported in Jun 28, 2018 “Even today many Sunnis prefer Mr Assad’s secular rule to that of Islamist rebels”3.
    [Show full text]
  • Syria Visit Report 2016
    A visit to Syria by an independent group 31 August - 7 September 2016 CONTENTS Executive summary 1 Meetings 6 Personal experiences 38 A personal view 40 Conclusion 42 Appendix 44 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Why did we come to Syria? We came to listen, to learn and to meet as many people as possible in order to contribute our experiences to the wider discussions of the situation in Syria. We emphasise our commitment to the fundamental principle of impartiality and solidarity with all those who are suffering, whatever their faith and cultural traditions or political views. A pastoral visit to the suffering people of Syria – including Christians, Muslims and Yazidis; to see for ourselves the realities on the ground; to listen to a wide range of voices which are not being heard outside Syria; to hear from religious leaders, communities, political leaders and Internally Displaced People (IDPs). To visit religious communities in different Syrian locations; to listen to the voices of their members and leaders; to experience their places of worship and to view any destruction of churches and mosques and the loss of ritual treasures. To learn about efforts being made within Syria to bring about a peaceful resolution. To reflect on our response, that of the UK and other members of the international community. To explore academic relationships relating to possible cultural and academic collaboration. 1 Members of the group Revd Andrew Ashdown Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali The Baroness (Caroline) Cox The Lord Hylton Revd David Clark Ms Jo Simister Dr Simon Fisher Invitation We were invited by Bishop Armash Nalbandian, Armenian Archbishop of Damascus of the Armenian Apostolic Church; Bishop Antoine Audo, Archbishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Syria; Revd.
    [Show full text]
  • New Syrian Law Bans Muslim Clerics from Stoking Sectarian Rift
    MIDDLE EAST October 15, 2018 7 Saudi... New Syrian Law Bans Muslim Clerics (Continued From Page One) 182 of its 186 listed stocks showing losses by early afternoon. The market pulled back some of the losses, later trading down 4%. From Stoking Sectarian Rift Business leaders as well as media companies including Bloom- berg and CNN have pulled out of an investment conference next DAMASCUS (Press TV) – Syria Additionally, the law assigns week in Riyadh, dubbed “Davos in the desert”. has endorsed a legislation that for- the Awqaf minister to oversee re- bids Muslim preachers from “stok- ligious schools, head the Coun- There is no sign of contrition in the statement or clarification ing sectarian strife” as the Arab cil on Islamic Jurisprudence, and of the promise last week to conduct an inquiry into Khashoggi’s country’s fight against foreign- regulate religious programming disappearance. Instead, Riyadh condemns a “campaign of false sponsored Takfiri terrorist groups on media outlets. allegations and falsehoods”. In what is likely to be a reference to is drawing to a close. It further bans Muslim imams Turkey, and possibly its Persian Gulf rival Qatar, it claims some President Bashar al-Assad signed from traveling abroad or attend- into law the new bill expanding the ing conferences even inside Syria are “rushing and seeking to exploit rumors and accusations to powers of the Ministry of Awqaf without the Awqaf minister’s per- achieve goals and agendas unrelated to the search for truth”. (Religious Endowments), which mission. Saudi Arabia’s vast oil reserves, said to be around 260bn bar- oversees Islamic affairs in Syria.
    [Show full text]
  • Dáil Éireann
    DÁIL ÉIREANN AN COMHCHOISTE UM GHNÓTHAÍ EACHTRACHA AGUS TRÁDÁIL, AGUS COSAINT JOINT COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AND DEFENCE Déardaoin, 1 Nollaig 2016 Thursday, 1 December 2016 The Joint Committee met at 9 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Deputy Seán Barrett, Senator Ivana Bacik, Deputy Seán Crowe, Senator Mark Daly, Deputy Noel Grealish, Senator Gabrielle McFadden. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh,+ + In the absence of Deputy Seán Crowe for part of the meeting. DEPUTY BRENDAN SMITH IN THE CHAIR. 1 SituatiON IN SYRIA: DISCUSSION The joint committee met in private session until 9.25 a.m. Situation in Syria: Discussion Chairman: We will hear presentations in two sessions today. For the first I welcome the delegation from Syria: His Beatitude Gregory III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch and All of the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem; His Holiness Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch; His Grace Dr. Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, Grand Mufti of Syria; Dr. Ahmad al Khaddour, cardio- thoracic surgeon; and Dr. Bashir Mohammad, cardiac surgeon. Syria has become a shadow of itself in the past five years, with the killing and maiming of so many innocent people, the mass migration of its citizens to a very uncertain future and the wanton destruction of vital infrastruc- ture, buildings and many artefacts of great historical importance. Against this background, the joint committee agreed to requests from various interest groups with first-hand experience of these shocking atrocities to make presentations to us. The format of the meeting is that we will hear opening statements and comments which will be followed by a question and answer ses- sion with the members of the committee.
    [Show full text]
  • Hintergrund Syrien 17.04.2015 Petra Becker
    Newsletter Projekt »Die Fragmentierung Syriens« SWP Hintergrund Syrien 17.04.2015 Petra Becker Freitagsmotti Motto 03.04.2015: Die Fath-Armee: Einigkeit, die zum Sieg führte! Dieses Motto kommentiert die Eroberung der Stadt Idlib durch Rebellenmilizen, die sich unter dem Namen „Fath-Armee“ zusammengeschlossen hatten (s. Hintergrund vom 01.04.). Zur weiteren Entwicklung in und um Idlib s. „Sonstige wichtige Entwicklungen …“ WissenschaftStiftung Politik und Motto 10.04.2015: ISIS - Ketzer der Gegenwart und Messer im Rücken Das Motto kommentiert die Eroberung des Damaszener Palästinenserviertels „Mukhayyam Al-Yarmouk“ durch ISIS am 01.04.2015. ISIS im Damaszener Palästinenserviertel „Mukhayyam Al-Yarmouk“ Am 01.04. gelang es ISIS, nach Yarmouk vorzustoßen und innerhalb weniger Stunden ei- nen Großteil des Lagers unter seine Kontrolle zu bringen. Zunächst konnte ISIS von den dort anwesenden Kämpfern zurückgedrängt werden. Aber in den folgenden zwei Tagen gelang es ISIS wiederum, 90% des Viertels unter seine Kontrolle zu bringen. Ebenso wie der Vorstoß in das irakische Mossul im vergangenen Sommer kam diese Aktion völlig überraschend. Die Frage ist, wie es ISIS gelingen konnte, in ein Gebiet vorzudringen, das seit zwei Jahren vom Regime belagert wird und in dem seitdem Dutzende Menschen verhungert sind, weil kaum Lebensmittel und Medikamente durch die streng kontrollier- ten Checkpoints gelangen. Um die Lage in etwa zu verstehen, muss man wissen, dass nicht Yarmouk allein belagert wird, sondern dass sich die Belagerung auf ein größeres Gebiet im Süden von Damaskus erstreckt. Neben dem ehemaligen Palästinenserlager, das sich im Verlauf der letzten Jahr- zehnte zu einem normalen Stadtviertel entwickelt hat, umfasst es auch angrenzende Vier- tel, nämlich Yalda, Babila, Tadamun, Qadam, Asali und Hajar Al-Aswad.
    [Show full text]
  • The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria: Illusion and Reality Waseem Hafez*
    Policy Alternatives November 2015 The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria: Illusion and Reality Waseem Hafez* For 40 years, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood has found itself largely outside of Syrian politics. Decimated by years of bloody confrontation with the Hafez al-Assad regime, the Brotherhood of was driven into exile, where it faced organisational and geographic dispersion, a weakened leadership, and dwindling financial resources. With the onset of the conflict in Syria, however, the Muslim Brotherhood has found itself with potential new political prospects. The Muslim Brotherhood is the only Syrian political movement in which youth find a concrete identity, unrelated to other identities and their failed political projects. By engaging with their surroundings, these new members will make up a formidable force in elections if the Brotherhood employs them well. In addition, the Brotherhood has strengthened its ability to build coalitions over the past three years, building alliances by exaggerating their own dominance and leading others to believe that this will win allied partners more votes. This has included both alliances with armed Islamist factions as well as the creation of a new political party in mid-2013, the Waad Party, in collaboration with Christian and Muslim secularists. The Brotherhood’s expansion, however, remains a complex issue. Its true size, and its representation in the Syrian National Council and the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces are difficult to ascertain; its engagement with the foundational
    [Show full text]
  • Syria 2015 International Religious Freedom Report
    SYRIA 2015 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT Executive Summary The constitution declares the state shall respect all religions and shall ensure the freedom to perform religious rituals as long as these “do not disturb the public order.” There is no official state religion. Membership in certain types of religiously oriented organizations is illegal and punishable to different degrees, including by imprisonment or death. The government and its Shia militia allies killed, arrested, and physically abused Sunnis and members of targeted religious minority groups as part of its effort to defeat the armed insurrection mounted by opposition groups. As the insurgency increasingly became identified with the Sunni population, the government reportedly targeted towns and neighborhoods for siege, mortar shelling, and aerial bombardment on the basis of the religious affiliation of residents. The government reportedly targeted places of worship, resulting in damage and destruction of numerous churches and mosques. The government continued to monitor sermons, close mosques between prayers, and limit the activities of religious groups. It said the armed resistance comprised “extreme Islamist factions” and terrorists. According to international media reports, a number of minority religious groups viewed the government as their protector against violent Sunni extremists. Nonstate actors, including a number of groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United States and other governments, such as Da’esh (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and the al-Nusra Front (ANF), targeted Shia, Alawites, Christians, and other religious minorities, as well as other Sunnis, with killings, kidnappings, torture, and arrests in the areas of the country under their control. Da’esh killed more than 60 Christians and other members of religious minorities through public executions, crucifixions and beheadings of men, women, and children on charges of apostasy, blasphemy, and cursing God.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Palestinian Community? Syria’S Uprising and Conflict, from the Perspective of the Palestinian Camps
    STUDIEN ABDULLAH AL-KHATEEB, TOM ROLLINS AND ABDELRAHMAN SHAHEEN A NEW PALESTINIAN COMMUNITY? SYRIA’S UPRISING AND CONFLICT, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PALESTINIAN CAMPS ABDULLAH AL-KHATEEB, TOM ROLLINS AND ABDELRAHMAN SHAHEEN A NEW PALESTINIAN COMMUNITY? SYRIA’S UPRISING AND CONFLICT, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PALESTINIAN CAMPS Study commissioned by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung ABDULLAH AL-KHATEEB is a Palestinian-Syrian human rights activist from Yarmouk, Damascus. Since 2011, he has been part of the peaceful movement against the Assad regime and later, with other activists, organized civil resistance against local extremist forces. During the siege on Yarmouk, which lasted from 2013 until 2018, they set up alternative schools and civic centres as well as agricultural projects to break the siege. Through a Syrian-Russian agreement, Abdullah and local civil society groups were forcibly expelled to northern Syria in May 2018. With activists displaced from all parts of Syria, he set up the Hooz Center in Azaz in the Aleppo countryside, which today hosts political debates on the ground and remains committed to organizing local communities against authorities that shrink spaces of civil society. In 2017, Abdullah co-founded the literary blog, Sard Network—its goal to provide spaces for Syrian narratives on revolution, expulsion, exile, and war, and thus to participate in the construction and documentation of Syrian memory. Abdullah has lived in Germany since 2018. TOM ROLLINS is an independent journalist and researcher who has reported on Syria and Syria’s Palestinian community since 2014. He has written for Al Jazeera English, Mada Masr, The National, and The New Humanitarian, and lived in the Middle East for several years.
    [Show full text]