Sunday, August 28, 2011

Phase II!

As Ramadan draws to an end so does a phase of the Revolution characterized by idealism and rugged self-reliance, the next phase will be far more realistic and will involve a methodical outreach to the international community by protest leaders themselves. The brutality of the Assad will not end, nor will the determination of the revolutionaries.  

Saturday August 27, 2011

Intensive security presence seen throughout Damascus as authorities try to deal with the consequences of the attack on Al-Rifai Mosque on Friday. Several Damascene neighborhoods and suburbs witnessed mass demonstrations and violent crackdown by security forces and pro-Assad militias. Security forces laid siege to several mosque, including the Mosque of Zaid Bin Thabit in the heart of Damascus. Demonstrators took to the streets in the suburbs of Saqba, Hamourieh, Douma, Harasta, Jobar, Zamalk, Arbeen, in various parts in the District of Midan, and various towns around Damascus including Zabadani and Madaya. Smaller demonstration took place in Malki and Muhajreen. 

Elsewhere, security crackdown continued in the town of Qseir in Homs Province as well as Deir Ezzor and Idlib provinces.

Links
The businessman, who also has a Lebanese nationality, is said to have been a close friend of Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem when the latter was Syria’s envoy to the U.S….He also has connections with U.S. congressional and senate leaders and some reports suggest that Daniel used his ties in Washington to close the gap between the U.S. administration and Damascus before the outbreak of demonstrations against Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Those targeted by the Assad regime are America's natural allies against al Qaeda and radical extremism. They are the cultural and intellectual leaders of the Syrian and Arab peoples: Men and women who have insisted from the beginning of this six-month uprising that it remain peaceful. If the international community turns its back on these protesters, it gives credence to al Qaeda’s argument that violence is the only way to overthrow Arab dictators and their silent backers in the West.
Arab foreign ministers told Syria on Sunday to work to end months of bloodshed "before it's too late," and decided to send Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby to Damascus to push for political and economic reforms. But in a conciliatory message to Damascus, the ministers also said after an extraordinary meeting in Cairo that Syria's stability was crucial for the Arab World and the whole region.
Salehi warned of dangerous regional implications if the crisis in Syria was not solved peacefully. He said a power vacuum in Syria would have "unprecedented repercussions'' among its neighbors.

It’s not clear why there was no comment by the current administration on this incident, an attack on U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford in central Damascus, but I chose not to report it until I finally found this video of the propagandist coverage made on Dounia TV http://youtu.be/yD_zlCfTQCs.

The reporting is of course stupid, accusing Ambassador Ford of trying to lead a protest in Damascus rather than monitor the situation. The report also concludes by running a statement made by former Ambassador Edward Peck to Dounia TV, which was obviously taken out of context. The incident took place on the day following the Ambassador’s visit to Jassem.

The plain facts are: as Ambassador Ford observed a loyalist demonstration, some of the demonstrators jumped at him when they recognized him and tried to wrap a poster of Bashar Al-Assad around him, but the Ambassador’s security details managed to rush him safely into his car. There was no anti-Assad demonstration at the time, security in that area is simply too tight. The Ambassador is now reported to have undertaken a tour of various rebellious Damascene suburbs. At least they didn’t stage a Jihadi attack this time.

Featured Videos

Attack on religious symbols seems more and more part and part of Assad strategy in the hope of provoking sectarian sentiments. This is a video of the shelling of the Rahmeh Mosque minaret that took place in Hama City on August 3 http://youtu.be/aoXfHkQu3uQ

More videos from Friday’s attack on Al-Rifai Mosque / Damascus: inside looking out http://youtu.be/Bn66fiVAoGA outside looking in http://youtu.be/uBxNoEQEuEU Sheikh Osama Al-Rifai on his hospital bed http://youtu.be/HT0vFqjkCv0

Protesters people in Hauran join their comrades in Homs and demand international protection http://youtu.be/S-h3u-CZy-I

DAMASCUS

Thousands took place to the streets in protest over the storming of Al-Rifai Mosque, and the siege of Zaid Mosque among others:

Daytime
Al-Rifai Mosque: an all-women demonstration in defiance http://youtu.be/e3TD_vRgS8k Barzeh http://youtu.be/oTTEuEAbyr4 Qarrah http://youtu.be/BMsicUOgHt4

Nighttime

HOMS

Thousands took to the streets after Night prayers throughout Homs City and were mostly in a festive defiant mood despite the ongoing crackdown and the warlike conditions prevailing in the city: Bab Houd where people were in a festive mood despite the violent crackdown http://youtu.be/b9EHSgZYgn4 , http://youtu.be/CjVoRyDbgjw Qoussour http://youtu.be/apzTbePV3cM , http://youtu.be/BQYy0suy9M0 Boustan Diwan http://youtu.be/w4q6DemdEZY Stadium  http://youtu.be/OT-CWoRDmbI Waer http://youtu.be/o7n5Y4-wU3Q , http://youtu.be/OBIC4cQ6cm0 , http://youtu.be/kUR-tcJcpqQ Baba Amr http://youtu.be/OgGwd0SPLQs Insha’aat http://youtu.be/OEFESvrSSUc Qarabees http://youtu.be/gP0pWO2tSkE Bab Al-Sibaa http://youtu.be/ZZGjhxAuET4 Hamrah http://youtu.be/BM4NDIyVaHc

Daytime


Dawn Aug 28

ALEPPO


HAMA


Sahel Al-Ghab / Qastoun http://youtu.be/bfKH5132fzY Taybat Al-Imam “Damn your hands, Assad” http://youtu.be/YR5-Z4N0FII Hilfaya http://youtu.be/wBFk4P_JReU , http://youtu.be/BGX1SEBjTCM Karnaz http://youtu.be/3wmVFD0pDus

HAURAN



IDLIB


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