Syria has never
witnessed such hectic activity in decades. This is not just about the killing that
is taking place, the killing is a minute part of the story, the real story is more
about the frantic soul searching and the ongoing attempt to forge a new
identity that, even if it culminated in failure, comes as a much longed-for
sign of life that is in itself victory.
Tuesday May 8, 2012
31 were reported killed on Monday
and 23 on Tuesday as the Assad-led crackdown continues, and the more towns are
shelled: including Rastan and Talbisseh and Homs City (Home Province), Hama
City, and Dmeir (Rural Damascus).
News
Op-Eds & Special Reports
Cartoon by
Syrian artist Ali Ferzat
The Brotherhood
With
backing from Ankara, and following the political ascendancy of the Brotherhood
in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, the group is poised to be at the top of any new
governing system in Syria.
"It
is plausible that the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood will come to the fore,"
said Cengiz Candar, an eminent Turkish analyst of Arab affairs. "But it is
too early to deduce anything significant. They are in an incubation period. Who
knows who will be around eventually?"
The Kosovar Connection
A study trip
that I took with two colleagues, Molham Aldroby, a leading member of the Muslim
Brotherhood, and Djengizkhan Hasso, leading member of the National Assembly of
Kurdistan – Syria, to Prishtina, the capital of Kosovo, has proven to be
somewhat controversial, at least in some quarters. Considering the nature of
these quarters, we seem to be on the right track.
This is
what was reported by The Associated Press: Syrian opposition
activists ask Kosovo for advice. This is how the trip was reported by Russia
Today: Syrian opposition
studies terror tactics in Kosovo. The Russian version of the events was
immediately picked up by all sorts of websites dedicated to conspiracy theories,
including French, Turkish and Serbian websites, among many
others. The report was further embellished in an Arabic report and, I am told,
even pro-regime Addounia TV joined the fray.
I have
recently given an interview that should clarify the purpose of the trip and I will
link to it when it’s out. But for now, let me make the following clarifications:
* There was
no official U.S. involvement in this effort.
* Occasional
violations by some groups affiliated with the KLA notwithstanding, the Serbian
militias remain the main culprits in most war crimes reported in Kosovo,
including mass ethnic cleansing operations and a number of horrific mass
murders. It’s strange how this fact escaped the notice of RT correspondents.
* True, Kosovars
are predominantly Muslim, but they are among the most secular-minded Muslims that
I have ever met, so these reports about connections to Al-Qaeda are absolutely
bogus.
* Follow-up
trips to Kosovo are in the works, but we will also be travelling to many other countries
for the purpose of learning and garnering support for our cause, and the Six
Point Plan that we have put together to help our people.
Video Highlights
The town
of Talbisseh, Homs Province, recently visited by UN Monitors, gets pounded
today http://youtu.be/_edutkdyLOQ , http://youtu.be/wme0fH21uwI
The nearby
town of Rastan was also pounded http://youtu.be/MxVjAjH7wmw
, http://youtu.be/unExM4rUfvU Treating
the injured http://youtu.be/Wwg9aFQjaSE
Meanwhile,
the pounding of Homs City continues: Qoussour http://youtu.be/HIJ_3LUkcwE , http://youtu.be/w6ufzuZOkgs , http://youtu.be/AiXRD-bJd_8 Scenes of total
desolation from the neighborhood of Qarabees http://youtu.be/rBgFex2odBA , http://youtu.be/FXrgohFOWVA
In the town
of Alma, Daraa Province, pro-Assad militias set fire to local farmland http://youtu.be/az2KNpWWXTU
The nearby
town of Khirbet Ghazaleh comes under automatic fire http://youtu.be/MpFL6kq-SqI
At night, Hama
City comes under heavy pounding http://youtu.be/wuEJkwl8GWM
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