Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Stomping Ground!

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).  

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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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