[Vredeslijst] Syrians roll back extremism in Idlib without military intervention
Jeff
meisner op xs4all.nl
Ma Jun 5 18:00:40 CEST 2017
[The following account of civil society activism in rebel-held Idlib
city paints a refreshing picture of political life and empowerment of
the population in this and other areas from where government forces have
been expelled. Of course the future of Syria must be decided by Syrians
themselves and not solidarity activists (or governments!) in the west,
however it is important to challenge the narratives which paint the
revolution as mainly having empowered Islamic currents, totally ignoring
the power seized by the local populations whose aims are largely secular
and democratic. Not mentioned so much in the following article are many
citizens' protests in Idlib province favoring unity among the
revolutionary forces and calling on the Islamic factions to stop making
war among themselves. The article shows that the struggle for popular
control of the city is incomplete and continuing. But appreciating the
activism and involvement by the citizenry in managing their own affairs,
one can envision the future of a democratic Syria dependent on neither
the hated government nor armed factions intent on extending their own
power. - Jeff]
Syrians roll back extremism in Idlib without military intervention
By Julia Taleb May 23, 2017
https://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/syrians-roll-back-extremism-idlib/
The U.S. airstrikes in response to the chemical weapons attack in Idlib
province last month triggered calls for greater outside military force
against the Assad regime by some of the Syrian opposition. Yet, in a
country exhausted by armed struggle and the presence of extremist
groups, local civil initiatives have proven to be more effective at
building peace than increased military involvement. In Idlib City,
ordinary citizens have shown that they are capable of managing their
civil affairs, alleviating suffering at the local level and rolling back
extremism by themselves.
On March 3, 2015, an umbrella group of Islamic armed factions called
Jeish al-Fateh expelled the Syrian government from Idlib City, sparking
an ongoing struggle by citizens and civil resistance groups to gain
control of the city’s administration. After it took control of the city,
Jeish al-Fateh — which includes Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formally known as
al-Nusra Front, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda — formed a Shura
Council to manage the city’s military and civil affairs. The armed group
appointed its members and loyalists to administer the city without
paying attention to qualifications or proper recruitment procedures. A
state of repression was imposed, and there were continuous violations of
basic human rights and freedoms under the pretext of applying proper
Islamic Sharia law.
This brought activists and civil organizations into direct confrontation
with the armed group, which assumed the administration of all public
services, including education, health, security and justice. In
response, residents and civil resistance groups have been working to
establish a local council of qualified civilians to prevent military
factions from interfering in civil affairs and protect peoples’ rights
and freedom.
“We wanted to prove our commitment to our initial goal of revolting
against all type of corruption and injustice,” said Sakhr Baath, a
lawyer and member of Idlib Youth Group, which was established by
activists at the early stages of the Syrian uprising in 2011 to
galvanize citizens against the regime and now the inhuman practices of
Jeish al-Fateh’s leadership. The group also initiated relief and
humanitarian projects, including the rehabilitation of schools and the
formation of volunteer teams to direct traffic and crowds. “These
activities helped them [the civil organizations] gain a great reputation
and the community’s support,” Baath added.
Idlib City was one of the first cities after the uprising began to show
open and organized civil resistance, even in the presence of the
government. The city’s professionals established the National Opposition
for Idlib Intellectuals in August 2011 to find solutions to sectarian
divisions that plague Syrian society. According to Baath, the group used
to host meetings and invite government figures and supporters to discuss
their views with the community. At that time, activists — with the
support of Syrian expatriates — began to self-manage areas outside of
the government’s control, provide humanitarian assistance, guard the
city at night and control traffic.
Established six months after Jeish al-Fateh took control of the city,
Al-Idlibi House became the largest civil organization in Idlib, with
more than 400 activists and members. They met every Thursday to discuss
the city’s affairs and decide on the best tactics to pressure armed
factions to hand over civil administration to the community. They
organized media campaigns, public demonstrations and sit-ins to demand
civil rights and express their opposition to the control of the city by
extremist groups.
“We established Al-Idlibi House to unite the voices of the people and
have a body to negotiate with the Shura Council on behalf of the
community,” said Abd al-Latif Rahabi, the head of Al-Idlibi House
management.
The security forces of Jeish al-Fateh worked hard to disperse
demonstrations and damage their reputation by calling them secular or
anti-Islam. “However, as the number of protesters increased and reached
the main squares of the city,” Baath explained, “it was impossible for
them [Jeish al-Fateh] to control public frustration or ignore their
demands.”
Women were also active in this struggle and established many groups and
humanitarian organizations, including Women’s Fingerprints, Glimmer of
Hope, and the Association of Educated Women. These organizations raised
awareness of women’s role in building society, and provided educational
and vocational courses. They also established orphanages and care
centers for people with special needs, and initiated projects involving
sewing and producing homemade food for women who could not leave their
homes.
Women also challenged female preachers recruited by armed factions to
impose strict Sharia law, which prohibits women from walking outside
without men or showing their faces. “Last year, when a preacher harassed
my cousin for wearing makeup and not covering her face, more than 200
men gathered in less than 20 minutes and began protesting against the
preacher and armed factions’ oppression,” said Shadi Zidani, a member of
Idlib Local Council. “Repeated incidents like this and women’s
resistance have always triggered demonstrations and by the end of last
year, we were able to expel all female preachers from the community.”
Female preachers were also reaching out to poor and vulnerable women to
convince them to comply with Sharia law. “We formed volunteer groups of
female psychologists and sociologists to visit vulnerable women and
raise their awareness of basic rights and freedoms to counter the
extremists’ views,” Zidani said.
Local civil efforts persisted for about a year and a half, using all
possible means and tactics. In August 2016, Al-Idlibi House, with the
support of other civil organizations, formed a committee to represent
the community in their negotiation with Jeish al-Fateh. “With our
continuous pressure, they [Jeish al-Fateh] had to give in to the
public’s demand that they elect a local council.”
According to Rahabi, Al-Idlibi House’s committee nominated a group of
lawyers and judges to establish rules and regulations to manage the
electoral process, protect the right of voters to freely choose their
representatives, and ensure candidates’ rights to monitor the election.
Al-Idlibi House, with the support of the community’s members,
established and equipped an electoral center with ballot boxes and
private rooms for those wishing to vote secretly. On January 17, about
900 people voted, including 43 women. Eighty-four people were nominated
for 25 spots on the council. All stages of the electoral process on
election day were filmed and documented — by the media, community
activists, and groups of lawyers and judges — to ensure that the process
was legitimate, Zidani said.
Those organizing civil activities faced many challenges, including
regime airstrikes on the city, continuous fighting between armed
factions and regime forces, and pressure from Islamists who tried to
disrupt and discredit their efforts. “Despite all of the hardships, we
continued with our regular meetings, demonstrations, sit-ins and media
campaigns until we got what we wanted,” Zidani said.
Three month after its establishment, the local council is managing most
services, including water, electricity, bakeries, civil defense,
firefighting, and the directorates of transportation, communications,
agriculture and environment. With their vibrant activities, women’s
organizations are participating in the council’s activities, voicing
their concerns and suggesting solutions.
The tale of civil resistance in Idlib has not ended. “Our next goal is
to pressure armed factions to abandon the courts and security services
and hand them over to civil entities, along with the rest of the
directorates, including the civil and private land registries,” Rahabi
said. “We are working on uniting all local groups and organizations
under one body to make our voice even stronger.”
While many international organizations and donors refuse to work in
places under the control of Islamic armed factions — fearing that funds
could end up in the hands of extremists — one of the most important
tactics to fight extremism is to support civil organizations and
initiatives. As evidenced by these civilian efforts, such initiatives
are effective, and they are bringing peaceful and constructive changes
into their communities.
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