Islam: the Good, the Bad, and the Everyday: Mideast Week in Review

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Mideast Week in Review

by Michael Isenberg.

Kurdish independence.
Syria de-escalation.

Anti-woman Tunisian marriage law abolished.

Kurdish Independence: The Iraqi Kurdish Parliament voted this week to proceed with a September 25 referendum on independence from Iraq. The move is opposed by the Iraqi government of course, as well as the governments of Iran and Turkey, which seek to discourage Kurdish separatism in their own countries. The United States also opposes it, on the grounds that it will bring instability to Iraq. But as Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government correctly points out, “When have we ever had stability or security that we should be worried about losing it?”

In light of the significant contributions the Kurds have made to the fight against ISIS, it is my humble opinion that they have earned independence. However, a yes-vote on the referendum will not necessarily lead to that outcome. Some pundits think the intent is merely to strengthen the Kurds’ hand in their negotiations with Baghdad.

Syria de-escalation: Turkey, Russia, and Iran have agreed to establish a “de-escalation zone” in Idlib province, Syria, the last major enclave of non-ISIS opposition to the Assad regime. The agreement is significant for two reasons, neither of them good: First, it helps Assad enormously. As I’ve written previously, these escalation zones free him to move his troops around the country and pick off his enemies one at a time. His opponents, pinned down in isolated enclaves, enjoy no such freedom. Second, it shows that the US, who isn’t a party to deal, has nearly completely lost influence in Syria.

Anti-woman Tunisian marriage law abolished: The government of Tunisia abolished a law which prohibits Muslim women from marrying non-Muslims. The new law raises the status of women in the country, putting them on a more equal footing with men as to who they can marry.

Tunisia is pretty much the only country in the region that has seen positive change come out of the Arab Spring.

Michael Isenberg writes about the Muslim world, medieval and modern. His forthcoming novel, The Thread of Reason, is a murder mystery that takes place in Baghdad in the year 1092. It depicts the war for the Muslim soul between those who seek to enforce shari’a strictly, persecute Jews and Christians, and stamp out "un-Islamic" science, and those who wink at a few sins, tolerate their non-Muslim neighbors, and write science books instead of burning them.