Islam: the Good, the Bad, and the Everyday: Syria Ceasefire

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.

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Mideast Week in Review

by Michael Isenberg

ISIS on the Ropes.
Syria Ceasefire.
Hobby Lobby settles artifact smuggling case.
Tomb of the Patriarchs declared World Heritage Site.

Saudi cleric gives fashion advice.

ISIS on the Ropes: The Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, traveled to Mosul today to congratulate Iraqi troops on liberating the city from ISIS. The battle for the former ISIS stronghold began last October and culminated in street-by-street fighting in the city’s old section. The return to Mosul represents a significant turnaround for the Iraqi Army, which fled the advancing ISIS fighters so ignominiously in 2014.

The human cost of the effort lingers on, however, as Mosul hospitals are overwhelmed with wounded civilians, arriving dozens at a time.

In Raqqa meanwhile, ISIS’s Syrian stronghold and capital, troops belonging to the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces breached the city wall.

Meanwhile a suicide bombing in Damascus gave a glimpse into the post-caliphate future. Three car bombers attempted to drive into the capital. Police managed to chase down two of the cars, but the third made it to Tahrir Square where it detonated, killing at least nineteen people. BBC Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher commented, “Such attacks may become more common as IS loses its territory and resorts to its tactic of striking soft targets in cities to sow instability.”

Syria conflict: Damascus bomber strikes after car chase (BBC)

Raqqa: IS 'capital' wall breached by US-backed Syrian forces (BBC)

Humanity under attack in Mosul, Red Cross says (BBC)

Syria Ceasefire: In the wake of President Trump’s first meeting with Russian president Putin on Friday, the two nations announced, with great fanfare, that they had reached a ceasefire agreement for a portion of southern Syria. In my humble opinion, the Negotiator-in-Chief got snookered. The deal will help Russia and its puppet Assad far more than the US and its allies among the Syrian rebels.

Read more—

President Art-of-the-Deal gets suckered

Hobby Lobby settles artifact smuggling case: Hobby Lobby, the Christian-owned retailer famed for heroically defying the Obamacare mandate to pay for its employees’ contraceptives, is under fire once again. This week it reached a $3 million settlement with the Department of Justice for smuggling thousands of ancient clay tablets for use in the Bible museum it is building in Washington DC. "The Company was new to the world of acquiring these items, and did not fully appreciate the complexities of the acquisitions process," Hobby Lobby said in a statement. "This resulted in some regrettable mistakes."

In view of the destruction of ancient artifacts going on in the Middle East, it seems to me that smuggling a few out is a good thing.

The Attack on Hobby Lobby Is Incoherent and Unjust (Jeffrey A. Tucker)

Tomb of the Patriarchs declared World Heritage Site: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) this week added the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron to its list of sites “in danger.” The resolution caused outrage in Israel because of its mention of the city’s “Islamic history,” but not its Jewish heritage. According to tradition, the Tomb of the Patriarchs is where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are buried. Since I don’t think anything the UN does is of any significance whatsoever, I’m not going to say any more about it.

Saudi cleric gives fashion advice: Last Sunday, self-described "Muslim Scholar" Muhammad al-Arifi advised the women among his 18 million Twitter followers to avoid wearing clothing with decoration, embroidery, or slits. Mr. al-Arifi, whose name literally means “knowledgeable one,” previously made headlines for his defense of wife-beating. The BBC reported that women throughout the Gulf countries chose not to follow his fashion advice, but instead took to Twitter to ridicule Mr. Arifi. Many posted pictures of richly-decorated Abaya robes; some asked sarcastically whether they were okay.

Saudi Cleric Muhammad al-‘Arifi explains wife beating in Islam to young Muslims in a Ramadhan show (MEMRI TV)

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 and depicts the battle for the Muslim soul between those who embrace science and tolerance, and those who would throw in their lot with mysticism and persecution instead.

Photo credits: BBC