Syrians roll back extremism in
Idlib without military intervention
Original article at https://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/syrians-roll-back-extremism-idlib/
·
May 23, 2017
Syrian women
protesting against the oppressive practices of extremist armed groups in Idlib
City. (WNV/Shadi Zidani)
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.
Residents in
Idlib City show their support for the local council and the people of Khan
Shaykhoun in April 2017. (WNV/Shadi Zidani)
“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.”
At a
demonstration in Idlib City in February 2017, a protester carries a sign that
reads, “The revolution is a people’s revolution, not an armed faction
revolution.” (WNV/Shadi Zidani)
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.
Residents vote
at the electoral center in Idlib City on January 17, 2017. (WNV/Shadi Zidani)
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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Julia Taleb is a senior consultant with over eight years of
international experience covering aspects of programme development, monitoring
and evaluation, good governance, social cohesion and peacebuilding. Bilingual
in Arabic and English, her writings are published by think tanks and media in
both Canada and the United States.
Waging Nonviolence content falls under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
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to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD
21218. Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
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has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their
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