*Nationwide strike named 'Karama' takes off in several Syrian towns* *A number of cities close shop and keep their children at home in a nationwide strike called for on Sunday by Syrian revolutionaries*
Ahram Online , Sunday 11 Dec 2011 <http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/2/8/29007/NewsContentPrint/2/0/29007/World/0/Nationwide-strike-named-Karama-takes-off-in-severa.aspx> Cities across Syria on Sunday have participated in a country-wide strike organised by the Local Popular Committees under the name *Karama* the Arabic word for "dignity." The strikes aim to paralyse the repressive regime of Bashar Al-Assad. According to the Twitter account of @RevolutionSyria, the strike has taken effect in a wide range of cities and their neighbouring villages, including Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Homs. Students have not gone to school and all shops are closed. The General Authority of the Syrian Revolution (GASR) has reported that 21 people on Saturday were killed by Syrian security forces. ------------------------------ Army defectors battle Syrian forces as general strike is observed Published Sunday, December 11, 2011 A general strike swept across Syria on Sunday as hundreds of army defectors fought government forces near the border with Jordan, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Government troops from the 12th Armored Brigade stormed the town of Busra al-Harir in the south and explosions with heavy machine-gun fire were heard near Lujah, a hill outside the town, that army defectors are believed to be using as a base to launch attacks on military supply lines, the group said. The general strike was being "very widely observed" especially in Daraa and Homs, the SOHR added. School children and civil servants reportedly stayed home on Sunday. While the opposition is planning a sustained campaign of civil disobedience in the wake of the strike including shutting down universities, public transport, and major highways, the Syrian National Council (SNC) has warned of a possible assault on Homs. Hundreds of armored vehicles are staged outside of Homs and checkpoints have been set up throughout the city, according to the the SNC. The US, France, and Britain warned Damascus over the weekend against any bloodshed in Homs. Meanwhile, former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Sunday that the bombing in south Lebanon that wounded five UNIFIL troops was a message from Syria. "Another message from Syria, Hariri wrote on his Twitter page. The roadside bomb struck a jeep carrying French troops between the villages of Burj al-Shamali and Housh, in southern Lebanon, according to a local source. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. His comments come as concern grows that violence in Syria could spill over into neighboring Lebanon. *(al-Akhbar, Reuters, AFP)* [image: Creative Commons License]<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/> ------------------------------ *Source URL:* http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/army-defectors-battle-syrian-forces-general-strike-observed ** ------------------- http://syrianrevolutiondigest.blogspot.com/ Saturday, December 10, 2011 Countdown to More Massacres!<http://syrianrevolutiondigest.blogspot.com/2011/12/countdown-to-more-massacres.html> *Assad plans not to be responsible again for more massacres scheduled to take place, perhaps within the next 24 hours, in Homs City and Rural Damascus. Are world leaders planning to do anything beyond issuing more condemnations?* *Saturday 10, 2011* Todays *death toll*: 16. The *Breakdown*: 3 in Homs City, 2 in Deraa/Hauran Province, 4 in Marrat Al-Nouman in Idlib Province, 3 in Shaizar in Hama Province, 3 in Harasta in Rural Damascus (died under torture). *Links* *Syrian refugees seek shelter in Libya<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8947419/Syrian-refugees-seek-shelter-in-Libya.html> * *Interviewing Assad<http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorials/Article.aspx?id=248936> * *France pushes Syria meeting at divided UN council<http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/12/10/syria-un-idINDEE7B901R20111210> * *West warns Syria against storming rebel city<http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/10/us-syria-idUSTRE7B90F520111210> * *Explaining Russias Policy Towards Syria Analysis<http://www.eurasiareview.com/09122011-explaining-russias-policy-towards-syria-analysis/> * Dr. Ibraheem Nahel Osman, co-founder of the Medical Doctors Coordination Committee in Damascus, and one of the hundreds of field doctors working to treat protesters and revolutionaries all over Syria, was forced to flee to Turkey weeks ago, and was killed by pro-Assad security forces on Saturday near the Syrian village of Khirbet Joz, along the Turkish border. He will be remembered, always <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qACs74TWa-0/TuQ-5m2PmVI/AAAAAAABWPk/dG5sdD-y92A/s1600/377937_291557274219217_100000948396562_817663_668739209_n.jpg> http://youtu.be/9DjlhD-4JpY <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ve3D1jUBP40/TuQ--PEuN8I/AAAAAAABWPs/YLHk5NbBzls/s1600/317153_165446776885507_144699575626894_281001_562326632_n.jpg> *The Father killed my father. The Son killed my son. I am the mother of the martyr Kamil Shahoud and the daughter of the martyr Jameel Najjar.*** *Hundreds of tanks and thousands of soldiers are laying siege to Homs City. Inhabitants were told by loudspeakers to surrender all defectors or the city will be pounded into submission.* *Meanwhile, major thousands of troops are set to carry out major sweep operations of the Eastern Ghouta region in rural Damascus in search of defectors* *My comment regarding the Swedish government vote against EU sanctions prohibiting sale of tracking technology to the Assads: *This is a very hypocritical stance by the Swedish government. It is absolutely shameful that Sweden is now standing on the same side with Russia, China and Iran against the Syrian people's aspirations for freedom and justice. And for what? A handful of dollars? Sweden will lose more in their international standing than this whole thing is worth. The calculations of Swedish officials in this case are wrong in moral, diplomatic and financial terms. If I were Swede, I wouldn't vote for the morons who put my country in this foolish position. *FEATURED VIDEOS* * * The *First Defector*, Walid Al-Qashami, takes part in a press conference in Munster in Germany http://youtu.be/ZTtv-wS7mUA Meanwhile, in Syria, *more officers* announce their defection http://youtu.be/aE9ha25qN-M In Rural Damascus town of *Dmeir* on December 9, a local nurse who was helping the wounded was herself shot. Attempts to rescue her failed http://youtu.be/fL-BxNfgKrw *DEC 10* *HOMS*: helping the wounded in *Bab Al-Sibaa* http://youtu.be/DMKC0EX-9gY A funeral in *Deir Baalbah* http://youtu.be/J02CfUegXDo Random shooting in *Bab Tadmor* http://youtu.be/Qu3AIRYj9qo , http://youtu.be/YkKZhOiw_BA The pounding of *Khaldiyeh* continues http://youtu.be/m3yvwB87apg Demonstrations took place in *Baba Amr* the people want international protection http://youtu.be/4U_r9Lren1M *Waer* http://youtu.be/8ePukln9DIc *Ghouta* http://youtu.be/q2VdKPsLCu8 *Qoussour* *Damn you Assad*, will remain forever a slogan for Homs http://youtu.be/e7n0u6eXBaw , http://youtu.be/Hz683t_b9jc *Inshaaat* Banner to the cowardly UNSC, this is your last chance, topple the regime, or be toppled along with your damned international order http://youtu.be/mMy7aDMduYQ *Bayadah* Captain Sarout, the Goalkeeper, joins a little girl in leading the chants http://youtu.be/G0wLl9MPU-4 Night http://youtu.be/6gTttFP1gHQ *Deir Baalbah* http://youtu.be/jr7a6xcR4_g *Jouret Al-Shayah* http://youtu.be/Zg7EMyrxPhY *Karm Al-Zeitun* http://youtu.be/2VeJBmkYV7Q *Khaldiyeh* in the cover of darkness http://youtu.be/bf5UG0idpio Communities throughout Rural Homs continue to field their daily protests: * Ghanto* http://youtu.be/WDlgpiDBIWI *Talbisseh* http://youtu.be/uafJeRsv6hY *Houleh* http://youtu.be/49RhW5thss8 *Tadmor* (Palmyra) http://youtu.be/0JhjR5KL8hY *Qseir* http://youtu.be/_FO8Sv-yAyo *HAMA*: (Dec 9) *Hilfaya* http://youtu.be/_IyycKbNqDE *Hama City*(Hamidiyeh) http://youtu.be/s5Bq7By-DDM *Khattab* http://youtu.be/VjPNSI96Pp0 (Dec 10) *Karnaz* http://youtu.be/Ak03Mgm6NmE mourners http://youtu.be/HgnwHyXlBhM come under fire in *Hama City* http://youtu.be/kb5_Bxn9n28 Sawaeq Neighborhood comes under fire at night http://youtu.be/5axv8d-EQE0 But in nearby Hamidiyeh Neighborhood, people take to the streets http://youtu.be/fSQ1nr3LHzo *IDILB*: mourners come under fire in *Marrat Al-Nouman* http://youtu.be/MIZ7JrzSqfo Demonstrations took place in many communities, including: *Kafroumah* http://youtu.be/BkKX5-VwfG4 *Kinsafrah* Sign greetings to the people of Russia, we respect the rights of others, we defect from the Arab League http://youtu.be/9x9mRrTpcRM *Binnish* http://youtu.be/k9FKR-zcQnI *DAMASCUS*: funerals took place in *Hamouriyeh* http://youtu.be/jKAsuEc41jE, http://youtu.be/xBI93N744zg *Zamalka* http://youtu.be/3QcFxTlnpE4 , http://youtu.be/UPVzAv03FgA *Eltal* http://youtu.be/GTf7pmn8LeU *Dmeir* http://youtu.be/t5vw48m2hVk *Saqba* http://youtu.be/G3r4vnF6kvs *Kafar Batna * We will get our revenge, and we will cut off your head Bashar http://youtu.be/hFDiGU1Lg-M *Douma* http://youtu.be/jAUG35AGg5IDemonstrations took place in *Barzeh* http://youtu.be/p961pl-FBs0 *Zabadani* http://youtu.be/sJI1FWCNwBo *Qarrah* http://youtu.be/1j1w4zfjd3Y *DERAA/HAURAN*: *Deraa* *City* a funeral for a local activist http://youtu.be/0nF0avHERVg The activist moments before his death http://youtu.be/_aXwwsCchcs *Ankhel* http://youtu.be/kTlwLJOqgIg *Tseel* http://youtu.be/THpr03zq_Aw , http://youtu.be/iKEisrg4wCs *Hraak* http://youtu.be/jXn5lOE0Qbk *Tal Shihaab* http://youtu.be/m0Ox5zgwFDs *Dael * http://youtu.be/fsWftXN2R_M *Sanamein* http://youtu.be/LRi4gHYfO0M *ALEPPO*: *Qubtan Al-Jabal* http://youtu.be/zQqWSPPWduY *HASSEKH*: *Dirbassiyeh* http://youtu.be/KyqTy0HNleI *DEIR EZZOR*: *Qrayah* http://youtu.be/3c960nfMkRI -------------------------- Hezbollah and Lebanons Muslim Brotherhood: The Syrian Divide (Photo: al-Akhbar - Marwan Bu Haidar) By: Abdel Kafi al-Samad<http://english.al-akhbar.com/author/abdel-kafi-al-samad-0> [1] Published Sunday, December 11, 2011 *After conducting regular dialogue sessions to work out their differences, Lebanons offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah seem unable to overcome their biggest hurdle yet the Syrian crisis.* Since the start of the Syrian uprising in March there have been rumors of deep strains in the relationship between al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, the Lebanese offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hezbollah. These tensions have been largely kept under wraps, despite the two parties increasingly divergent positions on Syria. Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya has declared its support for the Syrian people and their demands, while Hezbollah has backed the pro-resistance, anti-imperialist regime. Both of these two political players in Lebanons Sunni and Shia communities respectively, have long agreed to disagree. Some years ago, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya and Hezbollah started holding regular meetings to exchange views. These meetings were seen as an opportunity to bring together the two groups that shared much in common. Above all, both were committed to resistance against Israel, and to containing any communal tensions resulting from political disputes. Despite the vast disparity between the two parties in terms of size, public support, and political influence, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya used to think of itself as Hezbollahs Sunni counterpart. The limitations of the rapprochement between the two parties were made apparent by the events of 7 May 2008, when Hezbollah and its allies carried out a military operation in Beirut after its communications network was threatened by the then Hariri-led government. Eventually relations were restored, but cooled considerably. Recent events in Syria have chilled them further. But it now appears that the rift between the two sides is deeper than it first appeared. Last week, al-Jamaa al-Islamiyas political leader Azzam al-Ayoubi used a rally in the northern town of Minieh to launch a fierce attack on Hezbollah, albeit without referring to it by name. For several years, we have seen a process whereby one group of Lebanese has been coercing the others, using force to impose its views on everyone in the country, he charged. You are forcing us along your mistaken course using the power of your weapons. Al-Ayoubi upped the ante again on Wednesday at an event in the northern Akkar region, where he lashed out at Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for supporting the Syrian regime. To the one who emerged in black [in reference to Nasrallahs black cloak] to support the regimes of repression and tyranny, (I say) he must reconsider his calculations before it is too late, he declared. Later al-Ayoubi said he had decided to speak out against Hezbollah because its leaders had gone too far in backing the Syrian regime. Asked why he did not convey his concerns during the regular meetings held between the two parties, al-Ayoubi said his group had tried in vain to persuade Hezbollah to change its position on Syria, but discussions on the matter had become futile. It seems they do not hear us. Our talks with them have gone nowhere. So we wanted our position on this issue to be in the media, he said. Al-Ayoubi insisted, however, that he was speaking out of concern for Hezbollah, not out of hostility to it. The position the party has taken on Syria is not in its own self-interest nor that of Lebanon, he argued. He also stressed that we still believe in the need for bridges to be kept open between the different Lebanese groups, and not to be blocked. He concluded with what he described as two extremely important points. First, that we in Lebanon are not isolated from our [Sunni] surroundings, and we cannot isolate ourselves, adding, although we are not in favor of the phenomenon of [the hard-line Salafist] Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, for example. At the same time, he sought to deny that he was speaking from a position of presumed strength. Let no-one start saying that we have become the regions rulers and we are dealing with others on that basis, he said. All we are saying is that the Syrian question calls for a different and more logical approach. ------------------------------ As the second most important political player in the Sunni community after former Prime Minister Saad Hariris Future Movement, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, has a following among Sunnis all over Lebanon. It is older and not as locally oriented as the Future Movement and part of an ideological network spanning the length and breadth of the Islamic world. This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition. Abdel Kafi al-Samad Tags - *Section*: Lebanon<http://english.al-akhbar.com/section/news-politics/lebanon> [2] - *Category*: Articles <http://english.al-akhbar.com/category/articles> [3] - *Tags*: Lebanon <http://english.al-akhbar.com/tags/lebanon> [4], syria<http://english.al-akhbar.com/tags/syria> [5], Syrian uprising <http://english.al-akhbar.com/tags/syrian-uprising> [6], Hezbollah <http://english.al-akhbar.com/tags/hezbollah> [7], al-Jamaa al-Islamiya <http://english.al-akhbar.com/tags/al-jamaa-al-islamiya> [8], Islamists <http://english.al-akhbar.com/tags/islamists> [9] [image: Creative Commons License]<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/> ------------------------------ *Source URL:* http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/hezbollah-and-lebanon%E2%80%99s-muslim-brotherhood-syrian-divide [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
