Syria Sees Fervent Islamic Resurgence- Neil MacFarquhar

[Wetzelbill]

Syria, Long Ruthlessly Secular, Sees Fervent Islamic Resurgence
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

ALEPPO, Syria, Oct. 19 — Two decades after Syria ruthlessly uprooted militant Islam, killing an estimated 10,000 people, this most secular of Arab states is experiencing a dramatic religious resurgence.

Friday Prayers draw overflowing crowds. More heavily veiled women and bearded men jostle unharried among city pedestrians. Family restaurants on the outskirts of Damascus do not serve alcohol, and one fashionable boutique even sports a sign advertising Islamically modest bathing suits.

Syrian experts on religious matters and others attribute the phenomenon — more creeping than confrontational — to various factors. Islam is proving appealing through much of the Arab world, including Syria, as a means to protest corrupt, incompetent and oppressive governments.

The widespread sense that the faith is being singled out for attack by Washington has invigorated that appeal, at a time when the violence fomented by radicals had tarnished political Islam.

In Syria, some experts attribute the sudden openness of the phenomenon to a far more local fear.

The hasty collapse of the Baath government next door in Iraq stunned Syria's rulers, particularly the fact that most Iraqis reacted to the American onslaught as if they were bored spectators.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/24/international/middleeast/24SYRI.html

[papau]

1. most secular Syria is changed by Bush to Islamist Jihad -Bush Foriegn Pol

success - like the success obtained by Bush reversing his 2001 decision to not talk to Korea, and the success obtained by Bush by rejecting the Frank Gaffney do not talk to Iran or trust inspectors advice and now trusting inspectors, and who could forget the Bush success in the self-financing cake walk war and liberation success of Iraq, as we destroy every last weapon of mass distruction that Iraq possessed -as soon as we find some.

And the US Media continues to report Rove PR with no analysis - so that 1/2 of the ABC/CBS/NBC viewers "know" that Iraq caused or helped cause 911.

With our media whores selecting the stories and framing the question - then saying the Rove answer we are all to repeat - it will take an effort to get truth out to the voting folks before the 04 election. But then that is what the media whores want - no truth - just an election in 04 that has a Bush win - and if it is a win by voter fraud on electronic voting machines made and controlled by Bush supporters all the better - since there can be no call for a recount when there is nothing to count.

[Wetzelbill]

2. typical Cold War move

You accuse a state of Communism and Soviet compliance, sanction and kick the shit out of them until they have no other choice of accepting Soviet economic and military aid. Then you say: "See? Look! They are Commies!"

Fast forward to the present...

We accuse Iraq of Islamic fundamentalist terrorist support, sanction and kick the shit out of them until they have a foreign insurgence of "terrorists" and enact politically-inspired violence on an occupation force. Then we say:"See? Look! They do support Terror!"

Syria is getting to that same conclusion little by little. I once wrote a column saying Iran would be next, however, Syria is getting set up for at least a proxy beating by our pals Israel. Just another theater war step to Pax Americana in the Middle Eastern theater.

Our former Cold War stalwart leadership need to get there obsolete policy making asses kicked out of office.