Islam and Violence in Syria - Essay Example

Islam and Violent in Syria Syria, officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic is geographically located in the west of Asia. The country boarder Mediterranean Sea and Lebanon to the west while to its East is Iraq and Turkey to the North. Additionally, Syria boarders Israel to the South West. The modern State Syria was established after the World War II and gained independence in 1945. Islam, derived from Arabic “Salema” implies peace, obedience, submission and purity (Krull, 5). In a religious philosophy, Islam means submission to God’s will as well as obeying His laws. As a religion, it believes and teaches that it is proper for one to eliminate people that stand to question its peacefulness. As such, they believe that Islam will take over what is left of the earth. This religion was founded by a prophet, Muhammad and its doctrines taught through Koran where the submission to the unique god Allah is proclaimed (Krull, 7). The religion of Islam has been associated with most of the violent activities that the Syrian nation has witnessed over the past. This violence have been led to a lot of humanitarian problems in the country ranging from loss of lives, displacements of people, civil unrest, among others. This paper therefore seeks to discuss Islam and war in Syria through explaining a brief background of the War in Syria; the impacts of the Islamic militias in Syria; Islamic Sectarianism and how it fuels the Syrian war. Finally the paper will provide a brief summary conclusion on some of the discussed issues. Background of the war in Syria Although Syria as a country has been sort of constantly in war, the pre democracy protest that emerged in 2011 seems to have changed the situation of this country extremely with very little hopes of calmness returning any sooner. In March, 2011, some teenagers painted some revolutionary slogans on a wall of their school in a city called Deera. These children were later to be arrested and tortured by the security forces which prompted demonstrations. This was later to escalate following the security forces move to open fire killing several demonstrators. More citizens then took to the streets which lead to an unrest that triggered a nationwide protest demanding the resignation of President Assad (BBC News, 1). The government’s use of force to neutralize the dissenting voices of the public was counterproductive hardening the protestors. This was to continue till July, 2011 when the protests became widespread with hundreds of thousands of the citizens taking to the streets to demand resignation of the president of Syria. The continued use of excessive force by the security forces thus prompted the opposition supporters to take up arms in order to protect themselves as well as expel the security forces from operating on their local areas. This led to escalation of violence that was later to morph in to a civil unrest. Religious sectarianism in Syria War Sunni and Shia The country plunged in to a civil war and before long there were formation of civil brigades to fight against the government and gain control of the major cities. By March 2015, over 220, 000 lives had been lost. The fight has taken a new twist: the Islamic sects are now pitted against one another. It has now acquired a sectarian overtone. The Sunni majority are now fighting against the Shia sect. the situation has further been complicated by the rise of the jihadist groups and the Islamic state drawing neighboring countries in to the war (Byman, 23). But what is this shaia and Sunni? Following the death of the Muslim founder, Muhammad, the Muslim community involved in some dispute over who is to lead the Muslims. These led to the split of the religious group right in the middle leading in to emergence of two groups: Sunnis and Shias. However, over time there were migrations into a group that seemed more powerful resulting in to Sunni majority. It is estimated that the Sunnis could be approximately 85% of the Muslim community (Byman, 19). The leaders of these two sects have always been in competition with most of the Islam country conflict emphasizing the division along the sects resulting in to torn communities The Sunnis refer to themselves as the as a traditional Islam branch. As such, they brand themselves as those who practice the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad. They therefore venerate all other prophets mentioned in the Koran but only Muhammad (BBC News). The Shia on the other end is a political faction. It was originally of the party of Ali – Shia Ali. They thus claimed the rights of the Son in law of the prophet Muhammad named Ali to lead the Islam community. Following the contest over the inheritance of Muhammad’s Islam community, Ali was killed and his other sons as well which resulted in grieve among the Shias (BBC News). This sectarianism has had a huge role in the crisis that Syria has found itself. The war shifted from demands for resignation of President Assad to a sectarian battle. The countries governed by Sunnis have had the shias marginalized and become the poorest faction of the society. In some cases the Sunni doctrines have preached hatred against the shias which has subjected them to hatred and discrimination in the society. In Syria for instance, the Sunni majority are fighting against the shias sect for which the president is part (Krull, 31). Aside from the Shia and Sunni fights there is also another sect that has emerged called the Isis. This is an extremist group officially referred to as the Islamic state. This militia group emerged in Iraq which is a neighboring country to Syria and is demanding to kill any person who does not agree to their views of extremism. Taking advantage of the chaos and war, they moved in to Syria and secured land and property which enabled them gain power in Syria. Isis The various faction s of rebels that have emerged in Syria complicates the whole issue of violence in this country. Isis or Islamic state do not believe in the nation state of Syria and instead want to have Sharia law implemented in Syria. The war has mutated involving other factions of the opposition itself as well. However, the bottom line is the war is about Islam (The Clarion Project, 1). Isis stands with al-Qaida which is one of the most dangerous extremists group. With the objective of forcing the Syrian people to live by Sharia law, IS has gained control of oil fields in eastern Syria making it amongst the cash rich militia groups in the world. Where did this Islam militia group originate? The IS grew from al-Qaeda in Iraq as a branch in 2013. It was fought as a rebel group from al-Qaeda but has since grown to become one financially strong extremist group in the world. After being disavowed by al-Qaeda, it becomes a main jihadist group that involves in fighting government forces in Iraq and now Syria. This group, with a main objective of gaining control of the Islam community or the world enforces its strict Sharia laws on the citizens of Iraq and Syria. They are working towards a straddle of Iraq and Syria. The brutal rule in the areas it advances into has earned it popularity and strength. It initially got in to Syria as a militia helping in the fight against President Al Assad and thus was able to receive donations from other countries like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Today this militia group having gained control of the oil fields located in the Eastern pert of Syria is even selling it to the Syrian government. This demonstrates how powerful this religious rebel group is (BBC News, 1). Islamic Sectarianism Fuels the Syrian war All this sects are religious affiliated advancing certain religious doctrines or practices. There is a supremacy battle which does not only pit Sunnis against Shias but also the Al-Qaida affiliated group, Al-Nursa and Isis. The inter-rebel tension with each one fronting its ideology has made the initial agenda of the civil unrest in Syria disappear. This has resulted in to wars that are constantly fought with each rebel group struggling to gain control of most parts of Syria. Many of the rebel groups now have declared war against Isis demanding that this extremist group should abandon its agenda of making Syria an Islamic state. They have demanded that the Isis fighters either should join the other militias in Syria to advance their goals or quit. For instance, in the countryside of Iddlib and Aleppo, the fighting between the different Islamic sects of militia groups has been intense leading to widespread killings. The war in Syria is now more of a religious one than but other several reasons as are the reactions by Syrian citizens. The Syrian opposition blames Isis which it refers to as a religious outfit for their inability to bring democratic change to the Syrian people. “The Isis are fronting their Sharia laws perverting the meaning of Islam”, Claims the opposition (BBC News). There is now a totally different situation in Syria. Any intervention that perhaps would come from outside could not be easy since the war is multifaceted and complex. A lot of interest that stem from the Islam religion where other groups are disaffected and want to establish their own Muslim caliphate within the same country is plunging this country in to a catastrophe. Isis are not planning to bow any sooner, they have even given out threats to destroy the UNESCO world heritage site in Palmyra city of Syria if the government forces continue to advance to their territories. This is quite absurd. A militia group fronting harsh Islam laws claims a territory in a country with a government! The Isis have captured other monuments and historically important sites where it is believed that they have planted land mines around that site and hoisted high their black Isis flag ready to blow the mines any time (Phillips, 23). In some cases where militia groups have attacked civilians, there have been cases of individuals asked whether they are Sunni or Shia after which they would be persecuted based on which religious sect the militia belonged. As such the hatred between the Shia and Sunni is also on the rise with retaliatory killings expected to keep rising. Given the president is from the Shia, the anti Assad militias are persecuting them Shias believing they support an oppressive regime. Similarly, the shias are attacking the Sunnis with support from Iraq where majority Sunnis are. Weapons are siphoned in to the country from Iraq by Sunni sympathizers to arm them against the religious bigotry that has seen a lot of killings. The civil unrest in Syria is one that I would describe as very complex and deeply rooted in religion. Political interests are just but a platform for which the deeply rooted Islamic religion grievances are hidden as people fight against one another. Other groups have also been victims of persecution in Syria alongside the different Islam sects. This includes Christians and Yazidis. The persecutions are due to their religious affiliations where they are forcefully required to convert to Islamic religion. In addition, there is the Syrian Kurdish which was begun in 2013 with a goal to strengthen the autonomy as well as the freedom of the region. This group has been involved in frights with Al-Nursa which is an Al-Qaeda linked militia. Similarly, they have been aiming at controlling the eastern part of Syria (Aljazeera, 1). Al-Nursa is yet another militia group. This is a branch of Al-Qaeda in Syria. It announced its existence in 2012 and has since been recognized as a terrorist group. In 2015 there have been claims that it seeks to detach itself from al-Qaeda to merge with other small militia groups and change name. Both Al-Nursa and Kurdish have also been involved in the Syrian civil; unrest among other small militia groups complicating the war in this country. The most common pattern in this war is that they all stem from a religious root. The groups are Islamic only divided by ideologies and are thus competing for supremacy and control. The other small militia groups include Jaish Almuhajeireen and others (Phillips, 17). Implications of the Islam and violence in Syria The violence in Syria has continued to thrive because of the difference in ideologies by the numerous Islam sects that exist in Syria. The Syrian people have been left to live in the edge due to particular interests that religious groups believe in and as such forces it on them. These divisions have seen more war than peace in this desert country in the western part of Asia. The violence that stem from religious differences among a single religion brings more problems than good to this country. Despite involvement of the government of Syria to bring calmness in to Syria, the numerous sects have continually kept the country in perpetual war. This war has immensely affected the livelihoods of the Syrian people. The following are some of the adverse implications of the war in Syria (Carpenter, 7-19). Syria and its neighborhood have suffered a serious humanitarian crisis as a result of this war that has a religious root. This had made her the world’s biggest internal displacement crisis region. The situation is even worsened by the fact that the displaced citizens are stuck within their country. Approximately 7.6 Million citizens have been displaced from their homes and are found in the Internally Displaced Persons camps. Additionally, their problem is compounded by the inability to provide humanitarian assistance since the militia groups are engaging in constant fights that hamper movement of humanitarian assistance (Carpenter, 19). Overall, the United Nations have estimated a total of 12.2 million citizens as in a situation that requires humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, 5.6 Million children are in a similar situation. This brings the number to 17.8 million citizens in a humanitarian crisis. The figure paints a very gory image of the situation of the Syrian nationals (Carpenter, 17). Another r over 4 Million national have fled the country to neighboring countries. This has had them seek refuge from those countries separating them from their families. Countries like Lebanon and Turkey have each taken in approximately over a million refugees. The rest are in Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. This gives the dire situation for which the religious rooted war has had the Syrians suffer. Up to 220,000 Syrians have lost their lives in this war situation. Through this, there are families left as destitute. The grief and pain of losing loved ones in war presents the victims with trauma and psychosocial challenges. In some cases the humanitarian organizations that are involved in providing aid to the displaced have also been victims of attack further complicating the situation of the war victims. Now that the US is backing Kurdish fighters and their concerted efforts alongside other rebel groups the humanitarian crisis has further been exacerbated. The air strikes by the US across Syria compounded with rebel fights on the ground surely make the situation dire. Conclusion Syria, officially located in the west of Asia and established after the World War II is a victim of wars that stem from Islamic roots. The essay has learned that in a religious philosophy, Islam means submission to God’s will as well as obeying His laws. As a religion therefore, Islam believes and teaches that it is proper for one to eliminate people that stand to question its peacefulness. As such, they believe that Islam will take over what is left of the earth. This religion was founded by a prophet, Muhammad and its doctrines taught through Koran where the submission to the unique god Allah is proclaimed. The religion of Islam has been associated with most of the violent activities that the Syrian nation has witnessed over the past. This violence have been led to a lot of humanitarian problems in the country ranging from loss of lives, displacements of people, civil unrest, among others. This paper has discussed Islam and war in Syria through explaining a brief background of the War in Syria. Through this, the essay has learned that; the country plunged in to a civil war where formation of civil brigades took place to fight against the government and gain control of the major cities. By March 2015, over 220, 000 lives had been lost. The fight has taken a new twist: the Islamic sects are now pitted against one another. It has now acquired a sectarian overtone. The Sunni majority are now fighting against the Shia sect. the situation has further been complicated by the rise of the jihadist groups and the Islamic state drawing neighboring countries in to the war. Additionally, the Isis or Islamic state do not believe in the nation state of Syria and instead want to have Sharia law implemented in Syria. The war has mutated involving other factions of the opposition itself as well. However, the bottom line is the war is about Islam. The different Islam factions are competing for control of the Syrian State. The impacts of the Islamic militias in Syria have also been discussed to include: serious humanitarian crisis as a result of this war. This had made her the world’s biggest internal displacement crisis region. The situation is even worsened by the fact that the displaced citizens are stuck within their country. Approximately 7.6 Million citizens have been displaced from their homes and are found in the Internally Displaced Persons camps. Additionally, their problem is compounded by the inability to provide humanitarian assistance since the militia groups are engaging in constant fights that hamper movement of humanitarian assistance. Overall, the United Nations have estimated a total of 12.2 million citizens as in a situation that requires humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, 5.6 Million children are in a similar situation. The Shias, Sunnis, Isis and Al-Nursa are all having a religious background and interest. However, as each seeks to advance its religious ideologies forcefully on the people of Syria, the war situation only gets worse. The original idea of a democracy is long overtaken by religious factions of Islam advocating for and against different interests. Works Cited Aljazeera. Kurdish forces capture ISIL base near Syrias Raqqa. 23 June 2015. 2015 June 24 . BBC News. Syria: The story of the conflict. 12 March 2015. 2015 June 24 . The Clarion Project. The Battle between ISIS and Syria’s Rebel Militias. 9 Jan 2014. 24 June 2015 . BBC News. No support for Iraqis fighting in Syria - Zebari. 24 July 2013. 2014 June 24 . Phillips, Christopher. "Sectarianism and conflict in Syria." Third World Quarterly36.2 (2015): 357-376. Carpenter, Ted Galen. "Tangled web: The Syrian civil war and its implications."Mediterranean Quarterly 24.1 (2013): 1-11. Byman, Daniel. "Sectarianism afflicts the new Middle East." Survival 56.1 (2014): 79-100. Krull, Jeffrey R. Islam–Sunni vs. Shia: What’s the Issue?. 2014. Read More