| The Daily Star |
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The Future Movement has yet to participate in demonstrations in the northern city of Tripoli in support of the Syrian people, leaving it to Islamist groups to protest the violent crackdown by Damascus.
Expressing solidarity with the Syrian people has brought together several Islamist movements despite their diversity and significant differences, uniting them in confronting the Syrian government, sources close to the Future Movement said Wednesday.
Though Tripoli is home to Islamist groups such as al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Salafist Movement, the majority of the city’s large Sunni community supports the Future Movement and its former allies turned political foes, including Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi.
But despite their relatively small popular base, the Salafist Movement and Hizb ut-Tahrir have succeeded in bringing thousands of people to the streets after evening prayers over the past few weeks, as sheikhs call on believers to express their support for the Syrian people.
The mounting anger of the groups toward the Syrian leadership has also led to increasing tensions with Hezbollah, which maintains its support for President Bashar Assad and his government.
Protesters in Tripoli have shown their hostility toward Hezbollah by burning the party’s flag during demonstrations and other acts that threaten to exacerbate divisions between the country’s Sunni and Shiite communities.
The sources believe that the protests organized by Islamist groups demonstrate Mikati’s failure to lure these groups to his side, leading to more pressure on him and his ministers in his hometown of Tripoli and among the ranks of its Sunni community.
The sources added that Mikati cannot come out against his supporters who are expressing their support for the Syrian people, as it would increase tensions among communities in Tripoli and undermine his popularity among its residents.
But as the protests condemning the Syrian authorities take place on a nearly daily basis, a number of officials who do not belong to Islamist movements have also rallied in solidarity with the Syrian people, the sources said.
Arabi Akkawi is a member of Tripoli’s municipal council who recently called on his supporters “to participate in movements to express solidarity with the Syrian people, particularly since Tripoli experienced the actions of the Syrian regime for several decades.”
The face-off between rival March 8 and March 14 camps over the country’s official position on the growing crisis in Syria has heated up, as Damascus faces growing diplomatic isolation in the region.
The Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition continues to defend the Syrian regime, while the Future Movement-led March 14 alliance maintains its criticism of Syrian authorities, even accusing them of crimes against humanity.
Expressing solidarity with the Syrian people has brought together several Islamist movements despite their diversity and significant differences, uniting them in confronting the Syrian government, sources close to the Future Movement said Wednesday.
Though Tripoli is home to Islamist groups such as al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Salafist Movement, the majority of the city’s large Sunni community supports the Future Movement and its former allies turned political foes, including Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi.
But despite their relatively small popular base, the Salafist Movement and Hizb ut-Tahrir have succeeded in bringing thousands of people to the streets after evening prayers over the past few weeks, as sheikhs call on believers to express their support for the Syrian people.
The mounting anger of the groups toward the Syrian leadership has also led to increasing tensions with Hezbollah, which maintains its support for President Bashar Assad and his government.
Protesters in Tripoli have shown their hostility toward Hezbollah by burning the party’s flag during demonstrations and other acts that threaten to exacerbate divisions between the country’s Sunni and Shiite communities.
The sources believe that the protests organized by Islamist groups demonstrate Mikati’s failure to lure these groups to his side, leading to more pressure on him and his ministers in his hometown of Tripoli and among the ranks of its Sunni community.
The sources added that Mikati cannot come out against his supporters who are expressing their support for the Syrian people, as it would increase tensions among communities in Tripoli and undermine his popularity among its residents.
But as the protests condemning the Syrian authorities take place on a nearly daily basis, a number of officials who do not belong to Islamist movements have also rallied in solidarity with the Syrian people, the sources said.
Arabi Akkawi is a member of Tripoli’s municipal council who recently called on his supporters “to participate in movements to express solidarity with the Syrian people, particularly since Tripoli experienced the actions of the Syrian regime for several decades.”
The face-off between rival March 8 and March 14 camps over the country’s official position on the growing crisis in Syria has heated up, as Damascus faces growing diplomatic isolation in the region.
The Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition continues to defend the Syrian regime, while the Future Movement-led March 14 alliance maintains its criticism of Syrian authorities, even accusing them of crimes against humanity.
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