Middle East Madness > Syria - Christian shrines destroyed in Damascus; Syrian clashes with Druze bring Israeli threats; PKK calls truce with Turkey

 

Syria: Muslim mobs screaming ‘Allahu akbar’ destroy two small Christian shrines

Feb 28, 2025 1:00 pm By Robert Spencer

The destroyed shrines themselves will bear witness to the majesty of Allah. Many Muslims believe that the ruins and destruction of non-Muslim structures testifies to the truth of Islam, as the Qur’an suggests that the destroyed remnants of ancient non-Muslim civilizations are a sign of Allah’s punishment of those who rejected his truth: “7Similar ways have passed away before you. Just travel in the land and see the nature of the consequences for those who denied.” (3:137)

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Clashes between Syrian forces and Druze gunmen turn deadly

Middle East

One person was killed and nine others wounded in clashes near Damascus between forces affiliated to Syria's new rulers and gunmen from the minority Druze community on Saturday, according to a Syrian human rights monitor.

Issued on: 01/03/2025 - 22:04

3 min

By:

FRANCE 24Follow

FRANCE 24

File photo of Syrians protesting Israeli PM Netanyahu's call for the demilitarisation of southern Syrian provinces taken in southern city of Suwayda on February 25, 2025. © Shadi al Dubaisi, AFP

Clashes between forces affiliated with Syria's new rulers and local gunmen from the minority Druze community killed one person and wounded nine near Damascus on Saturday, a monitor said.

Since Islamist-led rebels in December overthrew longtime repressive ruler Bashar al-Assad, clashes and shootings have occurred in several areas, with security officials accusing armed supporters of the previous government.

Saturday's incident occurred in Jaramana, a densely populated suburb near Damascus that is home to a majority of Druze and Christian minority residents.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that "one person was killed and nine others from Jaramana were injured during clashes between security forces affiliated with the new authority and local gunmen tasked with protecting the area."  

It could not specify whether the killed person was a civilian or a local fighter.

Tensions began on Friday when a dispute led to the killing of one security forces member and the wounding of another in a shooting at a checkpoint in Jaramana, according to the Observatory.

Security challenge

Syria's official news agency, SANA, quoted Colonel Hossam al-Tahhan, the local head of security, as saying the checkpoint had stopped Ministry of Defence personnel as they entered the area to visit their relatives.

After surrendering their weapons they were assaulted and "their vehicle was directly targeted by gunfire," resulting in the casualties, Tahhan said.

He warned such incidents could have repercussions on "Syria's security, stability, and unity."

Jaramana's Druze said in a statement that they would "withdraw protection from all offenders and outlaws" and pledged to hand over anyone proven responsible to "the relevant authorities to face justice."

Restoring and maintaining security across Syria remains one of the most pressing challenges for interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, following about 13 years of civil war.

The Druze, who also live in Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, make up about three percent of Syria's population.

They largely stayed on the sidelines of the civil war.

Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group led the offensive against Assad. The group has its roots in Syria's former al Qaeda affiliate, and is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by many governments including the United States.

HTS has moderated its rhetoric and vowed to protect Syria's religious and ethnic minorities.

Israel's military ordered to prepare to defend Druze settlement 

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Saturday warned Syria's new rulers not "to harm the Druze", adding the military has been ordered "to prepare and to send a firm and clear warning: if the regime harms the Druze, it will suffer the consequences." 

An Israeli defence ministry statement said the military has been instructed to prepare to defend a Druze settlement in the suburbs of Damascus, asserting that the minority it has vowed to protect was “under attack” by Syrian forces.

The statement, citing an order from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister  Katz, follows an Israeli warning last weekend that the forces of neighbouring Syria’s new government should not enter the area south of Damascus.

Saturday’s statement indicates that Israeli forces could push farther into Syria as its new authorities try to consolidate control after more than a decade of civil war. Israeli forces recently set up posts in a buffer zone and on strategic Mt. Hermon nearby. There have been no major clashes between Israeli troops and Syria's new forces.

“We will not allow the terrorist regime of radical Islam in Syria to harm the Druze. If the regime harms the Druze, it will be harmed by us,” the statement said.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)

Cease-fire halts decades-old conflict 

between Turkey, Kurds

By Mike Heuer

President Donald Trump gestures to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on November 13, 2019, and Erdogan might benefit politically from a cease-fire with Kurdish forces in Turkey that was announced Saturday. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo

March 1 (UPI) -- The militia wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party announced a cease-fire with immediate effect Saturday to halt decades of conflict between Turkey and the Kurds.

The cease-fire announcement comes two days after the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which uses the acronym PKK, asked the militia to cease hostilities and dissolve the organization, CNN, the BBC and NPR reported.

PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called for the cease-fire while still imprisoned in Turkey.

"I am making a call for the laying down of arms and I take on the historical responsibility of this call," Ocalan said Thursday in a written statement. "All groups must lay [down] their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself."

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The conflict between Turkey and the PKK has raged for more than 40 years and claimed an estimated 40,000 lives. The conflict also has affected several other nations, including Iraq.

"We agree with the content of leader Ocalan's call as it is and we state that we will comply with and implement the requirements of the call from our own side," PKK Executive Committee members announced in a prepared statement. "We declare a cease-fire effective as of today."

For the cease-fire to work, the PKK Executive Committee said, "Democratic politics and legal grounds must also be appropriate."

Ocalan formed the PKK in 1978 and went to war with Turkey soon after while trying to establish an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey.

Kurds comprise up to 20% of Turkey's population and account for significant portions of the populations in Syria, Iran and northern Iraq.

Turkish authorities arrested Ocalan in Kenya in 1999, sentenced him to life in prison for treason and only allowed him to have limited contact with others outside of the prison.

Hostilities ramped up quickly in August 1984 when PKK militants killed two Turkish soldiers and mostly have continued since.

A cease-fire was implemented in 2013 but ended two years later at peace talks failed amid rising tensions between the PKK and Turkey.

Ocalan on Thursday said relations between the Kurds and Turkey were broken during the prior 200 years but welcomed an opportunity to end the conflict.

"Today, the main task is to restructure the historical relationship," Ocalan said.

Peace prospects between Turkey and the PKK appeared grim until recent months, but at least three Turkish delegations have visited Ocalan over the past three months.

Turkish lawmaker Devlet Bahceli invited Ocalan to appear before the Turkish Parliament and announce he has ceased hostilities with the Turkish government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to run for a third term in 2028, which would require approval from Turkey's Grand National Assembly.

Turkish law places a term limit of two five-year terms for the nation's presidency.

For Erdogan to be approved to seek a third term, he needs the support of the Grand National Assembly in which the Kurds have significant representation.

Recent violence between the PKK and Turkish forces could complicate the current cease-fire.

Turkish forces have ramped up efforts to eliminate Kurdish forces and in February suggested new leadership in Syria wipe out the Syrian Democratic Forces that are led by Kurds.

The PKK in October claimed responsibility for an attack that killed five at the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries in Ankara.

Turkish Magazine Calls for Revival of CALIPHATE Amid Hagia Sophia Conversion, Gets Slammed for Peddling 'Unhealthy Debate'

For several years now I have been accusing President Erdogan of having the ambition to rebuild the Ottoman Empire with himself as Caliph. Recommissioning the Hagia Sophia as a Muslim mosque seems to be part of that plan. This magazine article could also be a testing of the waters to see what kind of reaction there was. Don't be too confident in the immediate response, Erdogan will be watching the secondary responses to see where support for the Caliphate is coming from.

Islam - Current Day - Bible Prophecy Fulfilled Today? High Profile Muslim Fired

Could this very day be the fulfillment of the prophecy - "But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be..."?

The controversial Gerçek Hayat cover. Twitter/@aDilipak

A Turkish pro-Islam magazine is in hot water after bringing the cause of a caliphate back to life with the cover story of its latest issue. The Ankara bar association has accused it of calling for an insurrection.

The Turkish legal body filed a criminal complaint against Gercek Hayat magazine, asking prosecutors to investigate it. It alleged that the magazine's editor-in-chief, Kemal Ozer, and columnist Abdurrahman Dilipak, have instigated hatred and called for an armed rebellion against the Turkish state. 

At the center of the accusation is the latest issue of the magazine, published on Monday, which features a cover stating: "Get together for caliphate. If not now, when? If not you, who?" An interview with Dilipak, a veteran Turkish conservative journalist, is one of the lead stories in the edition.

"Get together for caliphate. If not now, when? If not you, who?"

A caliphate is a state dedicated to the cause of Islam, seeking to be a unifying and defending force for all Muslims. The word had received plenty of negative attention in recent times since the terrorist group Islamic State claimed the title for itself.

Historically, four major caliphates existed, the latest being the Ottoman Empire. Modern Turkey was founded by Kemal Ataturk on the ruins of this fourth caliphate as a modern secular republic that had cast away the outdated institutions of its predecessor.

Arguing for revival of a caliphate is a political hot-button topic in Turkey, so the Gercek Hayat publication was met with skepticism even from the conservative side. Spokesman for the ruling AK Party, Omer Celik, said the magazine was seeking "unhealthy polarization" by questioning Turkey's founding principles.

Some outrage came even before the issue was published, and was based on a preview of the magazine's cover tweeted by Dilipak. Prominent Turkish journalist Ismail Saymaz said on Sunday that Turkey was not a country "to be ruled by a handful of radicals," and that the people behind the Gercek Hayat issue "are not even aware of what kind of fire they were playing with."

Ozer, the magazine's editor-in-chief, said critics of the story were misinterpreting it. "Our journal demands that the countries of Islam come together, just as Europe has come together and established a union, just as others have made similar ones. Our call has nothing to do with any country," he said. The release of the issue didn't seem to appease critics, however.

The Caliphate cover story and the furor that followed comes on the back of Turkey's decision to convert the Hagia Sophia, one of its national treasures, back into a functioning mosque. Originally constructed as a Christian church, it was converted into an Islam house of worship after Constantinople fell to the Ottomans. Ataturk transformed the building into a museum in 1935.

Erdogan's Ottoman Empire Ambitions Suffering from His Own Eroding Base

Ajit Sahi

It is easy to understand Erdogan's desperate attempt to stoke religious sentiments by converting the Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque. With this decision, he is merely trying to deflect attention from Turkey's worsening economic situation over the last several years which is now bringing him electoral defeat after electoral defeat.

In fact, Erdogan is today politically at his weakest since first winning power in 2003. His party, the AKP, has been steadily losing support among the voters. Last year, his party was twice defeated in the mayoral election in Istanbul, Turkey's biggest and most populous city. When the first election saw the AKP candidate lose by a slim margin, Erdogan simply refused to accept that decision and forced his hand-picked election authorities to call a second election. The reelection, held three months after the first, saw the AKP lose by a decisive and massive margin. Erdogan's party also lost elections in many other cities.

There is no doubt that Erdogan has more support in Muslims outside of Turkey, who likely see in him the closest figure who can return a pan-Muslim (and pan-Islamic) rule like the Ottoman Caliphate once used to be, than in his own country. Like Narendra Modi, Erdogan, too, has tried to control independent pillars of democracy, from the judiciary to the central bank. Erdogan made his son-in-law the country's finance minister in 2018, and the economy has gone worse since then.

Last month, Turkey had an inflation rate of 12%, which is most certainly an under-assessment. Turkey's currency, the Lira, has fallen 13% against the US dollar this year. Last year, the Lira had fallen by 20% against the USD, and 20% the year before, in 2018. Whereas Erdogan led a massive economic expansion program from 2003, the picture is now far less rosy. In 2008, Turkey's share of the world's economy was 1.2%. Today, it is 0.89%.

Unemployment has been persistently high in Turkey. The government claimed this week that unemployment rate has fallen to 12.8% in May, which, though in itself high, is still underreporting. Unnerved by the coronavirus, Erdogan forbid businesses from sacking employees while allowing unpaid leave. So millions sitting at home without any income are counted as "employed".

In fact, the number of employed persons dropped by about 2.6 million people during March-May this year compared with the same period last year. The overall employment rate declined by nearly 5% to 41%. Worryingly, the youth unemployment rate, including people ages 15 to 24, rose 1.2% hitting 24.4% in April, the Turkish Statistical Institute said yesterday.

At the macroeconomic level, Turkey is steeped deep in debt. The government and the private corporations together owe nearly half a trillion dollars in debt. Turkey's overall GDP is only slightly higher at USD770 billion. With a falling economy, it is becoming harder for both the government and the private sector to service debt.

Across industry, margins of profit have sharply dropped. Investment has been continuously drying up. Businesspeople are postponing expansions. Even farming has hugely suffered under Erdogan.

That is why, like Modi, Erdogan has been muzzling free press, putting journalists and activists in prison, purging universities of independent-minded academicians, accusing every opponent of being a "Western plant".

Many non-Turkish Muslims think Erdogan is the chosen global leader for all Muslims. For now, however, Erdogan is just trying to save himself in Turkey, and all he can think of is turning a church-turned-mosque-turned-museum into a mosque in order to revive his support.

Turkish Court Acquits 3 Journalists of Supporting Terrorism: 2nd Blow to Erdogan in a Month

Controlling the media is a necessary part of the strategy of any autocrat. Recep Tayyip Erdogan certainly was heading in that direction, but this decision toward free speech in journalism, and the election of a non-Erdogan supporter as mayor of Istanbul, may have thrown a monkey wrench into his plans for a Turkish caliphate.

By Clyde Hughes

Onderoglu and two others were found not guilty in Turkey Wednesday of supporting terrorism.

Photo by Sedat Suna/EPA

(UPI) -- A Turkish court acquitted three journalists Wednesday on charges of producing propaganda for a terrorist organization in connection with a 2016 incident.

Erol Onderoglu, Ahmet Nesin and Sebnem Korur Financi were prosecuted by Turkish officials after they took over the position of guest editors at Ozgur Gundem, a pro-Kurdish newspaper.

The 13th High Criminal Court cleared them of charges that included inciting the committing of crimes, praising crime and criminals, and conducting propaganda for a terrorist organization.

Onderoglu, a member of Reporters Without Borders, said in a statement that the court victory should be a benefit for all journalists prosecuted for doing their jobs.

"I would like to express my deep gratitude to all those who supported us during this trial," Onderoglu said. "This fight for all of our unjustly prosecuted or imprisoned colleagues continues."

RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire, the secretary-general for Reporters Without Borders, warned that Onderglu will face a second trial in November.

"Erol Onderoglu's acquittal is an exceptional victory for justice and press freedom in a country where both are being trampled on every day," Deloire said. "Our deep relief is tinged with bitterness because our correspondent will be on trial again in four months' time.

"The way this historic press freedom defender is being harassed is a deep injustice. We, therefore, urge the Turkish judicial system to demonstrate the same good sense that it showed today and to quickly abandon this new prosecution," he continued.

Turkey and its Kurdish population, which makes up about 15 to 20 percent of the country's residents, have long been at odds. The Turkish government has labeled some organizations that support the Kurds and Kurdish independence as terrorist organizations.

The crackdown on the journalists came a month after a failed coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government in July 2016.

Erdogan Begins Era as Sultan by Appointing Son-in-Law Finance Minister

Freshly re-installed as President of Turkey complete with new powers - there will be no looking back for Erdogan. He has removed most people and weakened most institutions that might inhibit his growing power, and is surrounding himself with family and friends who encourage him in his quest to become Caliph.

Turkey’s markets panic as Erdogan appoints

son-in-law as finance minister

Istanbul, Turkey © Murad Sezer / Reuters

Investors in Turkey were not impressed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to appoint his son-in-law Berat Albayrak as finance minister on Monday.

Borsa Istanbul 100 Index was down 2.78 percent at 5pm local time (14:00 GMT) on Tuesday.  The Turkish lira dropped three percent on the news, but rebounded slightly on Tuesday. The lira is down 17 percent this year.

Investors are worried that, with the appointment of Albayrak and dismissal of some top finance ministers, there will be no-one left to temper Erdogan’s economic views.

“Albayrak will have to move very quickly to reassure financial markets – and will need to send a signal that he will listen,” said Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets sovereign strategist at Bluebay Asset Management, in a Twitter post.

After the election victory, Erdogan removed Mehmet Simsek, previous deputy prime minister and a former Merrill Lynch banker, as well as former Finance Minister Naci Agbal. Erdogan has been often criticized by investors for weakening the power of the central bank and interfering in its decisions.

Erdogan has weakened the power of many government institutions and assumed that power onto himself. Turkey is becoming more autocratic by the day and Erdogan is an intense Muslim. How long before he begins to increase the power of Islam in Turkey? Probably not long!

Turkey has been one of very few Muslim countries where Christians are safe, but Turkey has had a secular government for the past one hundred years. Erdogan has been working for more than a decade to replace secular-minded politicians and military leaders with strong Muslims. I fear Turkey will not be a safe place for Christians much longer.

The appointment of Erdogan’s son-in-law “will worry a number of investors and some of the markets, because they didn’t much enjoy dealing with Albayrak when he was the energy minister,” Peter Westmacott, who served as former British ambassador to Turkey from 2002 to 2006 told CNBC.

Sultan Erdogan One Step Closer to Becoming Caliph of Turkey

Erdogan wins 1st term as president ‘under new system’

As I mentioned yesterday in Nil Köksal's piece, I don't believe Erdogan would leave anything to chance, so this win was to be expected. We can also expect him to use his executive authority to eliminate any meaningful opposition, that would mostly mean non-Muslim hardliners, that might remain after having incarcerated most of them. 

Once he's consolidated himself as de facto Caliph of Turkey, will he turn his attention to reviving the Ottoman Empire?

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan leaves the voting booth at a polling station in Istanbul, Turkey on June 24, 2018.

© Umit Bektas / Reuters

Incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won the majority of votes, the head of the electoral board said. This would mark the second consecutive term for Erdogan, but the first one under “a new system.”

With over 97.2 percent of votes counted, the head of Turkey's High Electoral Board (YSK) says Erdogan has secured more than 50 percent of the votes needed for the victory.

In the parliamentary election, his AK Party is also in first place with over 45 percent. The pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) will also enter the parliament after passing the 10 percent threshold, according the board's head, Sadi Guven. Turnout was at 87 percent for both polls, preliminary data shows.

Erdogan’s closest competitor, Muharrem Ince, has secured over 29 percent of the vote. His Republican People’s Party (CHP) placed second with nearly 21 percent.

"The Turkish people have elected Erdogan as Turkey's first president/executive president under the new system,” Turkish government spokesman Bekir Bozdag said.

While delivering a statement on his own, Erdogan also said that the preliminary results clearly indicated his victory, as over 95 percent of votes were counted. He called for leaving aside the “tensions" of the election period and promised there will be no back paddling on the “success” he achieved. The Turkish opposition, meanwhile, claimed that there will likely be a second round of elections.

Today’s polls are the first since Turkey switched to a presidential system of governance after the April 2017 constitutional referendum. The plebiscite effectively split Turkish society in half, as the amendment package passed by a close margin, securing 52 percent of the vote.

The victory allows Erdogan to further consolidate political power and implement the constitutional reforms. The powers in question include the abilities to pick cabinet ministers from outside of the legislature, pass laws by decree, single-handedly declare a state of emergency and launch extraordinary elections. The post of the prime minister is also set to be abolished.

The Turkish opposition, however, sees such changes as a power grab, which effectively destroys the country’s century-old parliamentary democracy. Erdogan’s closest competitor, Ince, vowed that he would lift the state of emergency within 48 hours if elected president and reverse all the constitutional reforms afterward.

Erdogan counters that view, saying “Turkey is staging a democratic revolution.” 

“With the presidential system, Turkey is seriously raising the bar, rising above the level of contemporary civilizations.”

Drastic changes in Turkey’s political system followed a botched coup attempt in July 2016. Erdogan accused his late ally and now nemesis, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, of masterminding the coup. The cleric has firmly rejected the accusations.

Following the failed coup, Turkey has been under a state of emergency for nearly two years and has seen a widespread crackdown on alleged supporters of Gulen. Around 160,000 people have been detained, and thousands of public servants and soldiers have been fired.