#yallasouriya 5:39 am on July 24, 2013 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment Zaynab’s Guardians: The Emergence of Shi`a Militias in Syria Jul 23, 2013 Author: Christopher Anzalone Excerpts : This article examines the gradual sectarianization of the Syrian civil war with a particular focus on the emergence, composition, mobilization frames and media campaigns of pro-Assad Shi`a militias.[4] Close attention is paid to the historical and cultural significance of the mobilization frames and idioms used to inspire support from a broad public, particularly Shi`a, for these groups’ participation. Gradual Sectarianization Reports of Hizb Allah and other Shi`a militias’ involvement in the war in Syria have led to new calls from influential Sunni religious leaders Iran and its regional allies, including Hizb Allah and Shi`a militias in Syria, are actively trying to sway Shi`a worldwide toward viewing the conflict in black-and-white terms, portraying all Syrian rebel groups as being virulently anti-Shi`a and in league with the “neo-imperialists,” ] Reports of attacks on Shi`a in Syria, the destruction of some Shi`a mosques and shrines or the tombs inside them, and claims that major Shi`a shrines such as those of Sayyida Zaynab and Sakina bint Husayn have been damaged are mobilizing Shi`a around the world to support the al-Assad regime.[11] The Emergence and Composition of the Shi`a Militias Shi`a foreign fighters in Syria first surfaced in the autumn of 2012 The fighters are primarily affiliated with Liwa Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas (hereafter the al-Abbas Brigade), a militia composed of fighters from a variety of nationalities including Iraqis, Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqi refugees in Syria, other Arabs, and Afghans.[18] The involvement of these groups can be verified through martyrdom statements, reports of funerals of Iraqi fighters slain in Syria, and reports on pro-militia websites.[22] Photographs of martyrs are often emblazoned with the emblems of the groups to which they belonged.[23] Recruitment of fighters has escalated in Iraq, with different Shi`a groups, including the Sadr Movement, forming committees to seek volunteers.[37] Although the majority of fighters seems to be drawn from Shi`a communities, al-Abbas Brigade-affiliated sources, including leader Abu `Ajib, have claimed that the group’s fighters comprise members of multiple groups including Sunni and Shi`a Muslims and Druze. Maintaining social movement cohesion and group unity in the longer term is difficult. Sectarian, ethnic, and other group identities are often not enough by themselves to maintain unity, and political and economic interests often come into play. Mobilizing Historical Memory and Popular Piety In formulating its mobilization frames, the al-Abbas Brigade and other Shi`a militias draw upon the deep reservoir of historical and cultural memory of Shi`a Islam. The heroic figure of Zaynab, the sister of Imam Husayn, and the other historical persons referenced by the brigade and its supporters evoke the tragedy of Karbala in 680 CE when Imam Husayn and many of his closest supporters and male family members were slain in battle against a larger force sent by the Umayyad Caliph Yazid I.[42] In the media operations of the al-Abbas Brigade and its supporters, Shi`a militiamen fighting in Syria are portrayed as “Zaynab’s guardians” (hurras Zaynab) The al-Abbas Brigade takes its name from Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas, who was Imam Husayn’s half-brother and standard bearer at Karbala.[50] A popular slogan in al-Abbas Brigade artwork is “kuluna `Abbasak, ya Zaynab” (“we are all your Abbas, O’ Zaynab”).[52] Other Shi`a heroes after whom Shi`a units fighting in Syria are named include Ali Akbar, the teenage son of Imam Husayn, and al-Qasim, his nephew and son of his predecessor, Imam Hassan, both of whom were martyred at Karbala.[55] Malik al-Ashtar and Ammar bin Yasir, two of the supporters of the Prophet Muhammad who became ardent followers of the first Shi`a imam, `Ali, also have fighting units named after them.[56] Rebel discourses refer to them and sometimes Shi`a generally as being guilty of polytheism (shirk) and unbelief (kufr) because of their belief in the line of the Twelve Imams. They also refer to Shi`a as the “fire worshippers” or Zoroastrians since they allege that Shi`a Islam is nothing more than an offshoot of pre-Islamic Iranian religions. The full text: ctc.usma.edu/posts/zaynabs-guardians-the-emergence-of-shia-militias-in-syria
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 03:58:09 +0000
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