Friday, June 27, 2014

Rania Abouzeid responds

Regarding my post from yesterday, I received this message from Rania (and I post with her permission):  "I saw your note about my latest piece and with respect, you have misunderstood some things.

I never said there was direct evidence of regime assistance to ISIS. In fact, later on I say that there is no direct evidence linking the two despite the claims of the Syrian opposition, although the regime hasn't bombed some obvious ISIS positions. The regime tactically released Islamists from Sednaya. That is a fact. I cite the legislation that made it happen.

I know the Middle East isn't static. I live in it and cover it. Your comment about the MB doesn't make sense. I know the key word is historically, that's why I used it. 

Historically, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and its more violently sectarian offshoot, the Fighting Vanguard, were the country’s most prominent Islamist organizations. In the mid-1970s, they were at the forefront of a radical Sunni insurgency against the secular government of Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad. But by 1982 they had been effectively extinguished in Syria

I am providing the historical context of Syria's experience with militant Islam. I didn't say there was AQ in Syria back in 82.

Criticism is always welcome, but it has to be fair, and substantiated. "