Syria Disintegrating: Part 2

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Crazy how certain people think we should have more muslims in our countries. As if we don't have enough problem with our homegrown reactionaries

[crazy canuck]

Crazy how certain people think all Muslims are reactionaries.

[Razgovory]

What is crazy is that many people who claim to oppose reactionaries are okay with them, and will trust them, if they slightly darker skin.

[Sheilbh]

The Islamists have mandated Burkinis for women at the beach now.

Oh well, would have been a pleasant surprise if they were more moderate. Too bad for the Syrians after decades of Assad's terror.

Several European countries and regions that ban burkinis for women on public beaches and/or swimming pools. Photos from a few years ago of French police requiring a woman to remove items of clothing on the beach:


They then issued a fine as her clothing didn't respect "good morals and secularism".

I don't have any issue with burkinis at all (I feel a little differently with burkas). My stance is basically liberal - they shouldn't be mandated or banned (same goes for burkas).

I'm not sure on moderation but I'd dispute reactionary because I think they are fairly contemporary. I think this is one of the points where I think Saudi and the Gulf States (and, to an extent, Turkiye) have been really successful because I basically think their model is what's the goal here. From everything I've read (especially about the area they previously governed), what their ambition is is a sort of technocratic Islamism. Mosques and shopping malls (indeed mosques in shopping malls) on the Gulf and Turkish model - not Afghanistan imposing traditional law or even Saudi a couple of decades ago. The goal is to look like the nice bits of Ankara or Istanbul or Doha for Qataris. Not sure that wouldn't have broad support for this type of law which is, from my understanding, exactly the same as, say, Dubai (e.g. rules for locals on beaches are very different than for tourists/private beaches).

I think a lot of states in the Middle East and Muslim world more broadly now aspire to becoming like the Gulf States in a way that wasn't the case even 20 years ago - and that's easier said than done. I'm not sure Syria is even going to hold together as a state. But I think that's the frame.

I am sure they have sorted everything else higher on the country's priority list.

Of course the same argument could be made about Western news organisations' fulsome reporting on everything else on Syria's priority list in the last 3 months. From my quick look at the BBC section on Syria there's not been much coverage until this story (broadly to do with other countries too - US lifting sanctions, strikes by Israel - only truly Syrian story I saw was them arresting the ISIS guy who burned that Jordanian pilot).

I think from a European perspective what matters is whether they can hold together or create a viable Syrian state (I think there are questions on both). Also ideally the extent to which we can work with them more generally on regional stability and (ideally) getting the Russians out - my understanding is Russia's African policy is over if they lose their ability to re-fuel in Syria. That their laws on swimwear are apparently the same as in Dubai or Qatar seems less relevant to me.

[Tamas]

Crazy how certain people think all Muslims are reactionaries.

I guess the common perception is that all Muslim majority countries are varying degrees of reactionary shitholes

[Admiral Yi]

If burkinis is as bad as it gets I'm fine with that.

[crazy canuck]

Crazy how certain people think all Muslims are reactionaries.

I guess the common perception is that all Muslim majority countries are varying degrees of reactionary shitholes

Ok, I am not sure how that makes Muslims who want to leave such country and settle in another country, reactionary.

[Razgovory]

Crazy how certain people think all Muslims are reactionaries.

I guess the common perception is that all Muslim majority countries are varying degrees of reactionary shitholes

Ok, I am not sure how that makes Muslims who want to leave such country and settle in another country, reactionary.

The same way you seem to think every evangelical is a fascist.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Crazy how certain people think all Muslims are reactionaries.

Sufficient numbers are that we don't want to have any come over.

[Valmy]

The same way you seem to think every evangelical is a fascist.

Well the Evangelicals aren't doing themselves any favors on that front sadly...

But I guess you could say the same for Muslims.