Headlines:
- Rebel Infighting Intensifies
- Quebec Mosque Shooting
- Trump Bans Muslims
Rebel Infighting Intensifies
This week has seen a mixture of events concerning Syria’s rebel factions. Whilst the Astana agreement between world powers was rejected by those groups present, recent infighting has intensified between Jabhat al Fateh Al Sham and other groups including the Free Syrian Army which is allegedly backed by the USA. This has occurred in the North of the country with rebel infighting being reported elsewhere. The justification for the skirmish mentioned above was that the FSA were blamed with giving away the position of Jabhat al Fateh al Sham fighters to the USA which led to the death of 100 men. This infighting could not have come at a worse time when factions continue to regroup to defend the land they have left. World powers including the regime has cited the former Al Qaeda aligned brigade as the reason for continuous airstrikes and recent events have shown keenness from rebel groups to disassociate themselves from them. Indeed the strength of the rebels is in their unity but this show of disunity will only strengthen the resolve of those who wish nothing but oppression for the region.
Quebec Mosque Shooting
Six people have been killed in a deadly shooting to place in a mosque in Quebec. Canadian police have detained two men in connection with the attack, which occurred shortly after Donald Trump temporarily banned Muslims from entering the United States. More than 50 people were at the mosque when shots were fired. Among those wounded, five were in critical condition in hospital and 12 others sustained minor injuries, according to University of Quebec Hospital Centre spokeswoman Genevieve Dupuis. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard both described the attack as a terrorist act, but authorities were reluctant to label it as such. In June last year the same mosque was the target of an Islamophobic incident when a pig’s head was left in front of the building, with a card saying Bon Appétit. The predominantly French-speaking province fiercely protects its linguistic identity and its secularism, and there has been a longstanding debate over the “reasonable accommodation” of immigrants and religious minorities.
Trump Bans Muslims
US President Donald Trump pleased his supporters after promising them in December 2015 to enforce a “total and complete” shutdown on Muslim immigration into the US. He issues an executive order on 27th January which banned entry from seven majority-Muslim countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – for 90 days. There was much confusion in the first 36 hours over whether legal US residents would be allowed to enter the US. They were initially denied entry, but on the night of the 29 January, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that some “legal permanent residents” who pose no “serious threat” to the US would be allowed in on a case-by-case basis. Though Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia were not on the list puzzled many, but considering these are all countries he US is bombing or interfering in, it shows the US views the Muslims of these countries as inferior humans. Banning from these countries does nothing to address US problems, despite Trump’s rhetoric, but this is the Muslims will be used to deflect attention away from problems at home.