Arab League requests UN action against Syria

The head of the Arab League has asked the U.N. Security Council to boost the size of a U.N. mission in Syria and give it expanded powers to protect people following a surge in violence there, according to a letter leaked to media outlets on Friday.

Images of the bloodied bodies of children and others massacred in the city of Houla in attacks blamed on President Bashar al-Assad's forces have shocked the world and highlighted the failure of a 6-week-old U.N.-backed ceasefire plan to stop the violence in the 14-month uprising against Assad's rule.

Nabil Elaraby, secretary-general of the Arab League, condemned the attacks in a letter to the Security Council...

Elaraby, who has said the violence was intended to undercut a truce brokered by international mediator Kofi Annan that never took hold, is struggling to keep alive Annan's six-point peace plan and avert full-scale civil war in Syria...

Security Council diplomats in New York said they received the letter, although it was not immediately clear how they would react.

Elaraby's suggestion of giving the U.N. mission the power "to take the necessary measures to protect Syrian civilians" might not be acceptable to Russia, which has a veto on the 15-nation council.

That is similar to language the council used last year to authorize military intervention in Libya, which Russia did not veto but has criticized ever since. Russia has vowed to prevent Syria from becoming another Libya, where it says NATO air strikes provided support to rebels and led to "regime change."

It was also not clear whether the Syrian government would consent to an expansion of the mission, known as UNSMIS, or allow it to be armed, which would make the monitors more like peacekeepers than unarmed observers.

I beg to differ. Alawites are considered heretics by Shias as well as Sunnis. Also, it safeguards Christians and Druze and it does not have Islamic law unlike Pakistan or Saudia etc.

The women go with their heads uncovered in Damascus, there are no religious police and Christians are free to practise their faith without persecution

it is allied with Russia who see it as a counterweight to Turkey and Saudia. It is allied with Iran to counter the evils of Saudia

Need I remind you that all of the terrorist attacks on the US have been by Sunnis? the majority of terrorist attacks in the world, including on israel have been by Sunnis?

Furthermore, it is preferable to have the devil that you know, Assad, rather than a rag-tag bunch of devils that would replace him -- note: he's bad, but he's not as evil as the alternative.

Assad’s new constitution for Syria (1973) — “Article 3(1) declares that religion of the President of the Republic shall be Islam. Article 3(2) declares Islamic jurisprudence a main source of legislation.” Lower courts are split by sect.

http://www.law.emory.edu/ifl/legal/syria.htm

The Assad dynasty has safeguarded Christians the same way protection-selling mobsters protect business owners. No Christians are ever safe under any Muzzie-run regime. They need to take their own safety seriously, either by arming themselves and fighting back, or by getting the hell out.

There are those in each mosque who consider everyone else to be heretical, but Alawites are Shiites, period.

The Druze are also a branch of the Shiites, and even they regard one of their own founders as a heretic. They live apart, and go around armed, numbering a couple of million worldwide, almost all living in the Middle East, it sez here 700,000 in Syria alone.

Need I remind you that Russian ally Syria blew up the Marines in Lebanon, and that the USSR/Russia created the worldwide terror movement, including the entire modern jihadist movement, then later had it bite them in the ass, even as they continue to support it?

The best outcome will be a Syrian civil war, which is what is going on now, but it’s not nearly bloody enough yet. Knocking off an ally of Russia is pretty much always a good thing, as it would be in Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and elsewhere.

Assad's new consitution may declare it -- but Christians are not tried under Sharia law.

in contrast Christians and hindus in Pakistan are tried under Sharia law and if Assad's opponents win then Sharia, STRICT sharia law will be implemented

The Assad dynasty has safeguarded Christians the same way protection-selling mobsters protect business owners. --> true, but Assad's opponents won't even do that, they will kill the Christians straight away.

They need to take their own safety seriously, either by arming themselves and fighting back, or by getting the hell out. -- and these people have lived there 2000 years. Is it so easy to take about getting the heck out? No.

There are those in each mosque who consider everyone else to be heretical, but Alawites are Shiites, period. -- not really. Alawite belief is far from Shia belief. Shias will consider Bohri's and Ismailis as Shia, but not Alawis -- and this is not the elite or even most, but nearly all Shias who consider Alawis as heretics -- even non-monotheists

The Druze are also a branch of the Shiites -- the Druze are also not a branch of the Shia's -- they may be classified as Shia, but their beliefs are not, except for touching upon Imams Hussein and Ali.

That's false -- the hizbullah did it, not Syria. Yes, a technicality as they got their weapons from Syria and may have been following Syrian orders, but let's be clear, the suicide bombing was done by hizb'allah

In contrast, look at the killings by Sunnis and realize that THAT is where our enemies come from -- Saudia and pakistan.

The best outcome is for Assad to kill as many sunni jihadis as possible and then be a thorn in the side of the Saudi world. This then splits the islamic world into the Sunnis versus non-Sunnis.

Funny thing, there are Christians in the opposition. I suppose that’s because Assad has so many shills in the opposition? Appeals of lower court decision result in everyone winding up in a single higher judiciary system.

Yes, the Druze are Shiites, but they’re a 1000 year old branch.

Yes, the Alawites are Shiites, but they originated as an ethnic branch of Shia Islam. The unified caliphate was an off-again, on-again thing as a consequence of nationalities splitting into separate entities with different religious leadership.

Assad’s Russia’s ally, and it’s obvious that’s the reason you support him.

Don't jump to conclusions. I don't support the Russian government for much.

I support the lesser evil in Syria -- and that's Assad. He's evil, as I said before, but not as evil as the alternative.

keeping that in mind, it's better to have the devil you know rather than the devil you don't.

Note: this topic is from 6/01/2012. Thanks me.

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