25 March 2016

by Pat Beagley

Featured

Kurds Declare ‘Federal Region’ in Syria, Says Official

By Matt Bradley, Ayla Albayrak and Dana Ballout via The Wall Street Journal

Representatives from Syria’s Kurdish region on Thursday said they would form a new federal system of governance, giving a more unified voice to Syrian Kurdish demands for greater autonomy.

Inside Syria

ISIS tightens grip on Syrian govt road to Aleppo

By Reuters via The Daily Star Lebanon

ISIS fighters were reported to have tightened their grip on a Syrian government supply route to Aleppo Tuesday as the army battled to retake the road, which is important to its campaign to retake the city.

IS Suffers blows in Iraq, Syria but still launches Attacks

By Susannah Groege, Bassem Mroue and Associated Press via ABC News

IS: After months of losing ground in Syria and Iraq, the group is showing signs of wear and tear and have had an increase in desertions.

Refugees

"Meet the Rapping Syrian Refugee" via BBC

Meet the Syrian refugee rapper

By Olivia Lang via BBC

"Nineteen-year-old Tammam fled his home in Syria's Hama province with his family earlier this year.

They have been sleeping in tents in Piraeus port in Athens, but hope to reach Germany to be reunited with Tammam's brother.

More borders are being sealed off to migrants and refugees, but Tammam remains hopeful that they will reach their destination.

He told BBC News he had been using hip hop as a way to document his experience."

Syrian Refugees: Sharing Knowledge, building conifdence

By Peter Harrison via Al-Arabiya English

Teachers, pyschologists and organizations are coming together to try and save Syria's lost generation with education and mental health support.

A reality check on Syrian refugees

By Daniel Speckhard via The Baltimore Sun

Op-ed: It's clear that the Syrian refugees won't be returning home any time soon.

Conflict Analysis

UN envoy to Syria says the sides in Geneva talks have exchanged documents outlining their basic positions

By Jamey Keaton and Philip Issa via US News

The delegation of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) and Staffan de Mistura, 3rd left, United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, are pictured at the start of a meeting during the Syria peace talks at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland

The surprising ways fear has shaped Syria’s war

By Wendy Pearlmen via The Washington Post

As negotiations continue in Geneva, international observers and analysts struggle to comprehend the violence of the Syrian conflict. But how do Syrians themselves make sense of the horrors that have befallen their country?

"Safe Zone" by Beeler

Proxy Politics

Turkish journalists face secret trial for revealing arms deliveries to Syria

By Constanze Letsch via The Guardian

Can Dündar and Erdem Gül of opposition daily Cumhuriyet face life sentences for saying Turkey delivered arms to Islamists.

Syrian refugees denied critical healthcare in Jordan - Amnesty

By Reuters via DailyMail

Syrian refugees in Jordan are finding it very difficult to get medical care because of Jordanian fees and bureaucracy, and shrinking humanitarian financial support, rights group Amnesty International.

Muslim in France

By The Stream via Al-Jazeera English

More than 30 anti-Muslim hate incidents, ranging from assaults on women to graffiti on mosques, have been reported across France since the Paris attacks that left at least 129 people dead. However, Islamophobic acts are not a new phenomenon in the country. Just in the first nine months of 2015, the number of reported incidents tripled compared to the previous year. Following the recent attacks, French officials vowed to dissolve “radical” mosques and some politicians called for a crackdown on Muslim communities. But what does this mean for the majority of Muslims, many of whom which feel they already live under a magnifying glass? In recent years, the French government has made dialogue efforts and launched initiatives aimed at accommodating the Muslim population. But critics argue the country’s secular policies have resulted in economic isolation and marginalisation for many in the Muslim community. Join us when we speak with French Muslims about what it is like to live in France today. On this episode of The Stream, we speak with: Rim-Sarah Alouane @rimsarah Ph.D researcher in Public Law Asif Arif @AsifArifMa Attorney Felix Marquardt @feleaks Co-founder, Youthonomics Dounia Benallal Member, Muslim Students of France emf-asso.com