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Aleppo, Syria's Sleeping Giant, Stirs

(Al Jazeera) Hugh Macleod and Annasofie Flamand - A student at Aleppo University was beaten to death by security forces during a pro-democracy demonstration on June 17, activists said, the first death of a protestor in Aleppo, a northern city of some four million - the country's largest city - which has been conspicuously quiet since the Syrian uprising began. A prominent Muslim scholar who preaches at one of Aleppo's largest mosques said: "To see hundreds of students demonstrating, even if they are small demonstrations, is symbolic: They are the young and educated. Some sheikhs [preachers] told me they cannot control their people any more and security men are touring around mosques every Friday. It's only a matter of weeks and Aleppo will see big demonstrations." Aleppo is Syria's commercial capital, specializing in textiles and industry. But from 2004, Aleppo's industries have been hit hard by a flood of imports from Turkey following a free trade agreement built on Assad's personal friendship with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. "Eventually the bourgeois will come to feel the regime can no longer provide them with economic stability and that business as usual is no longer viable. They will no longer feel committed to the existing system. I think it's a matter of time," said Dr. Imad Salamey, assistant professor of political science at the Lebanese American University, LAU, and an expert on Syrian affairs.
2011-06-24 00:00:00
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