Testing times in Tripoli

Last Friday two car bombs placed strategically outside Mosques frequented by Salafist preachers - vocal in their support of the Syrian opposition and critical of Hezbollah's military participation on behalf of the Syrian regime across the border - went off during Friday prayers. 30 people were killed and over 300 were injured. On saturday morning BEIRUTSTATEofMIND headed up to Tripoli to report on a manifestation of growing unrest in Lebanon:

Sitting on a street corner about 60 feet from the Salam Mosque in the Al-Mina district of Tripoli, 21-year-old Yasser looked sorrowfully into the distance. His head and left hand were wrapped in bandages. A line of dried blood snaked its way down from his temple to his chin. Fragments of glass and small chunks of concrete covered the ground around him next to a pile of tomatoes rotting under the summer sun. Farther up the road surrounding a crater, about ten-feet in diameter and six-feet in depth, the carcasses of burnt out cars lay at unnatural angles across the tarmac. The windows of surrounding buildings were blown out.

I had just finished my work for the morning and was in the mosque praying," said Yasser who moved to Lebanon fro Damascus two months ago in an attempt to flee Syria's ongoing civil conflict.

"I spent a lot of time here at the mosque, not just to pray but sometimes to sleep," he continued explaining that he has no fixed abode.

"I remember I was kneeling to pray and then suddenly I opened my eyes and I was in a hospital ward."

"Sometimes I just feel like there is no escape."

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Men overlook the damage outside the Salam Mosque, Tripoli. 24/08/13.

A crowd gathers outside the Salam Mosque, Tripoli, on Saturday morning. 24/08/13.

Men pass by a damaged vending cart outside the Salam Mosque, Tripoli. 24/08/13.

Blast damage on adjacent buildings, viewed from inside the Salam Mosque, Tripoli. 24/08/13.

Rotting Fruit, Salam Mosque, Tripoli. 24/08/13.

A klashnekoff-heavy motorcade of Bab al Tabbaneh residents parades round the Abu Ali roundabout
next to the Taqwa Mosque, Tripoli. 24/08/13.

Klashnekoff-heavy motorcade (2), Tripoli. 24/08/13.

Damage outside the Taqwa Mosque, Tripoli. 24/08/13.

A young man sits outside a damaged shop front next to the Taqwa Mosque, Tripoli. 24/08/13. 

Boy on BMX, man holding head, Taqwa Mosque, Tripoli. 24/08/13. 

A bulldozer  clears the blast site outside the Tawa Mosque, Tripoli. 24/08/13.

The peculiar case of chemical weapons in Damascus

Last week, despite the presence of a team of UN weapons inspectors in Damascus, chemical weapons were supposedly used in the East Ghouta suburb of Damascus - resulting in the death of between 500 and 1,300 people according to different estimates. As the international community lead by America, the UK, and France debate the efficacy of military intervention in Damascus and a UN convoy comes under sniper fire en route to assess claims of the use of chemical agents in East Ghouta, here is BEIRUTSTATEofMIND's take on events:

The attack came at perhaps a strange time. Over the last few weeks, the Assad regime seemed to be gaining the upperhand in Syria's complex, protracted civil war. UN Inspectors were in Damascus on a fact-finding mission to verify previous claims of the use of chemical weapons earlier in the year.

But in the early hours of Wednesday, August 21, reports began to spread on social media that chemical agents had been deployed in a number of towns in East and West Ghouta, districts on the eastern outskirts of Damascus. Harrowing videos surfaced on YouTube and Facebook showing panicked civilians on suburban streets struggling desperately, gasping for breath as others lay motionless on the ground around them. Other videos showed children foaming at the mouth, eyes open but lacking sentience, convulsing uncontrollably in overcrowded hospital wards. What's depicted in these videos hasn't been corroborated, but by the end of the day most of the videos showed rows of corpses, with bodies and faces unblemished as if in sleep, wrapped in white funeral shrouds. Children in diapers are side by side with men, noncombatants beside combatants.

As the sun set on Wednesday, the UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting in New York and estimates for the total dead ranged from 500 to 1,300 in what, if verified, would constitute the world's most lethal chemical attack since Saddam Hussein sanctioned gas attacks in Halubjah in 1988, killing between 3,000 and 5,000 Kurds.

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Two examples of "safe loads" in Lebanon

To be honest these are two pretty tame cases of what Lebanon really has to offer...

Now this is what you call a "safe load". Beirut-Tripoli Highway. 23/08/13.

Ooh, oh - This looks a bit precarious. 23/08/13.

Troubled times in the Dahiyeh

BEIRUTSTATEofMIND was returning from a beach-trip to Jiyyeh, 20 minutes south of Beirut, when a car bomb struck the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahiyeh on Thursday 15th August, claiming the lives of 24 people and injuring at least 250.

Deciding to head directly to the scene BEIRUTSTATEofMIND was picked up by some local Dahiyeh youths under the employ of Hezbollah and driven to a local safe-house, still wearing swimming trunks, for a spot of questioning:

The car pulled down a quiet backstreet and stopped outside what looked like a social club. They lead us in and a giant poster of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei - founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran - was hung from the back wall, flanked by lesser dignitaries from the Hezbollah theo-political pantheon.

My colleague and I were separated behind black partitions at either side of the hall. A glass of water was placed on the table behind the partition next to three brown plastic chairs. In the corner of the hallway a group of teenagers sat eating chicken tawouk.

The man in the cap left, and a clean-cut, smiling man named Issa joined us accompanied by a silent scribe with a shaved pate.

"I don't speak much English so you are going to have to help me in Arabic," says Issa, though he speaks good English.

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Syria Diaries: A hip hop Sheikh in Tadamon

Shelling in the Tadamon area of Damascus. 16/10/2012.

Back in Gaziantep in April BEIRUTSTATEofMIND met with Mahmud al-Hosseini, the Imam of the Uthman ibn Efan Mosque in the Damascus neighbourhood of Tadamon, when Syria's civil war broke out.

In 2011 as the Syrian regime began to use force to quell popular and peaceful demonstrations al-Hosseini increasingly voiced his opposition to the Assad regime - a course of action that put him on a collision course with regime intelligence working in Tadamon.

As FSA units began to arrive in Tadamon in the summer of 2012 Hosseini took to wearing a disguise in order to avoid being detected and picked up by the Syrian mukhabarat:

Hosseini ditched his clerical garb, instead opting for baggy tracksuits, a baseball cap and largeheadphones to avoid detection. "You know, like a hip-hop style," he says. "I started to walk with a swagger."

The disguise proved to no avail. Hosseini was eventually picked up.

This is the account of the time he spent in a detention center presided over by the anti-terrorist branch of the Syrian security services:

GAZIANTEP, Turkey/ Sitting in the salon of a modest house on the outskirts of this southern Turkish city, a group of Syrian refugees congregate around freshly prepared meze. Jokes are exchanged. Mahmud al-Hosseini sits cross-legged, anxiously rubbing his wrists together.

This is a nervous tic he developed uring the four months he spent sharing a cell with 60 other men in a prison run by the Syrian intelligence agencies, somewhere on the outskirts of Damascus.

"It was a scene of misery," he says. "A mass of decaying bodies - fleas, scabies, even gangrene. There was not enough room for people to lie down. We slept cross-legged, resting our heads on the shoulders of our neighbors. One morning after I woke up I was standing to stretch my legs, and I realized the guy whose shoulder I had been resting on had died during the night. I hadn't noticed. When someone died in that place, we used to say that God had blessed them. They were free."

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Wire box, Fassouh

Faces of Nasrallah

Hezbollah Chief Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah is a powerful orator, often able to engage his audience with seemingly effortless ease. Never afraid to serve up a heavy dose of diatribe, Nasrallah is also capable of warmer, fuzzier moments too. Greco-Roman Wrestler takes us through a brief walkthrough of some of the man's faces.

Courtesy of Greco-Roman Wrestler.

On another tip: Ayatollah Khomenei doing a nearly smile, a rarity in visual imagery of the
founder of the Islamic state of Iran.
Road to Tyre, Summer 2011.

Musa Sadr was a capable smiler.
May 2013.

Nasrallah and Sadr together: This is apparently Nasrallah's Blue Steel.
March 2013.

Mahmud Shihab doesn't have time for smiling.
May 2013.

from Istanbul: Green Man Live from Taksim

Green Man - a veteran of Tahrir & BEIRUTSTATEofMIND's correspondent in Turkey reports on ongoing protests in the capital...

Rumor has it that the police will continue to be absent around Taksim and Gezi Park until Monday. That meant last night (Saturday, June 8th) would be especially festive. The presence of supporter’s of Istanbul’s three main football teams – Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Besiktas –marching in solidarity increased the general level of energy and testosterone.

Since I've been in Istanbul, the only previous times I'd seen people get tear gassed to high hell were when these teams play each other, so it was a huge deal. I am only somewhat joking when I say that the sight of thousands of Fenerbahce fans wearing red and gold Galatasary scarves around their necks was almost as inspiring as seeing Coptic Christians protecting their Muslim compatriots during their prayers in Tahrir Square in Cairo in 2011.

When I entered the square around midnight, it was completely full. The scene at hand seemed reminiscent of the Zion party scene in the 3rd Matrix movie. 

Crowds gather on Istiklal street leading to Taksim square, Istanbul. 02/06/13.

Large swaths of stones had been dug up, graffiti and trash covered almost all available surfaces whilst upturned, burnt out police trucks barred entrances from any of the main streets.

But the people were excited and it showed.

They were also well on their way to getting absolutely hammered. The number of empty Efes bottles, serving as testament. One guy got so obliterated that he literally shat himself. Given the lack of public toilets in the vicinity it was a somewhat forgivable move. The general mood felt simultaneously like a raucous victory celebration and a defiant act in the face of some known and impending doom. It was, at the same time, George W. Bush on an aircraft carrier with a "Mission Accomplished" banner and the 300 Spartans getting crunked up before facing near-certain death.

Over in Gezi Park political allegiances and motivations seemed a little more defined, people - perhaps a little less raucous. Things ran with certain efficiency, through volunteer organizations. Even the trash was neatly collected.

Every inch of non-walking space was covered in tents or bodies wrapped in blankets. There were free food stations, hospitals, libraries, music stages, and even a few projector cinemas. When the temperature dipped in the wee hours of the night, my ill-prepared group was offered blankets from everyone around us.

But even still, no doubt – this was first and foremost a party. Under the canopy of the Sycamore trees, the booze flowed generously, songs were sung, and the entire arsenal of Turkish dance moves was on full display. Jubilation, defiance, anger, euphoria, almost every emotion could be found in ample supply. If you allow me to get real nerdy here, the green scenery and the over the top celebration made it seem like I was surrounded by Ewoks and the Death Star had just been destroyed. There was even a fellow with a lightsaber, drunkenly impaling his friends.

Flares light up Taksim square, Istanbul. 08/06/13.

The camaraderie and everything else about the camp was truly inspiring, but I wonder how long it can last. Outside of central Istanbul and Besiktas, there is little evidence that would indicate any sort of civil uprising is taking place. Through conversations I've had with other Turkish people not affiliated with the movement, it seems clear that it does not have the same the same level of popular support as the January 25th revolution in Egypt. Many people  believe the government line that the protesters are simply provocateurs and violent looters. Each day people wake up with the same question, “Will we celebrate today, or will we resist?” We have not witnessed large counter-protests in Istanbul directly confronting the protesters yet, and from my experience in Cairo, this is when the situation can spiral out of control. Come Monday, we shall see what direction this is all headed. Until then, I will continue stockpiling face masks and lemons.

Winter is coming. Cihangir, Istanbul. 03/06/13.

Catalan Steez

Latest off the press from the BEIRUTSTATEofMIND team. A look at Hezbollah's growing involvement in Syria and its potential repercussions for Lebanon's internal stability - featured in the bi-weekly Catalan magazine La Directa.

Penmanship, courtesy of Greco-Roman Wrestler.

I ❤ my Prophet: A sticker in Tripoli

This sticker was spotted a couple weeks back on the corner of a coffee vendor's stall just off Tripoli's man square. At the time the Lebanese Army were increasing their deployment in the city as fighting escalated between Alawite-backers of the Syrian regime in Jabal Mohsen, and Sunni supporters of the Syrian opposition in Bab al-Tabbaneh. In the last couple of days clashes have spread from these traditional conflict zones into central Tripoli and the city's medieval souq.

Sahet Al-Nour, Tripoli. 21/05/13

Cyprus: Tagging Economic Collapse

BEIRUTSTATEofMIND's previous two visa trips had taken us deep into Kurdish quarters in Turkey and Iraq and  Aleppo province in Northern Syria. Deciding to switch things up this time we headed for a few days in Cyprus, where time was spent mainly lounging with German retirees and observing Russian social etiquette. 

Cyprus, heavily reliant on a service industry that accounts for 4/5ths of GDP has been reeling from the effects of its exposure to Greek debt with the IMF announcing last month that substantial risks still remained for the Cypriot economy even after a multi-billion dollar bailout aimed at averting a debt fault. 

BEIRUTSTATEofMIND took the time to take a stroll through the fairly spectre-like streets of Limassol to get a feel of how the economic crisis is reflected in the tagging culture found on the city's urban facades.

Here BEIRUTSTATEofMIND encountered an assortment of hastily scribed Anarchy symbols, hammers and sickles,stencils of a young girl wielding a molotov cocktail, and the occasional swastika, amongst more literal messages expressing dismay at current economic woes. Other more sophisticated street art also dovetailed with hip-hop inspired imagery including a stencil of  ?uestlove of Philly's finest - The Roots. 

PHOTOS.

Molotov Cocktail Girl (1). Limassol, 3/06/13.

Molotov Cocktail Girl (II), Limassol. 03/06/13.

Epic Fail, Limassol. 03/06/13.

Demon, Limassol. 03/05/13.

Ghoul, Limassol. 03/05/13.

Anarchy, Limassol. 03/05/13.

Anarchy Fountain, Limassol. 03/05/13.

Hammer & Sickle, Limassol. 03/05/13.

Swastika, Limassol. 03/06/13,

Road Rage, Limassol. 03/05/13.

Jester, Limassol. 03/05/13.

? Limassol, 03/05/13.

Roller-ball, Limassol. 03/05/13.

Vines & Window, Limassol. 03/05/13.

Is this ?uestlove? Limassol. 03/05/13.

Hip-Hop was here, Limassol. 03/05/13,

Wake the fuck up, Limassol. 03/05/13.