Truthdig
Facing Islamic State Propaganda, Russia Denies Its Campaign in Syria Is a
'Holy War' (Video)
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/facing_isis_propaganda_russia_denies_syr
ia_campaign_holy_war_20151006/
Posted on Oct 6, 2015
By Juan Cole
This post originally ran on Juan Cole's
website(http://www.juancole.com/2015/10/facing-propaganda-campaign.html) .
Remember when George W. Bush lapsed and called his Iraq War a "crusade?" He
had to back off that religious rhetoric really quickly because he needed
Muslim allies.
Now the Russian Orthodox Church has made a similar error.
Archpriest Vsevolod
Chaplin(http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/russian-orthodox-church-b
acks-holy-war-against-islamic-state/story-fnb64oi6-1227552925947 ) said that
his church supports Vladimir Putin's aerial assaults on ISIL. He said, "The
fight with terrorism is a holy battle and today our country is perhaps the
most active force in the world fighting it. . . This decision corresponds
with international law, the mentality of our people and the special role
that our country has always played in the Middle East."
The over-all leader of Russian Orthodoxy, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, echoed
this sentiment:
"Russia has taken the responsible decision to use the armed forces for the
protection of the Syrian people from the calamities wreaked by the tyranny
of terrorists . . . We associate this decision with the approach of peace
and fairness in this ancient land."
Predictably, the Muslim fundamentalists on social media grabbed hold of
these statements to depict the Syrian intervention as a holy war against
Islam. The Saudi public was especially exercised.
The Russian Embassies
replied(http://www.alhayat.com/Articles/11468689/%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8
%A7-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B6--%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%86%D
8%AE%D9%88%D8%B6--%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8
%A9--%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9%C2%A0 ) to these stories,
frantically circulating a fact sheet.
It denied that Russia is engaged in a holy war. "There are no religious
factors," it said, driving Syria's participation in the war. Rather, it
comes at the request of the Syrian government (i.e. the al-Assad regime).
If the Russians were hoping they'd get points for the indigenous character
of the invitation, they'll be mistaken.
It also quoted Putin as praising the contributions of Russian Muslims but
warning against extremism.
This episode shows how vulnerable Russia is to propaganda pushback in Syria.
About 5% of Syrians, or one million people, are Christians, mostly Eastern
Orthodox, i.e. they are technically coreligionists of the Russians. The
Christian priests in Syria and Lebanon have often been quite vocal about
their fear of Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) and their preference, if they had to
choose, for Bashar al-Assad.
Russian church leaders just made the intervention sectarian, and gave a big
helping hand to ISIL and al-Qaeda recruiting efforts.
VIDEO: Why Student Loan Debt Isn't Just a Problem for Millennials
Large U.S. Firms Hold $2.1 Trillion Overseas to Dodge Taxes
Harvard's Prestigious Debate Team Loses to New York Inmates
Parenting on the Brink: Wrestling With Fears Too Big to Name
Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines
C 2015 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.
Signup for Truthdig's newsletter
Truthdig
Facing Islamic State Propaganda, Russia Denies Its Campaign in Syria Is a
'Holy War' (Video)
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/facing_isis_propaganda_russia_denies_syr
ia_campaign_holy_war_20151006/
Posted on Oct 6, 2015
By Juan Cole
This post originally ran on Juan Cole's
website(http://www.juancole.com/2015/10/facing-propaganda-campaign.html) .
Remember when George W. Bush lapsed and called his Iraq War a "crusade?" He
had to back off that religious rhetoric really quickly because he needed
Muslim allies.
Now the Russian Orthodox Church has made a similar error.
Archpriest Vsevolod
Chaplin(http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/russian-orthodox-church-b
acks-holy-war-against-islamic-state/story-fnb64oi6-1227552925947 ) said that
his church supports Vladimir Putin's aerial assaults on ISIL. He said, "The
fight with terrorism is a holy battle and today our country is perhaps the
most active force in the world fighting it. . . This decision corresponds
with international law, the mentality of our people and the special role
that our country has always played in the Middle East."
The over-all leader of Russian Orthodoxy, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, echoed
this sentiment:
"Russia has taken the responsible decision to use the armed forces for the
protection of the Syrian people from the calamities wreaked by the tyranny
of terrorists . . . We associate this decision with the approach of peace
and fairness in this ancient land."
Predictably, the Muslim fundamentalists on social media grabbed hold of
these statements to depict the Syrian intervention as a holy war against
Islam. The Saudi public was especially exercised.
The Russian Embassies
replied(http://www.alhayat.com/Articles/11468689/%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8
%A7-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B6--%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%86%D
8%AE%D9%88%D8%B6--%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8
%A9--%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9%C2%A0 ) to these stories,
frantically circulating a fact sheet.
It denied that Russia is engaged in a holy war. "There are no religious
factors," it said, driving Syria's participation in the war. Rather, it
comes at the request of the Syrian government (i.e. the al-Assad regime).
If the Russians were hoping they'd get points for the indigenous character
of the invitation, they'll be mistaken.
It also quoted Putin as praising the contributions of Russian Muslims but
warning against extremism.
This episode shows how vulnerable Russia is to propaganda pushback in Syria.
About 5% of Syrians, or one million people, are Christians, mostly Eastern
Orthodox, i.e. they are technically coreligionists of the Russians. The
Christian priests in Syria and Lebanon have often been quite vocal about
their fear of Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) and their preference, if they had to
choose, for Bashar al-Assad.
Russian church leaders just made the intervention sectarian, and gave a big
helping hand to ISIL and al-Qaeda recruiting efforts.
VIDEO: Why Student Loan Debt Isn't Just a Problem for Millennials
Large U.S. Firms Hold $2.1 Trillion Overseas to Dodge Taxes
Harvard's Prestigious Debate Team Loses to New York Inmates
Parenting on the Brink: Wrestling With Fears Too Big to Name
Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines
C 2015 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.
Signup for Truthdig's newsletter