Beirut: For the first time in five years, the residents of Raqqa are saying no to Daesh. The disobedience methods are still primitive, limited to distributing pamphlets at night and spraying graffiti on walls. If Daesh fails to retaliate, the movement could grow to include marches, sit-ins, market shutdowns — and perhaps, a complete boycott of Daesh rule.
Civil disobedience is in the air in Raqqa, Daesh’s self-proclaimed capital.
Over the weekend, young men posted leaflets at night, which read: “Dignity for Raqqa.”
It was a call to rise against Daesh, which has been in full-control of their city since January 2014.
The coloured pamphlets, coming in yellow, pink, and blue, were seemingly dropped at street corners and close to mosque entrances just in time for morning prayer, which is obligatory in the war-torn city.
Activists made use of the guard shifts — a mere 2-3 minutes where men in uniform hand over their sentry points to colleagues — to drop the anti-Daesh material.
They were found at the Darieh, Al Fardoss, Al Ujayli, and Al Bakri neighbourhoods.
In three of these residential districts, the Syrian Flag was raised in defiance over the past three days, rather than the black flag of Daesh.
Additionally at least two streets were sprayed with graffiti on the very same night, with the exact same words, in Al Ramleh neighbourhood of the city.
Both were erased before sunrise by Daesh police.
It was the first such act of defiance in two years — a remarkable feat given Daesh’s record of brutality in dealing with opponents and defectors.
They are either flogged or beheaded for crimes that range from alcohol sale and adultery — a glimpse for what punishment might be for outright calls of revolution.
The only retaliation until now has been setting up more checkpoints near the parking lot of the Raqqa municipality and at the Al Dalla Roundabout and Al Taj Hotel.
The pamphlets have not named a specific date for demonstrations, but are only preparing people for what might come next.
For two weeks now, Daesh has been slowly losing control of Raqqa.
The first manifestation of cyber dissent was “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” by seventeen citizen journalist who started to counter reports about Daesh being welcome in Raqqa two years ago.
They mainly publish stories and photos on Facebook and Twitter and have become one of the few reliable sources about life within the city.
Twelve of the 17 founders live inside Raqqa as of 2016.
One of them was kidnapped and killed by Daesh in May 2014 while the father of another was killed in Daesh custody.
In addition to the two graffiti incidents and the flyers, according to opposition activists who requested anonymity for security reasons, “an estimated 20 Daesh fighters have defected since 1 March, all of them being Syrians.”
They didn’t come out with public statements as soldiers did five years ago when defecting from the Syrian Army, but rather, slipped into the underground quietly, only after securing the safe exodus of their families.
Most actually obtained travel passes for family members from Daesh, ostensibly for health reasons, and used the pass to get out of Daesh territory.
In the last two years, 120 citizens were sent to the gallows for trying to flee Raqqa without permission from Daesh authorities.
With a pre-2011 population of approximately 300,000 people, Raqqa was the sixth largest city in Syria.
The emir of Raqqa, who doesn’t reside there, is Awwad Al Makhlaf from the town of Al Mayadeen in the Deir Al Zor province, but all affairs are run by the self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.
Al Makhlaf is nothing but a ceremonial figurehead and he currently lives in Mosul.
Al Baghdadi divided Raqqa into three provinces since 2014.
One was Madan City, with a population just below 40,000, while the north formed its capital in Tal Abyad, located along the Balikh River, with a population of 10,000.
The West, being the richest part of Raqqa, was awarded to Abu Hureita Al Jazrawi, a Saudi national reporting directly to Awwad Al Makhlaf.
He was appointed in late 2014, after US air strikes killed his predecessor, Abu Sara. Northern Raqqa is vital for Daesh because it contains the Assad Lake, the Euphrates Lake, and the prized 60 metres high and 4.5km long Euphrates Dam, constructed in the early 1970s.
Together, these provinces form what became officially known as, “The Raqqa State.”
The colour black covers Daesh-held Raqqa. Government headquarters are painted in black. The black Al Qaida flag is to be found everywhere, on windows, light posts and draped on walls. Black is a special colour for Daesh — women are forced to wear black from head to toe. Quranic verses are plastered all over the walls of Raqqa, mostly on black backgrounds.
Daesh chooses Quranic phrases that remind people of God’s wrath and punishment, instead of those that speak of compassion and mercy. Civil servants on Daesh’s payroll are only allowed to celebrate Islamic holidays, like the Prophet’s Birthday, the Islamic New Year, and the twin Eid Al Adha and Eid Al Fitr.
All holidays celebrated in pre-Daesh Iraq and Syria have been cancelled. Daesh has also removed Saturdays from its weekends, giving Daesh a six-day week with only Friday as a day of holiday. Any homage, let alone mention of pre-Daesh political personalities is a serious offence punishable by arrest and whipping. Statues of the Assads have also been smashed, on the direct orders of Al Baghdadi himself. Loyalty from here on is to be to Daesh and Islam.
During the month of Ramadan in 2015, the “Caliph” ordered that each family pledging loyalty to Daesh receive a stipend of 20,000 SP (then $100 or Dh367 now a mere $44). Daesh inability to raise wages due to shortage of oil money revenue because of Russian and US air strikes was clearly a drive behind the current signs of civil disobedience.
Former employees of the Syrian government have been allowed to maintain their jobs in Daesh territory, but only after pledging loyalty to “caliph.” This applies to civil servants, teachers, municipality workers and technicians who fix phone lines, roads, and electricity. Syrian police have been fired, however, and replaced with a moral vice squad, similar to the one in Saudi Arabia.
Non-Arab foreign fighters are prevented from joining the Daesh police, because of the language barrier. They need to be able to communicate with the locals, and this is close to impossible with their substandard Arabic. Raqqa residents are also not allowed to join Daesh Police, because they might lose impartiality and sympathise with relatives or friends when “imposing the law.” As a result, only Tunisians, Palestinians, Saudis and Iraqis are allowed into Daesh Police. The police force’s official name is Diwan Al Hisbah (the verification bureau), or simply Al Hisbah.
In total there are 75 policemen in Raqqa, all above the age of 30. They get a monthly salary of 30,000 SP ($150), along with “perks” that include free education for their children, free bus-rides and free medication. They patrol the streets of Raqqa and make sure that all adults and children aged seven and above attend local mosques for the five mandatory prayers of Islam.
They also make sure that no trade takes place during prayer time, forcing residents to run errands during prayer intervals. When not on the streets, these policemen work at the same offices once used by the Syrian government and are lodged in the homes of ex-Baathist officials. Daesh policemen enforce a speed limit on highways, hand out traffic tickets to drivers, arrest vagabonds and beggars, regulate shacks and kiosks and supervise law and order on the streets.
A prime task for police is to make sure that bakeries are fully operational and are supplied with daily wheat. Those who hoard bread or sell it at unregulated prices are flogged in public. Those fined for exceeding a speed limit or for parking in wrong places are expected to pay their fine within a given grace period, or suffer a multiplied fine. The revenue goes to Daesh’s Raqqa Treasury.
Despite all the manifestations of statehood and a proper economy, all is not well in Daesh territory and an uprising — or intifada — is brewing in the horizon.
