Kobani/Syria: Scenes from the Sunday Suq

Sunday, November 9, 2008 has witnessed the forced closing of the Sunday Suq, the unofficial community fair held on a weekly basis by the inhabitants of Kobani, a Kurdish enclave in Northern Syria. The Sunday Suq has been part of local traditions here for more than three decades, and many inhabitants have come to depend on it as an alternative and more affordable place for shopping. This situation is not unique to Kobani, almost every major Syria city and township hosts such weekly fairs, especially on Fridays. With the economic situation in Syria moving from bad to worse, such unofficial arrangements are playing a critical role in enabling tens of thousands of Syrian families to cope and stave off starvation. The Syrian authorities seem to realize and have always looked the other way, until now. The crackdown in Kobani, however, is unprecedented, and has no parallel so far in any other Syrian city. No one indeed expects similar moves elsewhere, expect in other Kurdish enclaves. For the move is being by many as another step in the ongoing marginalization of Syria's Kurdish population by the ruling Baath regime, which continues to adopt Arab nationalism as its official ideology.

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• Syria
• Kurds
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• Authoritarianism
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• Racism

[333lionman]

وليش برأيك هم الاكراد اوادم ومثل البشر ...طول عمرهم خونه وحاقدين على العرب ...وعلى فكره عمرهم ماراح يصير الهم دوله ولن يكون لانهم مو قلب واحد

[mhxelil]

this is the "bazar" and it mean "Sunday" ,so every sunday in the week all people coming from kobani (the city) and the villages around it to buy and sell them purchasing, so the market concedrate the famous one in the "kobani"

[theengineer5]

The Baath regime has ruled Syria for almost 4 decades...it never marginalized minorities..it actually gave them voices and places in society...most of the Baath party constitutes of minority groups...you people are trying to create trouble by posting videos with these comments...

[theengineer5]

I have never heard of negative sentiments in Syria towards Kurds or any other minority...it is one of the most open minded countries in this respect...this market would only be closed if it was harbouring groups who are trying to plan troubles...As an Arab country Syria has the right to adopt Arab nationalism...we are proud of that..would you for eg blame France if it adopted French nationalism? Do not break up Syria like you broke Iraq!!!

[wathtehill]

lol rouza'++

[jan82b]

barzany ta teshtake je bazare cheterte nadi