Fear and loathing in Toulouse and Damascus

A day after the death of French-Algerian Mohamed Merah, following a lengthy standoff with police, the Arab media is analyzing the motives and background of the Toulouse killer. News sources seem to disagree on whether Merah was killed or whether he committed suicide.

Liberal daily Al-Hayat leads with Merah’s organizational affiliation. “Al-Qaeda takes responsibility for the Toulouse attacks and Sarkozy vows to combat ‘extremism’,” reads its headline. According to Al-Hayat, the Tareq bin Ziad battalion of the Soldiers of the Caliphate brigade claimed responsibility for the attack on a website affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

Judging by its language, Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat is probably the most critical of Merah’s actions. “Toulouse terrorist commits suicide Al-Qaeda style following a 32-hour siege,” reads its headline. The daily refrains from referring to Merah by name in the article, calling him merely “the French youth,” or “the French youth of Algerian extraction.” The lead paragraph of the report stresses the fact the Merah was fortified in his home with weapons. The daily uses the Arabic word intihar, which denotes impermissible suicide, rather than istishhad, which denotes martyrdom, a word often used in Arab media to describe attacks against civilians.

A separate article in A-Sharq Al-Awsat reports the fear of France’s Algerian community of being targeted “as happened following 9/11.” One French daily accused the French press of over-emphasizing Merah’s Algerian background.

Arab nationalist daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, quoting largely from news agencies, reports that “the French youth suspected of three attacks … was known for his background as a mujahid, stressing that he acted based on instructions from al-Qaeda.”

Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya promises its readers a “bullet-by-bullet account of the bloody scenario of the killing of the Toulouse Algerian.”

“A bloody Spring occurred in France this year, with an Algerian national who appointed himself an agent of revenge. He killed seven innocents in three stages in two French cities during the past two weeks,    preoccupying people, until he was besieged in his apartment for 32 hours that ended in a gunfire battle that lasted five minutes. Muhammad Merah fell in the same way he killed his victims – with a bullet in the head,” read the dramatic lead paragraph in Al-Arabiya.

Bombing of Syrian cities continues, Turkey comments

Friday in Syria was titled “O Damascus, we are coming,” as the cities of Hama, Homs and Idlib continue to be bombarded by government forces.

Defecting military officers tell A-Sharq Al-Awsat they have established a revolutionary military council in Damascus in an attempt to coordinate the rebel effort in the Syrian capital.

Meanwhile, Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglo said that “statements are not enough, we need a collective plan,” reports Al-Hayat.

Al-Arabiya reports that Syrian rebels succeeded in capturing 19 Syrian soldiers near the Turkish border and kill two others.

“The Syrian opposition needs unity, not uniformity” argues columnist Amir Taheri in A-Sharq Al-Awsat Friday. He analyzes the fear of westerners that Syria may undergo an Islamic revolution, similar to the one experienced by Iran.

“Are Arab Spring states, including Iran, doomed to repeat the Iranian experience?” asks Taheri. “My answer is no.”

Taheri says that the Syrian opposition must unite in order to topple Assad, with each group maintaining its unique political identity.

“Unity, not uniformity, could help Syria reach pluralism and multiculturalism to which it strives.”

Arab leaders will shun Baghdad summit

Al-Quds Al-Arabi reports the latest updates on the Arab summit in Baghdad, scheduled for March 29. According to the daily, only 10 or 11 Arab leaders will attend the summit, and they will not stay inside Baghdad. The conference will only last one day, and dignitaries will not spend the night.

Saudi-owned news website Elaph is critical of the total shutdown of Iraqi services for an entire week in the buildup for the conference. Not only government offices, but even the press and cultural activities will be halted starting Sunday.

But Raghda Dargham, a columnist with Al-Hayat, justifies the Baghdad conference as strategically important for two reasons: firstly, bringing Iraq back into the Arab fold, and secondly, due to Iraq’s influence on the course of events in Syria.

“In this regard, the Baghdad conference is an important landmark. It is the first Arab summit in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein … it is the main gateway to international cooperation on Syria and Iran.”