(National Review) John Rosenthal - At a meeting in Istanbul on April 1, the so-called Friends of Syria, including the U.S., recognized the Syrian National Council (SNC) as "a legitimate representative of all Syrians." But who is the Syrian National Council? Although the chairman and most recognizable face is the secular Paris-based political scientist Burhan Ghalioun, it is openly acknowledged that the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood is a major force within the council. The Belgian Syria expert Thomas Pierret, a lecturer in contemporary Islam at the University of Edinburgh, estimates that "around half" of the SNC's members are Islamists. According to Pierret, moreover, the Muslim Brotherhood controls the council's "commission on humanitarian aid" and thereby the distribution of SNC funds in Syria.
2012-05-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive