Inside the Middle East

Blog Moving

2008-11-04T14:22:00.002-05:00

Many of our regular readers have noticed this blog pas has been inactive in the last week.

We have been on hiatus while we move the entire page to a new server.

Starting Thursday, you will once again be able to read fresh entries on cnn.com/hala.

The page will continue to include posts on Middle East stories, but will expand to encompass other stories covered in our news programs.

Watch this space!

Hala

Saudi Hunger Strike - Your Thoughts

2008-10-30T09:24:00.003-04:00

--By CNN's Octavia Nasr

Some brave Saudis are going on a hunger strike and they want you to join them.

These are no ordinary Saudis; they're the intellectuals of the ultraconservative kingdom. The human rights activists, the bloggers, and professional journalists and lawyers.

They have established a group on the social networking site FaceBook to raise awareness and recruit supporters. Their call is adding new members by the day and there is no telling yet how the Saudi government will respond.

The "movement" is lead by Saudis themselves after lawyers for 11 men detained by the government called for a 48-hour hunger strike in support of their clients. They attorneys claim that their clients have been detained with no clear charges and without the possibility of a trial anytime soon. .

What does the Saudi government say about all this? Nothing. We have been reporting this story for five months, and all attempts to confirm the detention of some of these men, the charges they face and an update on their status were met with silence.

So, in light of this latest development --- the call for a hunger strike --- we made another call to the Saudi Interior Ministry. They said what they've said before. "Call back in 30 minutes." When we called back at the agreed time, the answer was a resounding "No Comment."

Who are these eleven men? The list includes a former Judge and four former university professors.. All eleven are described as "human rights activists." The earliest detentions date back to February 2007.

The most recent person taken into custody is Professor Matrook H. Al-Faleh, political science professor at King Saud University in Riyadh, detained by security forces in May 19, 2008. His wife told CNN that she saw him last Saturday and that he "currently" is not on a hunger strike. She refused to comment further and asked us to speak to the lawyers instead.

In the FaceBook posting, the announcement of the hunger strike is coupled with a plea for "all activists and citizens who have conscious" to show "sympathy and solidarity" by joining in.

The FaceBook page indicates the group believes that their move is "daring" and "bold" in the defense of human rights.

Do you think this hunger strike will make a difference?

Defense Team Of Jailed Saudi Activist Plans Hunger Strike

2008-10-25T18:08:00.006-04:00

The wife of jailed Saudi Arabian activist Matrook Al-Faleh sent CNN producer Mohammed Jamjoom this note from her husband's defense team.

Jamila Al-Faleh says the lawyers for Al-Faleh, whom human rights organizations say was jailed for criticizing prison conditions in his country, will go on a hunger strike to protest their client's detention conditions.

The Saudi Interior Ministry has not yet responded to CNN's request for comment. Below is a note from Al-Faleh's defense team:

"The Saudi Justice system and legal procedures (e.g., Criminal Procedure and Arrest and Detention Laws) have failed to render just judgments to jailed Saudi human-right activists who have been arrested with no official indictments, and incarcerated indefinitely in solitary confinement with no right to an attorney or access to habeas corpus.

After exerting all means to get fair treatments to the constitutional movement’s detainees, the defense teams decided to observe a 48-hour hunger strike. The proposed strike will take place on Thursday and Friday, 6-7 November 2008, in protest against flagrant human rights violations for all detainees in Saudi prisons who have been deprived of their basic rights as guaranteed by [the Saudi] Criminal Procedure Law and Arrest and Detention Law."

Arab Women: A Tale Of Two Destinies

2008-10-24T10:20:00.004-04:00

-- By CNN's Octavia Nasr

I grew up in the tiny country of Lebanon, the daughter, grand-daughter and niece of larger-than-life female figures who fought very hard for Arab women’s rights.

My mom never missed a parliamentary election because “the right to vote is the only right we have” she used to say. She was convinced that it’ll all change “soon.” Women in Lebanon could vote as early as the 50’s but they can’t, to this day, give their children the Lebanese nationality.

A rule that exists in most of the Arab world, changed only recently in countries such as Tunisia and Egypt. In Saudi Arabia, women can’t even drive a car and they face tremendous pressure if they appear on TV.

In many parts of the Arab world, a woman’s testimony is not accepted in court and a woman can’t travel abroad without the permission of her father, her brother or her husband. So, you might think that things didn’t change much in the last few decades; I don’t blame you if you do.

The fact is that Arab women have made great strides in education, societal involvement and civic duty; but there are many things still restricting them, even pulling them back.

On one popular Arabic soap opera, two wives compete for the approval of their husband. On other channels, other dramas: women being beaten by a husband, a father or a brother to save the family's honor. From a slap on the face in a historic series.. to a woman being burned alive in a Gulf-made soap opera.. Arab channels are often filled with images of violence directed at women.

Buthaina Nasser is a Saudi women's rights advocate.. She hosts a show dedicated to women's issues in the Arab Middle East.. She says, "women are always seen as victims.. Although there are professional females and legislators in the Arab world.. There is still a glass ceiling for women on Arab media."

Jordan's Queen Rania has produced a video for a You Tube initiative she launched to shatter stereotypes about the Arab world. Her video shows real-life Arab women in a variety of professions.. Judge.. parliamentarian.. bank CEO.. pilot.. dentist.. plumber.. police officer.. None of these professions figure on Arab soap operas or drama series.. Instead, you'd find, the traditional role of the submissive wife, the weeping mother, the dependent sister..

Buthaina Nassr thinks women should become media producers, not just media subjects and consumers, to affect change.. She says, "Women need to be involved more.. They need to produce these shows themselves."

As a kid I was fond of a video clip produced by then Egyptian leading pop star Souad Husni. It was a clip of a children’s song called “El Banat.. El Banat..” (The Girls, The Girls). “Girls are equal to boys”... the song went... “They are as capable and as patriotic with the same potential for greatness..”

Fast forward to today... and many of those ideals are now reality. Modern Arab women have moved on, but their governments and media insist on stalling them, even, in some cases, moving them back.

Floods In Beirut

2008-10-22T15:22:00.002-04:00

Beirut residents try to salvage what belongings they can after heavy rains flooded streets and the inside of homes in parts of the Lebanese capital.

(Photo AP)

Holy Cow!

2008-10-22T10:57:00.003-04:00

Today's picture courtesy of Gaza tunnel smugglers, seen in this photo pushing a calf through one of the tunnels linking the Gaza Strip to Egypt.

Israeli authorities say they are used to transport weapons, but as the strip of land is increasingly low on basic necessities, live animals are more and more often smuggled through the narrow tunnels.

(AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

Jordan: When Poetry Is "Illegal"

2008-10-21T15:49:00.006-04:00

Jordan's image in the Western world is one of moderation and modernism, especially compared to other Middle Eastern nations like Saudi Arabia. It is, after all, a country with a King who is a friend to America and Europe and a glamorous wife who champions charitable causes around the world.

So it is difficult to reconcile that image with the news that Jordanian police today arrested a poet. His crime? Incorporating verses of the Koran into his love poetry.

Officials reportedly said Islam Samhan's work insults Islam's holy book and that he published his collection of poems, "Grace like a Shadow," without the approval of the Jordanian government.

According to the Associated Press, Samhan was "charged with harming the Islamic faith and violating the press and publication law for combining the sacred words of the Quran with sexual themes."

The 27-year old poet could face up to three years in jail.

But this is not the first time Jordanian authorities have interpreted the country's publication laws to imprison authors.

More from AP:

"More than two years ago, the court convicted the editors of two weekly newspapers of insulting Islam and sentenced them to two months in prison after they reprinted Danish newspaper caricatures of Muhammad.

Jordanian writers and artists urged the government in a collective petition to immediately release the poet, saying the arrest is a "retreat in the freedom of expression," and called for an end to the "oppression of freedom and intimidation practiced against intellectuals."

Tense Relations Between Israel And The Vatican

2008-10-20T14:27:00.003-04:00

Pope John Paul II visited Israel, but so far Pope Benedict XVI has not, even though the pontiff is said to have an open invitation.

Catholic officials say the reason is that Pope Pius XII, who was head of the Catholic church during World War II, is pictured at the Yad Vashem holocaust museum in Jerusalem by a plaque accusing him of having ignored the wartime deportation of Jews.

Meantime, Benedict has halted the process that would make Pius a Saint, according to reports "for fear of repercussions from Jewish groups."

Benedict continues to insist that Pius XII, far from failing to act, quietly worked behind the scenes to save Jewish lives.

(Above photo AP - The caption reads : "While the (gas) ovens were fed by day and by night, the most Holy Father who dwells in Rome did not leave his palace.")

Photo Of The Day

2008-10-20T09:33:00.002-04:00

An Israeli protester sits in a cage during a demonstration calling for the release of Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Schalit who is being held captive in Gaza, in front of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's house in Tel-Aviv, Monday Oct. 20, 2008.

Schalit was captured in a June 25, 2006 raid by militants who tunneled under the Gaza-Israel border and attacked an Israeli army post, killing two soldiers and taking Schalit with them. (AP Photo/Moti Milrod)

Supporting The Barrier

2008-10-17T10:40:00.002-04:00

Whether you call it a "fence" or a "wall" indicates whether or not you support separating Israelis from Palestinians with a physical, man-made structure. So CNN decided from the start to call it a "barrier."

But on the ground, terminology matters little. Passions continue to run high on either side of the issue.

In this picture taken today between the West Bank village of Nilin and the Jewish settlement of Modin Illit, right-wing Israelis show their support for the fence.

Palestinians they say it's a wall and it encroches on a portion of West Bank territory, creating a de facto border that was neither negotiated nor legal.

(Photo AP)

Culture Clash In Dubai

2008-10-16T10:35:00.012-04:00

--By CNN's Hala Gorani

Dubai is like no other city in the Arab world: its cash wealth has created a Disneyland of dizzying skyscrapers where hotels serve alcohol and shopping malls offer expensive, couture western clothing. The smell of money is everywhere.

Dubai not only welcomes, but courts foreign labor. Ninety percent of residents in the United Arab Emirates are non-local. Tax breaks for corporations attract European and American expatriates (the "expat community" as they're called.)

The Emirs of the city state have -- in a single generation -- created a world contained in a bubble, where Gulf cultural traditions seem to happily co-exist with a more relaxed Western lifestyle.

But, today's news that a British couple has been sentenced to three months in prison for engaging in sex on a beach in public while drunk sends a message that there a limits to Dubai's tolerance.

It's not the sentence against Vince Acors and Michelle Palmer I'm struck by, but the fact that once made public, authorities appeared happy for it to be discussed and covered all over the world.

I'm also surprised some Western journalists and commentators have described the incident as Dubai enforcing a strict Islamic code of conduct. Am I wrong in thinking that having sex in public is also illegal in most Western countries?

Of course it wouldn't lead to a prison sentence and deportation, but I'm pretty sure a couple would get in at least a little bit of trouble with the law for doing the same thing in Paris, London or New York.

The couple deny having had sexual intercourse but what Dubai is saying is clear: you can drink and canoodle with a partner, but keep it safely out of sight and behind closed doors.

What do you think about the sentence? Post a comment below or email us at mideast@cnn.com.

(AP File photo of Vince Acors)

Sealed With A Kiss

2008-10-15T10:49:00.003-04:00

A day after Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad issued a decree establishing diplomatic ties with Lebanon, the countries' foreign ministers signed a document formalizing the agreement.

This is the first time Syria and its much smaller neighbor have had formal diplomatic relations since they gained independence from France in the 1940's.

The Syrian FM said one of the main joint tasks the two countries face is fighting terrorism. Syria is getting worried that extremist groups are truning their attention to Damascus. Remember that unusual car bomb incident on the airport road in Syria a few weeks ago?

Syria's official news agency reported recently that an embassy will open in the Lebanese capital without providing a timeline. But an official told the Associated Press that the embassy will be operational "before the end of the year."

(Photo AP)

How Being Called An Arab Became A Slur

2008-10-14T08:59:00.011-04:00

--By CNN's Hala Gorani

At a John McCain political rally a few days ago, a lady told the republican presidential hopeful that she didn't trust Obama because she'd read that he was an "Arab."

McCain answered: "No Ma'am, he's a decent family man."

The implication was clear: being Arab - or Muslim as we've seen in recent examples throughout the campaign - is considered so bad that accusing someone of belonging to that ethnic group is tantamount to an insult.

John McCain didn't answer: "Obama is American." McCain insisted that Obama was a "decent family man" and "citizen."

What if the woman had said she didn't trust Obama because he is Black? Would there have been outrage then? Would McCain's answer have been different?

The truth is that, throughout this campaign, the term Muslim or Arab has been routinely used as a slur. And both parties are playing the game.

One, for instance, by insisting on mentioning Obama's middle name "Hussein" to remind voters that he has foreign roots (of the kind not too popular these days;) the other by trying very hard to distance its candidate from any notion that he has Arab or Muslim origins. Remember the story of two veiled women being politely asked by staffers not to sit behind Barack Obama at a primary campaign event?

And who can forget the email campaigns "accusing" Obama of being a Muslim? Even journalists have used that verb. You can accuse someone of being a murderer or a liar, but a Muslim? When, in the mainstream lexicon, did being Arab or Muslim become a felony?

In a Huffington Post column, a headline asks "Is Muslim The New Queer?"

Some Arab-American groups are tired of their ethnic group being associated with radicalism and extremism and they are speaking out. I will be interviewing James Zogby, head of the Arab-American Institute on Your World Today in a few hours about this story.

Hope you tune in.

Syria To Open Embassy In Lebanon

2008-10-14T08:53:00.002-04:00

A poster shows Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, and Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, right, attached on a window shop with an Arabic writing that reads :" God protect Syria and Lebanon," in downtown Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008.

Assad issued a decree on Tuesday establishing diplomatic relations with Lebanon - a move reflecting Syria's readiness to meet key Western demands toward regional issues as it pursues indirect peace talks with Israel. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)

Jewish Festivities In Full Swing

2008-10-13T10:29:00.002-04:00

Ornaments for a Sukkah, a temporary structure built for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, for sale in the orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008. The weeklong holiday begins today. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Thanks for Yasmine Perni for sending in these pictures a few days ago of another Jewish ritual called Kaparot. It most often takes place a day before Yom Kippur.

The chicken is passed over one's head three times, symbolically transferring one's sins to the chicken. The chicken is then slaughtered and donated to the poor.

The Economic Crisis In Cairo

2008-10-08T14:43:00.002-04:00

In Egypt filming an hour-long special on the Middle East due to air in the nenxt few months, the Inside the Middle East team filed a quick spot on the financial crisis in Egypt for CNN International.

The main Cairo stock index has lost over 20% over the last two sessions. But for ordinary Egyptians, it is the price of basic commodities that is creating uncertainty and concern. There have been protests over the rising cost of food.

The worry for most Egyptians isn't the stock market, but the fruit and vegetable market.

Humiliation On The Squash Court

2008-10-05T12:46:00.004-04:00

--BY CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh

It is not everyday an 'ordinary Joe' plays sport with an athlete who is top of his or her game. So we at CNN were pretty excited not only to meet AmrShabana - squash's world champion and world ranked #1 since 2006 - but also for a chance for me to join him on the squash court.

I'm athletic. But I haven't swung a squash racket, well, for about as long as Shabana has been the squash's Best Player on Earth. Needless to say,I got spanked.

I think I may have scored one point, but only because Shabana had pity on me. Not that I remember, as I was too busy running around the court chasing after the ball to keep track.

Egyptian squash players are pushing to dominate the squash world rankings. Shabana goes for his fourth world championship title in Manchester, England this month. This week, two other Egyptians join Shabana in the upper echelon of the Professional Squash Association's World Rankings.. .clinching three of the top six spots for the first time.

Find out why Egyptians are so goodatsquash, by watching my story "Egypt's Squash Mania" on CNN.

After crashing into the squash court wall (more than once,) I tossed all shame aside and (breathlessly) suggested to Amr and the film crew that we take a breather for a few digital still photos. We'd post more snaps of Amr and I "in the game" - but the images are out of focus and blurry. Apparently the guy holding the digital camera was laughing too hard to hold the camera still.

Shabana goes for his FOURTH world title at the squash championships in Manchester this month. Is Egypt poised for world dominance in the sport? Tell us what you think...

Would You Like Fries With That?

2008-10-05T12:43:00.001-04:00

Fom Middle East News

Paris - The difficulties the French have in pronouncing the letter 'h' landed the country's foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, in hot water.

Israeli media quoted the minister as saying Israel 'will eat' Iran if the Islamic Republic gained possession of nuclear weapons, prompting Kouchner's office to issue a statement of clarification on Sunday.

Kouchner wanted to say in an interview given in English that Israel would 'hit' Iran if it developed nuclear weapons. But journalists apparently mistook his pronunciation of 'hit' for 'eat,' the statement said.

Kouchner, who is currently visiting the Mideast, profoundly regretted the misunderstanding, the foreign ministry said.

A Visit To Iraq's "Ground Zero"

2008-10-03T11:27:00.003-04:00

-- By CNN's Jomana Karadsheh

It was my first time at Iraq’s ground zero.

Al- Askari Shrine in Samarra, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest sites, was bombed twice. It was the first bombing on February 22nd 2006 that destroyed the shrine’s golden dome, and the one that would change Iraq forever.

The US Military and the Iraqi Government blamed al-Qaeda in Iraq. Shiites blamed Sunnis for the attack on the shrine that houses the tombs of two of Shiite Islams 12 revered Imams.

Soon, reprisal attacks against Sunnis escalated into a bloody sectarian war that plagued the country and claimed tens of thousands of lives. Chills ran down my spine as I thought of the lives lost since that day.

The U.S. Military organized our media trip to the city after it was recently listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The security situation in Iraq, including the predominantly Sunni city of Samarra, has changed for the better over the past few months, but little looked like it had changed at the Shrine itself. Rubble from the bombings was still piled high, lining the sides of the road leading to the shrine.

The few workers on site looked unenthused. The shrine is now protected by Shiite guards deployed by Iraq's Prime Minister. The tough looking guards asked our U.S. military escorts to stay outside as they took us into the shrine complex. Citing orders from the PM, they hurried us through parts of the shrine and scrambled what we could film.

But just a few months ago a similar tour might not have been possible. “You couldn’t walk here without taking fire” one soldier said. The security situation in Samarra has drastically improved in recent months and U.S. commanders attribute that to a number of factors including the Sons of Iraq, mainly former Sunni fighters who have turned against al-Qaeda.

Following our visit to the shrine, soldiers from the 101st Airborne drove us back to their base, just a few minutes drive from al-Askari compound. What once was “The Samarra Resort Restaurant” is now U.S. Patrol Base Olsen. We were taken up to a rooftop of one of the buildings for a joint press conference by US and Iraqi commanders. The view from the roof was breathtaking… it was one of the very few times I had the chance to admire the beauty of Iraq. A panoramic view of a Samarra landmark- the 9th century minaret (al-Malwiyya), al-Askari shrine and the lush farmlands on the banks of the Tigris.

The charismatic US commander in Samarra, Lieutenant Colonel J.P. McGee, said just the fact that we were standing on the roof was evidence of the city’s security transformation. But like the rest of the country, these remarkable security gains are fragile and that is why McGee and his men have now shifted their focus to rebuilding the city and are working with local leaders to provide residents with essential services like power and water.

McGee says by getting services to the people of Samarra they will have no reason to fight the government. Up until a few months ago, Samarra was a stronghold of al-Qaeda in Iraq. One local resident said insurgents had terrorized the population with bombings, kidnappings and public executions. Until recently the city was paralyzed.

Also paralyzed up until six months ago was the reconstruction of the shrine. Samarra’s mayor says he expects al-Askari shrine to be rebuilt in two years. Captain Josh Kurtzman, commander of Charlie Company smiled when I asked him how it feels to have such an important shrine as part of his area of responsibility.

“It’s a great responsibility, the most important thing that I think I have been able to do in my life so far and most interesting time of my life has been in this city I would say just because of all the history …both old history and history being made” he said, standing in the shadow of the destroyed shrine.

Kurtzman says rebuilding al-Askari takes time. The young commander said if the Vatican needed to be rebuilt, people would want to take their time too. As our chopper took off, I gazed at the shrine and wondered if the wounds it left in Iraq would ever heal.

Sea, Jetskis And Sun In... Iraq?

2008-10-01T09:03:00.007-04:00

For most of the last twenty years, Iraq has been synonymous with war, economic sanctions, bloody sectarian conflict and hopelessness.

But there was a time, even amidst the brutality of the Saddam Hussein regime, where there were vacation resorts that attracted not only tourists but substantial investment money.

One of those resorts on lake Habbaniye, in the heart of Iraq's Sunni heartland, is starting to inch its way back to life. The improved security situation means a few ordinary Iraqis are once again taking the time to relax with their families and friends by the water.

Baghdad correspondent Arwa Damon sent me these pictures of a story she shot for Inside the Middle East.

Arwa writes: "The Habbaniye Resort was once allegedly voted “best resort in the Middle East.” Sanction began its initial decline into decay, and after the 2003 US-led invasion, it deteriorated completely. Surprisingly, even though it is located between Ramadi and Falluja in what was Al Qaeda’s heartland, it was never over run by insurgents – the employees defended the place. Today, tour buses run from Baghdad, taking Iraqis on day trips to the lakeside; but it is a shadow of what it was."

The sandy waterfront is littered with trash (picture 2) and the once chic reception area of the resort (picture 3) is still abandoned and damaged.

Arwa says of the couple in the middle picture: "Ahmed and his wife – a young couple from Baghdad, making their first trip with 38 other family members. He married her after her father – his best friend – was gunned down. They do believe that Iraq will be a place where they can raise a family."

Check out Arwa's story on the Habbaniye resort on this month's edition of Inside the Middle east.

Muslims And Jews Celebrate

2008-09-30T09:26:00.003-04:00

To all of our Muslim and Jewish readers for whom important religious holidays fall today and tomorrow, happy Eid and happy Rosh Hashana!

"Cowards Have No Place To Hide"

2008-09-30T09:16:00.002-04:00

In most countries, giant public billboards are used to advertise shopping malls, car dealerships or off-road fast food restaurants.

But in Iraq, many billboards are used for public service announcements against terrorist organizations. Others promote cross-confessional entente.

Check out these two interesting signs on the streets of Baghdad, snapped by CNN producer Jomana Karadsheh.

"You cowards of Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Al Qaeda in Iraq, you will have no place to hide."

This billboard reads: "Ramadan unites us."

Olmert Bombshell: Give Back 67 Land For Peace

2008-09-30T07:35:00.003-04:00

The outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert may be on his way out, but he seems determined not to leave quietly.

In an interview in daily newspaper Yediot Aharanot, Olmert says Israel should exchange most of the West Bank the Golan Heights in any peace deal with the Arabs.

"The decision we are going to have to make is a decision we have been refusing for 40 years to look at open-eyed," Olmert told Yediot Aharonot. "The time has come to say these things. The time has come to put them on the table."

But here's the big surprise. The Israeli leader says he feels that if his country is to live in true peace with the Palestinians, then it must consider exiting East Jerusalem.

"This decision is difficult, terrible, a decision that contradicts our natural instincts, our innermost desires, our collective memories, the prayers of the Jewish people for 2,000 years."

(Photo AFP/Getty)

The Beautiful Game In An Ugly War

2008-09-29T09:27:00.005-04:00

Thank you to CNN Baghdad producer Jomana Karadsheh for sending me these pictures of the Iraqi national football team.

The players are training in Baghdad for the first time in four years. I remember being in Baghdad when they wowed the world with their amazing performance at the Asian Cup, uniting the country in a national pride no political initiative seems to achieve.

Jomana writes that the fans who come to the stadium everyday are local children from the nearby Sadr city slum area. They see these players as their heroes.

But the horrors of Iraq's bloody war are always present: right outside the training area, the carcasses of cars destroyed in explosions over the years pepper the perimeter outside stadium.

Seventeen Dead In Car Bomb

2008-09-27T08:41:00.004-04:00

This is the kind of headline you'd expect in Iraq, not in Syria. But it happened earlier today on a main road between Damascus airport and the Syrian capital.

These sorts of attacks are extremely rare in Syria.

So who is behind it?

Well, the explosion occurred near some Syrian military intelligence offices. Large scale attacks in Syria may be rare, but in recent years, there has been some low-scale religious militant activity by groups opposed to Syria's secular military regime.

The car that killed at least 17, all of them reportedly civilians, was packed with 200 kilos of explosives.

Are extremist Sunni militants shifting to a higher gear in Syria?

Perhaps, but let's keep in mind the blast rocked an area close to a major Shia shrine. Could the attackers have attempted to target pilgrims?

Regardless of who is responsible, this will have hardline regime authorities - an ordinary Syrians - worried.

(Photo AP - a man cleans up debris after an explosion blew out windows and damaged property in a Damascus suburb.)