Raqqa, 5 years after liberation turns into center for consolidating democratic nation

Al-Raqqa passed through its history in many stages, perhaps the most difficult was when ISIS occupied it and imposed a reactionary model.

19 October, 2022 22:50

Al-Raqqa - Juma Muhammad

Long centuries ago, the city of Raqqa witnessed prosperity stages, specifically in the Abbasid era when Caliph Harun al-Rashid gave this city more importance than others, taking into account its distinctive location on the Euphrates River, the backbone of life in the Mesopotamian regions.

However, according to many historians, the motives of the Abbasid Caliph were far from being based on emotion, as he gave the city's strategic location a special importance, being on the road between Byzantium, Damascus and Mesopotamia (Mesopotamia), but what he built collapsed after the Mongol invasion area in 1258.

Raqqa returned to try to rise, and this took many years, when the Baath Party ruled Syria after centuries and decades of occupation of the region by several forces, the city was not on an equal footing with the rest of the sister Syrian cities.

The Baathist regime poisoned the Syrian society and its social fabric, as it sought and worked hard to perpetuate racism, discrimination and regionalism during its rule over Syria, and Raqqa received a large share of this policy, until ISIS came, which sought to obliterate its civilization.

The so-called "capital of the caliphate" and a center of ISIS thought and mentality

The city of Raqqa, in particular, was within the range of ISIS mercenaries before it was liberated by the Syrian Democratic Forces in 2017, as the city formed a vital stronghold for the leaders of mercenaries, and prisons were spread in it, it played a pivotal role in managing the occupation operations of the lands in Syria and Iraq.

In mid-2014, the city of Raqqa fell into the hands of ISIS mercenaries, after it was occupied by the "Free Army" groups, which occupied the city as the first Syrian areas that fell out of the control of the Damascus government, so that Raqqa quickly turned into the alleged ISIS capital and its most important stronghold in Syria.

During the 3 years of ISIS occupation, Raqqa gained a great deal of importance and expand into Syria, gather strength and threaten the world.

After the fall of Raqqa in the hands of ISIS, the Syrian cities and towns fell into the hands of the mercenaries, one after the other, until ISIS was able to occupy large areas in Syria, and the same in neighboring Iraq.

The occupation of Raqqa, which has a population of 944,000 people, constituted a great support for the ranks of ISIS, and because of its strategic location in Syrian territory and the node between the east, west, north and south, becoming the "capital of the alleged ISIS caliphate".

Shortly after its occupation, Raqqa became a launching pad for ISIS to launch its attacks on neighboring areas, and its most prominent attack was launched on Kobani from Raqqa.

Moreover, Raqqa was a major center of support coming to it across the Turkish border, which was wide open to ISIS from Tal Abyad, north of Raqqa, and Jarabulus, and al-Ra’i, north of Aleppo, Turkish support for ISIS entered Syrian territory to reach Raqqa, from which it is distributed to the rest of the country.” The mercenaries' states, all the way to the Iraqi lands where ISIS did not have an outlet with Turkey, so that reliance was limited to the Syrian-Turkish border.

In addition, foreign mercenaries were stationed in Raqqa, their alleged capital, and they carried out management and direction operations, in addition to media production, which was the most prominent means of ISIS intimidation and attraction to join its ranks from various countries.

Where the people of Raqqa witnessed with their own eyes and the world, through the screens, the brutality of ISIS in its terrifying dealings with the local population, including burning people alive, cutting heads and hanging them in public squares to spread terror in the hearts of the people.

All these factors prompted ISIS mercenaries to make Raqqa a center for implementing its extremist and reactionary ideology, and the mentality that rejects the reality of society.

Raqqa into a center for the development of the democratic nation and Autonomous-administration

On November 6, 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces officially launched the "Euphrates Wrath" campaign to liberate the city of Raqqa and its countryside from ISIS.

Where the Syrian Democratic Forces included the sons of the components in northern and eastern Syria and the international fighters in the process of defeating ISIS in its big stronghold, the city of Raqqa.

After nearly a year of fierce battles in the city's neighborhoods and neighboring towns, the SDF managed to liberate the entire city of Raqqa on October 20, 2017.

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In an interview conducted by our agency on the anniversary of the liberation of Raqqa; The co-chair of the Legislative Council in the Civil Administration of Raqqa and its countryside, Khaled Barkal, says, in reference to ISIS, that "these have tampered with the infrastructure by imposing reactionary policies. During the era of ISIS and the various factions’ control over Raqqa, and through the criminal behaviors, we saw great popular discontent.”

Speaking about the beginnings of the change that followed the liberation of Raqqa, Barkal added: "When we liberate Raqqa, we saw how Raqqa woman removed the black clothes and celebrated the arrival of the Syrian Democratic Forces. These scenes suggest the social heritage of the city of Raqqa. , this city in which social groups were in solidarity, coexistence and cooperation between them, the city that carries the culture of coexistence since time immemorial, but ISIS various policies that came within the framework of serving external parties, wanted to create a rift between the social fabric of this city to give all what is extraneous to pass it into the core of the culture of society."

For many years, the city of Raqqa witnessed the coexistence of the Kurds with the Arabs, and the Muslim with the Christian, in a true embodiment of the reality of the society that has a long history in Raqqa. So, he expelled the Kurds and fought the Christians to sow the seeds of division, extremism and hatred among its inhabitants.

But all that changed as soon as the Syrian Democratic Forces liberated the city, as its people returned and participated in restoring life to it and built a democratic civil administration to organize life in it. Today, Raqqa has become the destination for Syrians from all sides.

Khaled Barkal says, "Here we must compare the era of the terrorists' control of this city and the period in which the region is experiencing the current experience of the Autonomous Administration. The people have transformed the devastation and the lean years into a new life away from the forces of darkness, as the city is witnessing an urban renaissance and possesses all the necessities of life, and the clans live With cooperation in security and safety, the city of Raqqa has now become the city that never sleeps, in conjunction with the contribution of hundreds of thousands of residents to the process of restoring life to this city, and this undoubtedly came thanks to the work of the Community Democratic Autonomous Administration, which provided most of its services until there is stability.

Barkal goes back, to talk about the past decades in which "components in Raqqa suffered from policies of exclusion and marginalization and the imposition of reactionary policies against women and society. With all segments of society, because the administration is essentially made up of the people with all its components.”

He points out that "it is now possible to study the situation in Raqqa, the standard of living and the form of administration in the Raqqa area and compare it with the past. Of course, there is a big change, but this does not mean that the administration does not fall into mistakes, pitfalls and shortcomings, but these mistakes remain individual and those who abuse the Autonomous Administration are held accountable. ".

He added: "Today, the Autonomous Administration, with all its sectors, joints, local councils and institutions, performs its duty and the historical responsibilities entrusted to it through those involved in the administration, as much as possible. Of course, there are negatives that accompany the process of consolidating the concept of community management. Of course, we are aware of the size of the sacrifices and historical heroisms made by the fighters. Syrians to liberate Raqqa, and therefore we must bear this trust and complete this path with all sincerity in honor of the sacrifices of our young men and women.”

Much has changed in the city of Raqqa after its liberation, and it turned from a center of intimidation and brutality to a center of democracy, coexistence, justice and freedom, and its people took over its administration, and today it is the destination of thousands of people who fled the war in the neighboring Syrian regions. Statistics, according to local officials, indicate that Its population is now more than it was before the war.

ANHA