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Militarization of Uprising was Revolution’s Biggest Mistake: Droubi

Muslim Brotherhood leader says organization tried for a year to prevent the Syrian uprising from turning into armed struggle
Militarization of Uprising was Revolution’s Biggest Mistake: Droubi

Molham al-Droubi, a key leader in the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood group, announced that the Islamist movement has not and will not disavow the Syrian revolution.

Droubi said in a phone call on Monday with Rozana Radio that the group “did not support the option of militarizing the revolution except after March 2012, following the attack carried out by Bashar (al-Assad’s) militias on the Baba Amr district, which resulted in its destruction.”

Droubi said that what he announced earlier this week on his Facebook page “was not an announcement of halting support, but a confirmation that the transformation of the revolution from peaceful to a military revolution was because of the excessive violence used by Bashar al-Assad.”

The Brotherhood member announced through his Facebook on Tuesday that “The biggest mistake the revolution made was becoming militarized,” and that the organization tried for a full year “to prevent this transformation,” but that it was unable in the end after a sweeping movement was formed in support of armament because of the “excessive violence” the regime employed against peaceful marches.

When asked about the possibility the Brotherhood’s support for the revolution would recede because of the transformation of the Turkish-Russian relationship, Droubi denied that the Brotherhood’s position is connected with any change in relations between international parties, saying: “The Brotherhood’s position is fixed and continuous until the downfall of Bashar al-Assad,” adding that, “The Brotherhood is an original part of the revolution and an original part of the Syrian social fabric.”

Droubi said that the accusations that have been directed at the group in terms of harming the revolution confirmed that “the group is a part of the revolution and not the whole revolution,” and therefore it has a right to “participate in building its institutional umbrella.”

Regarding the accusations directed at the group for causing a loss of Homs to the benefit of the Syrian regime, Droubi said that “the errors are not connected with Homs in particular,” and that “error is a feature of action,” asking: “Didn’t others make mistakes as well?”

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author

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