Talk:Maan Massacre

The Victims: Sunni or Alawite?
When a horrific massacre of civilians happens during an Islamist rebel occpuation of an Alawite town, clearly the concern is that Alawites were killed. When rebels insist it was the minority Sunnis, with whom they sympathized, yet failed to protect, well... that in itself clearly isn't suited to put any concerns to bed.

Nonetheless, some things rebels say are true - usually the number of dead is reported accurately. And peoples' sect is another point they might have a hard time lying about - tainting the Sunni label by placing it on Alawite scum might be unbearable. On reflection, I've decided it's quite likely they're right - there is often a minority community in larger towns, and maybe even one as small as Ma'an. Sunnis who were willing to live peacefully with Alawites might, in fact, raise the ire of the Islamists as much as anything. Maybe they offered clemency for that if the male heads executed some of their Alawi neighbors, and were beheaded with their families when they refused. Maybe the rebels rolled out afterwards shouting to the Alawite neighbors "we saw what you did here, you Shabiha scum! We'll get our revenge for it next time we come!" --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:34, 13 February 2014 (UTC)


 * In short, sectarian Sunni rebels will ahte sunnis who are friendly with Aalwi, as well as Alawi. In support of that, SyriaNews' Firas mentioned prior to the massacre, as hostility to Alawi grew in the area "residents of the eastern neighborhood finally volunteered to shop for the others in the town. As the eastern area was populated by Sunnis, not as much targeted as the others." However a contrary point comes buil-in to Firas' account. He's an Alawi from the western part, and says four of the dead anyway were his direct family members. --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:35, 6 August 2015 (UTC)

February 9, 2014

 * moved to Talk:Maan Massacre, 2014

Arabic Video Reports
Ran the Arabic name of the town through today's youtubes. Here's one "activist" telling the story to Al Jazeera Arabic: Execution of 23 civilians slaughtered with knives and burned to death at the hands of Assad forces. Nothing on Al Jazeera English's Syria Ticker, though. Also this report of a certain Al Haffa News turns up: Arabic: Musab al-Hammadi talking about meanings in Hama massacre 01/01/2013 And a couple of other Arab sources incl. Al Arabiya, apparently all pure "activist" talk with no specific footage: What is this, an Arab exclusive? Nobody but SPIEGEL informing the wider world? --CE (talk) 01:19, 2 January 2013 (UTC)
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35I1IVKCMvA
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XU7bF6BZzw
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guNn1wtnkhw
 * (all stricked were incorporated up front) --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:57, 3 January 2013 (UTC)
 * This is the trend in all propaganda: one set of lies for the Western audience, another set for those more likely to believe them. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 01:35, 2 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No, the Saudis et al. are more likely to sense the truth and tacitly approve. This increases funding among those who matter. That's my cynical, semi-informed opinion, anyway. But definitely as Petri notes, there's a divergence of info for the different character sets (Arabic or Roman) that's of crucial importance. Using both will get you way different results at Youtube or anywhere, of course. --Caustic Logic (talk) 05:03, 2 January 2013 (UTC)


 * No video of the dead, huh? How did they know of the deaths and details? Did they see it, or only hear about it? Every time 'the regime tries to frame the rebels' by killing people inside recently-conquered Alawite towns, the rebels don't want to show us the video, fearing it will look bad. It helps frame them. The other things that contribute are probably their own doing as well. --Caustic Logic (talk) 05:03, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

Arabic Text Reports
I took "مقتل 23 سوريا حماة معان " to Google Newsfor text reports. These two are hours old, likely related: --Caustic Logic (talk) 08:06, 2 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Anba Moscow
 * Not much. Google Trans: "And documented Local Coordination Committees in Syria, with the end of Tuesday, 136 people, including 44 in Hama, and 23 in the village of glitter, and 42 people in Damascus and its countryside, and others." --Caustic Logic (talk) 08:06, 2 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Kuwait report KUNA
 * Seriously? No copy text option? --Caustic Logic (talk) 08:06, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

This page gives some details and names for some of the dead, and entries for a total of 23. The seven children are unnamed, along with five adults. Three of those named had a son (unnamed) killed with them, for possibly ten children total. Details, auto-translated:
 * التقرير اليومي لمحافظة حماة 1-1-2013 Shaam News Network, Hama reports 1/1/2013
 * Hahoh system begins the new year a new massacre .. The village of Ma'an is initially received these martyrs sent to immortality and stay ... After the battles fought by the Free Army for the Liberation of barriers in the north-eastern countryside and being able to edit several barriers .. Provided buses Shabiha from everywhere to support the bands stamens there entered the village of Ma'an and committed horrible massacres against our brothers the Sunnis, who make up a small percentage of the village Vaugloa in their blood slaughtered and Tahedama for homes on their heads and then burned all the bodies .., has been reached twenty-three a martyr and the number is rising .. In addition to a number of martyrs under the rubble of demolished houses.
 * Translated again: After rebel forces liberated checkpoints in the area and took general control of the Alawite town, suddenly vicious Alawite Shabiha appeared in busses - BUSSES, for God's sake - and killed, like, the only Sunnis there, right then, just to spite their liberators. And also, the checkpoint-liberating bad-ass rebels were totally unable to stop these Alawite death cult magical ninjas, who all escaped into the night with no losses. One way or another, proof that rebels ain't fit to run security for Syria's Alawite villages. Things go bad whenever they get in charge, all sides agree. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:44, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Martyrs from Gloss (معان - Maan) / "slaughtered and then spent burning at the hands of forces loyal to the regime in the village" Arabic - (Google Translate) (incorporated) --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:19, 3 January 2013 (UTC)
 * خالد الخلف - (Khaled Back)
 * خلف خالد الخلف - (Behind Khaled Back)
 * معند الطوقاني - (Intractable Ataiwghani)
 * (name unknown -"son of a martyr intractable Ataiwghani")
 * فوزي العرير - (Fawzi Aeryr)
 * علي الراضي - (Ali Radi)
 * (name unknown-son of Ali Radi)
 * الشهيدة السيدة تركية أحمدالمحمد - (Turkish martyr Ms. Ahmdalmamed)
 * (name unknown, son of Ms. Ahmdalmamed)
 * عبدالله خضير المحمد - (Abdullah Khudair Mohammad)
 * أحمد خضير المحمد - (Ahmed Khudair Mohammad)
 * (name unknown)
 * (name unknown)
 * (name unknown)
 * (name unknown)
 * (name unknown)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)


 * Syria Politic Dec. 24 "Killing and wounding dozens in the "glitter" Hama countryside after Islamists attack "in revenge for the Halfaya""
 * Interesting source. Trans: Science "Syria Politik" that dozens of sons of the village of Maan, inhabited by members of the Muslim minority Alawite, had been killed and wounded after an attack by Islamist fighters, on their homes on the outskirts of the village. The village meanings belonging to the town of Soran Hama.
 * ... Opposition websites described the attack on the "glitter" as "an attack on villages Nusayris", she said in news headlines.
 * ... However, the sources civil in those areas I talked about killing dozens of civilians from the village, and some of them 'killed in his house, such as "Jacob safety"' ("يعقوب سلامة"), and said that the weapon found in the village is the weapon of an individual holds some villagers to defend it if attacked, as happened on Monday morning.