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Abu Dhabi
CNN
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Syrian victims of the devastating earthquake that hit their country and Turkey on Monday may become hostages of the politics that have divided Syria for over a decade, analysts have warned.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which struck southern Turkey in the early hours of Monday, was followed by more than 100 aftershocks and a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake. More than 11,000 have been killed across Syria and Turkey, and hundreds more are feared trapped under the rubble.
While Turkey has received an outpouring of support and aid from dozens of countries, outreach to Syria has been less enthusiastic, raising concerns that victims on one side of the Turkish-Syrian border may be neglected while others are provided for.
“Syrians must not be forgotten,” Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, told CNN. “Often, those who suffer the worst during such disasters are those who were already vulnerable.”
Observers say politics is to blame.
Turkey is a NATO member whose international stature has only grown in recent years. Syria, on the other hand, is ruled by a myriad of disparate groups. Its regime, internationally sidelined and heavily sanctioned due to its brutal suppression of an uprising there that started in 2011, counts Iran and Russia as its closest allies – both global pariahs.
The Syrian regime is shunned by most Western countries. But leader Bashar al-Assad has begun forging ties with former enemies as regional states welcome him back into the fold. Last year, the United Arab Emirates welcomed Assad in Abu Dhabi, and last month Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the pair may soon meet for peace talks.
Some of the areas of Syria most impacted by the earthquake are controlled by the regime, others by Turkish-backed and US-backed opposition forces, Kurdish rebels and Sunni Islamist fighters. Idlib, one of Syria’s last opposition strongholds, is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization, an armed Sunni Islamist group.
“It’s still an active conflict zone, the Syrian crisis is far from over,” said Charles Lister, senior fellow and director of the Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC. “The UN aid mission is a complicated set up.”
Seventy countries and 14 international organizations have offered Turkey relief following the quake, Erdogan said on Tuesday, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Israel and Russia.
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Workers unload aid sent by Iran at the airport in Syria's northern city of Aleppo early on February 8, 2023.
The international aid situation in Syria is less clear. So far, the UAE, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Egypt, Algeria and India have already sent relief directly to regime-controlled airports. Others such as Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, China, Canada and the Vatican have pledged aid; however it is unclear if that relief will be sent directly to the regime.
The regime insists that all aid to the country, including aid that is meant for areas outside its control, be directed to the capital Damascus.
“We are ready to work with all who want to provide Syria, from inside Syria, so access from inside Syria is there,” Syria’s representative to the UN, Bassam al-Sabbagh, told a news conference in New York on Monday. “So, anyone who’d like to help Syria they can coordinate with the government and we will be ready to do so.”
That hasn’t been received well by activists and observers who fear that the regime could hamper timely aid to thousands of quake victims in rebel-held areas, most of whom are women and children, according to the UN.
“The Assad regime has systematically siphoned off aid and/or blocked it from reaching non-regime areas (in the past),” tweeted Mai El-Sadany, a Washington-based human rights lawyer and managing editor at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. “The international community must urgently find ways to ensure that emergency assistance and support reaches the people of northwest Syria.”
Syria’s ministry of foreign affairs did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
An aerial view of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey, on February 18, 2023.
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Tent city set up in Hatay, Turkey by the coordination of Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) of Turkey on February 18.
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People pray for earthquake victims at Grand Camlica Mosque during the Lailat al Miraj in Istanbul on February 17.
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People wait near a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, hoping for news of their missing relatives on February 14.
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Children sleep in a tent in Idlib, Syria, where an amusement part was turned into a shelter for earthquake victims.
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A man walks near a building that toppled over onto a neighboring structure in Golbasi, Turkey, on February 13.
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People dig graves for earthquake victims in Idlib on February 13.
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People line up to receive supplies in Samandag, Turkey, on February 13.
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This satellite image, taken on February 13, shows a landslide blocking a road in Islahiye, Turkey.
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Two people walk through earthquake ruins in Hatay on February 12.
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Members of a Greek rescue team work at the site of a collapsed building in Hatay on February 11.
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Sezai Karabas is put on a stretcher after being rescued from rubble in Gaziantep, Turkey, on February 11. Karabas' young daughter Sengul was also rescued.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with residents in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on February 11.
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Residents walk near a destroyed mosque in Antakya, Turkey, on Friday, February 10.
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People bury earthquake victims in Adiyaman, Turkey, on February 10.
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Rescuers try to free a child trapped under rubble in Hatay on February 10.
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People sit on furniture outside damaged buildings in Jandaris, Syria, on February 10.
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Cranes remove debris next to destroyed buildings in Antakya on February 10.
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People mourn their loved ones as earthquake victims are buried in Adiyaman on February 10.
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Rubble is seen in Kahramanmaras on February 10.
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A man lies on a stretcher after he was rescued in Kahramanmaras on February 10.
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This aerial photo shows damage in Kahramanmaras on February 10.
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Raziye Kilinc is carried through a crowd on a stretcher after she was rescued from a destroyed building in Iskenderun, Turkey, on February 10. Her daughter is seen waving at the top.
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A man walks past collapsed buildings in Hatay on February 10.
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Search-and-rescue workers aid a cat that was rescued in Kahramanmaras on February 10.
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A woman mourns at a hospital in Kahramanmaras while others rest nearby on February 10.
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Rescuers carry Zeynep Kahraman after
pulling her alive from the rubble of a building in Kirikhan, Turkey, on February 10.
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A rescuer shows a hole where he was speaking to Kahraman while she was still under the debris on February 9.
IHA via AP
Destruction is seen in the city center of Kahramanmaras on February 9.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Rescuers move a 14-year-old girl from under some rubble in Kahramanmaras on February 9.
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Firefighter Erhan Sarac and other rescue team members celebrate after a successful evacuation in Elbistan, Turkey, on February 9.
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Mehmet Nasir Duran sits on a chair as heavy machines remove debris from a building where five of his family members were trapped in Nurdagi, Turkey, on February 9.
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People stand next to the dead bodies of earthquake victims in Elbistan on February 9.
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A man, center, reacts after rescue team members removed the dead body of his father in Elbistan.
Kemal Aslan/Reuters
Members of search-and-rescue teams work at the site of a collapsed building in Hatay on February 9.
IHA via AP
Destruction is seen in the center of Hatay on February 9.
Hussein Malla/AP
A couple mourns the loss of their daughter as her body is transferred to Syria from the Turkish crossing point of Cilvegozu on February 9.
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A bird pulled from the rubble in Hatay is given water on February 9.
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Search-and-rescue efforts continue in Aleppo on February 8.
Umit Bektas/Reuters
Abdulalim Muaini lies under the rubble next to the body of his wife, Esra, in Hatay on February 8.
Reuters reported that he was pulled out of the rubble later and survived. His children also died.
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Rescuers carry a man who was stuck in the rubble for two days in Hatay.
Burak Kara/Getty Images
Rescue workers carry
8-year-old survivor Yigit Cakmak from the site of a collapsed building in Hatay on February 8. It was more than 50 hours after the earthquake struck. The boy was passed from rescuer to rescuer until he was finally in the arms of his mother who was waiting at the site.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
People work at the site of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras on February 8.
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Volunteers distribute aid to people in Antakya on February 8.
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A firefighter works at the Turkish port of Iskenderun, where a fire broke out in the aftermath of the quake.
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Mahmut Salman, 16, is rescued in Hatay on February 8.
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A person walks among tents in Kahramanmaras on February 8.
Hussein Malla/AP
The foot of a dead child is seen under a destroyed building in Kahramanmaras on February 8.
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A firefighter searches for people in the rubble of a destroyed building in Gaziantep on February 8.
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Search-and-rescue teams carry 2-year-old Vafe Sabha, who was pulled from rubble along with her mother in Hatay on February 8.
Kemal Aslan/Reuters
Volunteers share an emotional moment as they take part in a rescue operation in Hatay on February 8.
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Search-and-rescue efforts continue in Hatay on February 7.
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Mesut Hancer
holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter Irmak, who died in Kahramanmaras.
Burak Kara/Getty Images
Smoke billows from the port in Iskenderun as emergency workers continue rescue efforts on February 7.
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Two people embrace near the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay on February 7.
Francisco Seco/AP
Emergency workers search for people in a destroyed building in Adana, Turkey, on February 7.
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People in the Syrian village of Hajji Iskandar mourn over the bodies of a family and close neighbors who were killed in the quake.
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People wait for news of their loved ones, who were believed to be trapped under a collapsed building in Hatay on February 7.
IHA via AP
Destruction is seen in Hatay's city center on February 7.
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Police carry a child who was rescued from rubble in Hatay on February 7.
Khalil Ashawi/Reuters
A man reacts in Jandaris on February 7.
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Search-and-rescue efforts continue through cold weather conditions in Malatya, Turkey, on February 7.
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A woman mourns for a dead relative in Turkey's Hatay province on February 7.
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People try to identify the bodies of victims outside a hospital in Aleppo on February 6.
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A rescue team works at a collapsed building in Osmaniye, Turkey, on February 6.
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A child looks out from a bus where people were sleeping in Antakya on February 6.
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People gather around a bonfire in Kahramanmaras.
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Search-and-rescue personnel work at a collapsed building in Malatya on February 6.
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Residents rescue an injured girl from the rubble of a collapsed building in Jandaris on February 6.
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Rescuers work in Antakya on February 6.
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A man weeps as he carries the body of his infant son who was killed in Jandaris.
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This aerial photo shows damage in Hatay on February 6.
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A fire burns near overturned containers in Hatay.
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People wait as rescue operations take place in Diyarbakir on February 6.
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People search a destroyed building in Adana on February 6.
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This aerial photo shows a damaged building in Adana.
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Quake victims are treated in the emergency ward of the Bab al-Hawa hospital in Syria's Idlib province.
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A person climbs through the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay.
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A man reacts as people search for survivors in Diyarbakir.
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A person is rescued from a destroyed building in Gaziantep.
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Residents search through collapsed buildings in the Syrian village of Besnia.
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A building is destroyed in Adana.
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A woman reacts as rescuers search for survivors in Adana.
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Civilians and members of the Syria Civil Defense try to save people trapped beneath a destroyed building in Idlib.
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Aydin Arik/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Search-and-rescue efforts continue at the site of a destroyed building in Diyarbakir.
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A cat is tended to after being rescued from the rubble in Diyarbakir.
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Emergency workers rescue a child from a collapsed building in Diyarbakir.
Sertac Kayar/Reuters
People work through the rubble of a collapsed building in Diyarbakir.
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People search for survivors in Diyarbakir.
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Members of the Syria Civil Defense, aka the White Helmets, retrieve an injured man from the rubble of a collapsed building in Azaz, Syria.
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People search a destroyed building in Diyarbakir.
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People look on at the site of a destroyed building in Adana.
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People search under the rubble of a building that collapsed in Azmarin, Syria.
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People warm themselves outside of earthquake-affected areas in Aleppo on February 6.
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The historic Yeni Mosque is damaged in Malatya.
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People search through rubble at a destroyed building in Diyarbakir.
In northwest Syria, where the UN says more than 4.1 million people already depend on humanitarian aid, a political and military standoff between Assad and opposition forces is only expected to stifle international assistance.
“There is likely to be less international assistance provided to opposition areas because that is additionally complicated,” Lister told CNN. “It’s not an area controlled by a sovereign government and makes it difficult for aid operators.”
Already, UN aid to the region has been disrupted due to damage inflicted on roads by the earthquake, the UN has said. The damaged Bab al-Hawa crossing is the only humanitarian aid corridor between Turkey and Syria.
“We are exploring all avenues to reach people in need and conducting assessments on feasibility,” Madevi Sun-Suon, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), told CNN on Tuesday. “We do have aid but this road issue is a big challenge as of now.”
Majzoub said residents of the northwest “live in appalling conditions, with little access to adequate shelter, water, sanitation, and healthcare, due to the Syrian government’s denial and obstruction of access to essential services.”
The rebel-held region is also grappling with a harsh winter and deadly cholera outbreak.
“They depend entirely on humanitarian aid facilitated by the UN cross-border mechanism from Turkey, which allows the UN and its partners to provide aid without the authorization of the Syrian government,” she said.
Firas Makdesi/Reuters
A man who evacuated his home warms up next to a fire in the aftermath of the earthquake, in Aleppo, Syria, February 8, 2023.
The Syrian regime has also used the opportunity to call for sanctions against it to be lifted. Its UN envoy Sabbagh said on Tuesday that planes refused to land at Syrian airports because of American and European sanctions. “So even those countries who want to send humanitarian assistance, they cannot use the airplane cargo because of the sanctions,” he said in New York.
The Damascus-based Syrian Arab Red Crescent made a similar appeal on Tuesday, adding that it was ready to deliver aid into rebel-held areas.
In November, a UN-appointed human rights expert called for the immediate lifting of unilateral sanctions against Syria, saying they are exacerbating the destruction and trauma suffered by ordinary citizens there.
The US has, however, ruled out changing its position on the regime.
“It would be quite ironic, if not even counterproductive, for us to reach out to a government that has brutalized its people over the course of a dozen years now – gassing them, slaughtering them, being responsible for much of the suffering that they have endured,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told a media briefing on Monday.
Some analysts agree that the regime could exploit the tragedy for its own benefit.
“It’s a very convenient time for the regime to be making that argument because if sanctions were dropped, the ramifications of the much broader geopolitical situation would be game changing,” said Lister.
Additional reporting by CNN’s Chris Liakos
Iran reveals an underground air force base
Iran on Tuesday revealed an underground air force base called “Eagle 44,” the first in the country large enough to house fighter jets, the official IRNA news said. The “Eagle 44” base is capable of storing and operating fighter jets and drones, IRNA said. The report did not elaborate on the location of the base.
- Background: In May, Iran’s army gave details about another underground base, which houses drones, constructed as the country seeks to protect military assets from potential air strikes by regional arch foe Israel.
- Why it matters: The announcement comes less than 10 days after a drone attack on a military plant in Iran’s central city of Isfahan that US media outlets attributed to Israel. IRNA said the new underground base was one of the country’s most important air force bases, built deep underground, housing fighters equipped with long-range cruise missiles.
Swedish PM ready to restart talks with Turkey when Ankara is
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Tuesday he was ready to restart stalled negotiations over Sweden’s application to join NATO as soon as Turkey was, Reuters reported.
- Background: Finland and Sweden sought NATO membership shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and while most member states have ratified the applications, Turkey has yet to give its approval in what must be a unanimous process. Turkey last week said it looks positively on Finland’s application, but does not support Sweden’s, even though the two Nordic neighbors are seeking to join at the same time.
- Why it matters: The three nations last year reached an agreement on a way forward, but Ankara suspended talks last month as tensions rose following protests in Stockholm, where a far-right politician burned a copy of the Quran. Turkey goes to elections in May.
Qatari, Bahraini foreign ministers discuss launching talks to end unresolved issues
Bahrain’s foreign minister met with his Qatari counterpart in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Tuesday to discuss mechanisms to launch talks on unresolved issues between the two countries, Bahrain’s state news agency reported.
- Background: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt ended a three-year political and economic boycott of Qatar in January 2021. But since then there have been no bilateral discussions between Doha and Manama to resolve remaining differences. All but Bahrain restored travel and trade links in 2021.
- Why it matters: The move comes amid an apparent thaw in relations. Bahrain’s crown prince spoke with Qatar’s emir in a phone call last month, in a sign the two Gulf states could move towards repairing relations two years after the Arab boycott was lifted. The conversation came after the Qatari emir and Bahrain’s king attended a small Arab summit hosted by the UAE’s president in Abu Dhabi.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia: #We_are_all_AlMosahf
Muslim Twitter users are fuming that a hugely popular Twitter account has been suspended.
AlMosahf (The Quran), an account that tweeted snippets from the Islamic holy book, had more than 13 million followers before Twitter took action against it.
An Arabic hashtag showing solidarity with the account was trending in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Many users saw it as an attempt to silence Muslims, and called on Twitter and its owner Elon Musk to reconsider the decision.
One user addressed Musk, saying: “I don’t think it violated the Twitter rules because its tweets are quoted from the Holy Quran. We demand the lifting of the suspension of this account.”
Not all users were upset with the suspension. Some decried the account’s use of incomplete Quranic verses that they said are taken out of context and thus change the meaning of the text.
The account owner appears to run sister accounts in English, French and German, on which it posts translations of Quranic verses. Another sister account that shows Quranic videos has been campaigning for the original account to be unblocked.
Twitter’s communications account didn’t respond to CNN’s request for comment.
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A craftswoman takes part in the 16th International Exhibition of Tourism and Related Industries in Tehran, Iran on Tuesday.