NB: For other Mozarabic writings:

. The Byzantine-Arabic Chronicle
. The Mozarabic Chronicle
. Correspondence between Álvaro of Córdoba and Speraindeo (/Speraindeus)
. Eulogius' Defence of the Martyrs of Córdoba

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The jihadist group Jama'at Ansar al-Islam- of Iraqi origin but primarily active in northwest Syria- released a message of congratulations to the Ummah (the global Muslim community) on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. The themes of the message are familiar, such as emphasising the need for the Ummah to take up the obligation of jihad and return entirely to the guidance of the Prophet and revive its glory. Only then, the message argues, will the joy of Eid be complete. More generally, the message highlights some ideas behind the Eid and the Hajj pilgrimage, such as migration in traversing long distances with the aim of pleasing God.

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It is well established that the jihadist groups outside of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and not aligned with it do not have the same wealth and resources of HTS to support their efforts on the ground in northwest Syria. The difference lies in the fact that these groups exert no real control over territory. As a result, they cannot make money through means such as fees of border crossings, taxation for services and so on. Instead, they generally have to rely on outside contributions and things seized in raids and operations against enemies. The recent security campaigns of HTS against many of these groups have also added to their woes.

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The previous post on Eulogius' defence of the martyrs of Córdoba included an early Latin biography of the Prophet Muhammad. The biography was extremely disparaging in tone, accusing Muhammad of being driven by Satan and excess libido, while commanding his followers to butcher their opponents. At the same time, the biography does capture some concrete details about Muhammad's life that coincide with the traditional Islamic accounts, such as the appearance of the angel Gabriel to him, the composition of suras of the Qur'an and Muhammad's marriage to Zaynab bint Jahsh (who had been the wife of Zayd bin Haritha).

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Last month on this blog I featured an interview about beekeeping in the al-Qardaha area in Latakia province and how it has been impacted because of the war and the deterioration in the economic situation. Owing to the popular reception of that interview, I decided to continue on the subject of beekeeping and interviewed on 13 July 2020 a beekeeper based in Deraa province in southern Syria. The interview is slightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Q: Can you tell me a little about yourself? How many years have you been working in beekeeping? How has the beekeeping been in recent years especially amid the war?

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