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Egypt’s Police, Syria’s Captagon, and a Diplomatic Thaw: A Media Arabic Analysis | Media Arabic Booster 07/24
This issue decodes the complex diplomacy between Turkey, Syria, and Qatar, and examines the shaping of Egypt’s “new republic” and its modern police force. Learn the Arabic vocabulary used to discuss normalization, refugees, and state power.
July 2024 was full of complex diplomatic signals across the Middle East, and in this Media Arabic Booster, we’ll unpack two major stories.
First, we’ll look at an Egyptian state-run magazine’s vision for a “modern police force” and what that tells us about the country’s shift from a police state to a military-led republic.
Then, we dive into a fascinating analysis from al-Arabi al-Jadeed on Turkish President Erdoğan’s invitation to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, exploring the pressures from the refugee crisis and Qatar’s potential “green light.”
This post will equip you with the Arabic vocabulary needed to discuss diplomacy, normalization, and state security.
Media Arabic Booster: 07/24 Show
A close look at a headline
Akhbar al-Hawadith: The police and the military in Egypt
- On 30 June 2013, protesters demonstrated across Egypt against Mohammed Morsi (محمد مرسي), the elected president of Egypt at that time and a prominent figure in the Muslim Brotherhood (الْإِخْوان).
- The protesters expressed their anger at the Muslim Brotherhood, which they accuse of hijacking Egypt’s revolution and using its electoral victories to monopolize power and impose Islamic law.
- Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (عبد الفتاح سعيد حسين خليل السيسي) led a coalition to remove President Mohamed Morsi from power and suspended Egypt’s 2012 constitution.
- A few days later, on 3 July 2013, the Egyptian military seized power.
- On 14 August 2013, Egyptian police and the armed forces, led by Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, used lethal force to break up two protest camps in Cairo: one at al-Nahda Square (ميدان النهضة) and a larger one at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square (مسجد رابعة العدوية). The camps were occupied by supporters of President Mohamed Morsi.
- The exact death toll is unclear, with conflicting estimates. Human Rights Watch reports at least 904 protesters were killed (817 in Rabaa Square and 87 in al-Nahda Square).
- These events in June and July 2013 were portrayed by the military as a way to eliminate the revolution of 2011, which led to the collapse of Hosni Mubarak’s regime (محمد حسني مبارك). For the military, the events in 2013 were the true revolution.
- Under Mubarak, the police forces were strong, which is why Egypt was called a police state. Now there is a military dictatorship that is trying to integrate the police into the structures.
Let’s focus on the headline:
بناء شرطة عصرية تواكب الجمهورية الجديدة
Building a modern police force that keeps pace with the new republic
Vocabulary list
All words marked in color above are explained here.
| ARABIC | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|
| بِناءٌ | building. It is the verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) of the I-verb بَنَى – يَبْنِي which means to build. Some examples: construction company (شَرِكةُ بِناءٍ); based on; on the basis of (بِناءً عَلَى) |
| شُرْطةٌ | police. A singular policeman is شُرْطِيٌّ. Some examples: to inform the police (أَبْلَغَ الشُّرْطةَ); police officer (ضابِطُ شُرْطَةٍ); police station (مَرْكَزُ الشُّرْطةِ) |
| عَصْرِيٌّ | modern; contemporary. It is the Nisba adjective (نِسْبةٌ) of the noun عَصْرٌ which means age; era; period. For example: contemporary technology (تكنولوجيا عَصْرِيَّةٌ) |
| واكَبَ – يُواكِبُ | to go along with; to accompany; to go together with (use a direct object in Arabic; not a preposition). III-verb. For example: to keep up with the times (واكَبَ الْعَصْرَ) |
What does al-Shurta (الشرطة) mean?
Most sources assume the following origin of the word al-Shurta (الشرطة): The police were given this name in reference to a strip of cloth that was placed on the hand over the clothing of the security man during the reign of Caliph ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān (الخليفة عبد الملك بن مروان) to distinguish them from the general public.
➤ How come? The root ش-ر-ط, in an old meaning, denotes to slit the ear of a camel. From this, it got the meaning of sign, token, mark; also condition. Note: The Biblical Hebrew word שֶׂרֶט (sheret) – with similar Semitic root letters – means stripe, incision, tear, line, scratch.
➤ Who was Abd al-Malik ibn Marwān? He was one of the most important caliphs of the Umayyads and ruled from 685 (65 AH) to 705 (86 AH). The Dome of the Rock – Qubbat al-Sakhrah (قُبّةُ الصَّخْرةِ) in Jerusalem (الْقُدْسُ) was built at the behest of Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. Construction began in 687 and was completed in 691. The word صَخْرٌ (pl.: صُخوُرٌ) means rock or stone in Arabic.
Translation of an article
Let’s look at parts of a longer newspaper article in Arabic. We will translate each sentence carefully. The highlighted words are in the vocabulary list below.
al-Arabi al-Jadeed: “Did Erdoğan obtain a green Qatari light to invite Al-Assad?”
On July 9, 2024, the following analysis was published in the Qatari-owned London-based newspaper al-Arabi al-Jadeed (العربي الجديد). The Turkish president is under political pressure to send back Syrian refugees, and in early July 2024, shops and vehicles belonging to Syrian residents were attacked and sometimes set on fire by rioters in several Turkish cities. In July, Erdoğan extended an invitation to the Syrian ruler.
Let’s now take a closer look at a few complete paragraphs.
Note: In June 2022, the Republic of Turkey officially changed its name at the United Nations to Türkiye. In this article, I will still use Turkey to avoid confusing readers.
Section 1
رجحت أوساط عربية أن يكون الرئيس التركي رجب طيب أردوغان قد حصل على ضوء أخضر من قطر لدعوة الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد إلى زيارة تركيا بعد سنوات من القطيعة والعداء. واعتبرت الأوساط ذاتها أن عودة أردوغان إلى تأكيد الدعوة بعد مرور أقل من أسبوعين على إثارة الموضوع تشير إلى حصوله على إشارات بشأن موافقة الأسد التي تكون قد تمت بعد التأكد من تحييد قطر التي رفضت ركوب قطار التطبيع مع دمشق قبل سنة ولم تؤيد عودة سوريا إلى الجامعة العربية.
Arab circles indicated that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan may have received a green light from Qatar to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to visit Turkey after years of estrangement and hostility. The same circles said (considered) that Erdoğan’s reiteration of the invitation less than two weeks after raising this issue indicates that he obtained signs of al-Assad’s approval. This may have happened after making sure that Qatar has now been convinced, knowing that the latter had refused to board the normalization train with Damascus a year ago and did not support Syria’s return to the Arab League.
Section 2
ولا يبدي الرئيس السوري تحمسا شديدا لاستعادة علاقاته السابقة مع تركيا، لكن تصريحات أردوغان المتتالية تعكس وجود تقدم في المفاوضات تجاه هذا الملف، ما يرجح دخول قطر على الخط خاصة مع غياب أي مؤشر على استعداد أنقرة لتنفيذ الشرط السوري المعلن والمتمثل في سحب تركيا قواتها من شمال سوريا. كما أن تصريحات الأسد قبل أيام لم تشر إلى شرط سحب تركيا قواتها من سوريا؛ حيث اكتفى بالحديث عن انفتاح بلاده على المبادرات الهادفة إلى عودة العلاقات مع أنقرة المستندة إلى سيادة الدولة السورية وضرورة محاربة كل التنظيمات الإرهابية.
The Syrian president doesn’t show much enthusiasm for restoring his previous relations with Turkey, but Erdoğan’s successive statements reflect that progress has been made in the negotiations on (regarding) this issue, which means that Qatar has probably entered the fray, especially in the absence of any sign indicating that Ankara will meet the declared Syrian condition, which is for Turkey to withdraw its forces from the Syrian north. Moreover, al-Assad’s statements a few days ago did not refer to the condition of Turkey pulling its troops from Syria. Instead, he merely spoke about his country’s openness to initiatives aimed at restoring relations with Ankara based on the sovereignty of the Syrian state and the need to fight all terrorist organizations.
Section 3
ويقول مراقبون إن الأسد حريص على فك عقدة العناد القطري ولو عن طريق الأتراك، خاصة أن تحسين العلاقات مع السعودية لم ينعكس بشكل إيجابي على وضع سوريا السياسي والاقتصادي، لافتين إلى أن المستفيد من تحسين العلاقات بين الرياض ودمشق هو السعودية لأنها تغلق باب الالتزامات مع فصائل المعارضة، وتترك النظام السوري أمام مسؤولية مواجهة تهريب المخدرات المصنعة في سوريا -مثل الكبتاغون- والمتجهة إلى السعودية.
Observers say that al-Assad is keen on resolving the problem (untieing the knot) of the Qatari stubbornness, even if via the Turks, especially since improving relations with Saudi Arabia has not had a positive impact on Syria’s political and economic situation. They point out that the beneficiary of improving relations Riyadh and Damascus is Saudi-Arabia, because this shall shut the door to the [Saudi] commitments with the opposition factions while leaving the Syrian regime with the responsibility of confronting the smuggling of drugs manufactured in Syria – such as Captagon – and heading to Saudi Arabia.
Captagon is an amphetamine-based drug that combines fenethylline, which was discovered in the 1960s in Germany, with other stimulants, often resulting in a highly addictive substance. It produces euphoria, increased alertness, and a lack of fatigue, making it popular with those seeking enhanced performance or an escape from reality.
Largely produced in war-torn Syria due to the lack of law enforcement and the country’s need for money, Captagon has become a significant black market commodity. The drug is mainly exported to the Middle East and Europe, where it fuels organized crime.
In Saudi Arabia, several high-profile cases have made headlines. For example, in 2015, authorities seized more than 22 million Captagon pills and arrested several suspects involved in the smuggling ring. In another case, in 2022, authorities seized a record 46 million amphetamine pills hidden in a shipment of flour. Additionally, in 2019, three people were executed after being convicted of attempting to smuggle tens of thousands of Captagon tablets into the kingdom.
Section 4
وفي العام الماضي قاومت قطر الجهود التي قادتها السعودية لإعادة سوريا إلى الجامعة العربية …. لكن مراقبين عدوا رفضها حينئذ نوعا من التريث، معتبرين أنها ستحذو حذو جيرانها الخليجيين وبقية الدول العربية في الوقت الذي تراه مناسبا. ولعبت قطر دورا كبيرا في الأزمة السورية على الصعيدين السياسي والعسكري وأدى تدخلها إلى خروج الاحتجاجات على النظام السوري عن مسارها المدني بعد عسكرة أجسام الثورة التي هيمن عليها الإسلاميون. ورغم هزيمة المعارضة بعد التدخل الروسي في سوريا إلا أن المعارضة المدعومة من قطر وتركيا مازالت تسيطر على بعض الجيوب في الشمال
Last year, Qatar resisted Saudi-led efforts to reinstate Syria in the Arab League … However, observers considered Qatar’s refusal at the time to be a kind of wait-and-see, saying that Qatar would follow the example of its Gulf neighbors and the rest of the Arab countries at the time it sees fit. Qatar had played an important role in the Syrian crisis, both on the political and military level. Its intervention caused the protests against the Syrian regime to stray away from their civil path after the militarization of the revolution bodies, which were dominated by Islamists. Despite the defeat of the opposition as a result of the Russian intervention in Syria, Qatar and Turkey-supported opposition is still controlling some pockets in the North.
Vocabulary list
Section 1
| ARABIC | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|
| رَجَّحَ – يُرَجِّحُ | to think likely; to think probable; to give preponderance (to something = direct object; over = عَلَى). It can also denote to prefer. If you see أَنَّ after, it usually means to think likely. II-verb. For example: Some have suggested that it may be due to an allergy (رَجَّحَ البَعْضُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ يَكُونُ بِسَبَبِ حَساسِيَّةٍ). |
| وَسَطٌ pl: أَوْساط | circle; middle; also: milieu. For example: diplomatic circles (الْأَوْساطُ الدِّبلُوماسِيَّةُ) |
| ضَوْءٌ أَخْضَرُ | green light. The noun ضَوْءٌ means light. For example: in view of/in the light of (عَلَى ضَوْءِ or فِي ضَوْءِ) plus noun = second part of a genitive construction (إِضافةٌ). |
| دَعْوةٌ لِ | invitation; call. The corresponding verbs are tricky: to accept an invitation (لَبَّى دَعْوةً); to get an invitation (تَلَقَّى دَعْوةً); to send an invitation (وَجَّهَ دَعْوةً إِلَى شَخْصٍ) |
| قَطِيعةٌ | split; rift |
| عَداءٌ عَلَى pl: عَداءاتٌ | hostility; aggression. The noun عَداءٌ is the verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) of the I-verb عَدَا – يَعْدُو which means to be hostile towards (عَلَى), but also: to run. Other مَصْدَرٌ-forms are عَدْوٌ (to express to run, or with عَلَى to steal) or عُدْوانٌ in the verbal meaning of ظَلَمَ. The word عَداءٌ can also serve to express the English prefix anti-. For example: anti-Semitism can be rendered as الْعَداءُ لِلسّاميَّةِ. However, for anti-Semitism there are other expressions too: لاساميّة (a newly coined word) or مُعاداةُ الْيَهودِ. |
| اِعْتَبَرَ – يَعْتَبِرُ | to consider; to take as; to hold (with direct object); also: to take an example from (بِ); to be warned. It is a VIII-verb. Watch out: Although the passive voice is rare in Arabic, it is often used with this verb. For example: The war was considered a mistake (اُعْتُبِرَتْ الْحَرْبُ خَطَأً كَبِيرًا). |
| ذاتٌ pl: ذَواتٌ | same; self; -self (نَفْسٌ). Note that ذاتٌ is a noun (اِسْمٌ), expressing the idea of being, essence, and therefore gets cases. Some examples: himself/he himself (بِذاتِهِ); simultaneously (فِي ذاتِ الْوَقْتِ); above all (بالذّاتِ); once (فِي ذاتِ مَرّةٍ); specifically; particularly (بِالذَّاتِ); for this very reason (لِهٰذا السَبَبِ بِالذاتِ). Used as an adverb (ذاتَ), it means “at a certain time” and indicates an indefinite point in time. ذاتَ is thus only associated with indefinite time concepts. For example: one day (ذاتَ يَوْمٍ); one night (ذاتَ لَيْلَةٍ). |
| عَوْدةٌ | return; repatriation. It is the verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) of the I-verb عادَ – يَعُودُ which means to go back. |
| تَأْكِيدٌ | confirmation; affirmation. It is the verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) of the II-verb أَكَّدَ – يُؤَكِّدُ (first root letter: ء) which means to confirm. For example: certainly (بالتَّأْكيدِ نَعَم) or certainly not (بالتَّأْكيدِ لا). |
| مُرُورٌ | passing; course; lapse. It is the verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) of the I-verb مَرَّ -يَمُرُّ which means to pass, to go by. For example: with the passing of time (بَعْدَ مُرُورِ الْوَقْتِ). Watch out: مُرُورٌ also means passage, crossing. Thus, password in Arabic means كَلِمةُ مُرُورٍ. And don’t confuse it with the passive participle (اِسْمُ الْمَفْعُولِ) which is مَمْرُورٌ. |
We will now conduct a detailed analysis of all the highlighted terms from the preceding article
🔒 Note on the Vocabulary List: The following section provides an exhaustive linguistic breakdown of every key term and grammatical nuance found in this article. Access to this deep analysis — featuring detailed word-for-word explanations and contextual examples similar to the table above — is available exclusively to our Arabic for Nerds+ community.
For +members: Vocab Quiz 07/24
You can practice the vocabulary presented in this article with this interactive quiz.
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Wanna cite this article?
Drißner, G. (2024, July 31). Egypt’s Police, Syria’s Captagon, and a Diplomatic Thaw: A Media Arabic Analysis | Media Arabic Booster 07/24. Arabic for Nerds. https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-07-24/
Published: July 31, 2024
Please check the citation before use, especially if your style guide has local requirements.
Publication ISSN: 3055-1730
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