Lt. Gen. Mustafa Tlass (Arabic: مصطفى طلاس; b. 1932) is a Syrian politician, now retired. Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ...

Rise to power

Tlass was born in the Syrian village of al-Rastan near Homs to a Sunni muslim family. He joined the Ba'th Party at the age of 15, and met Hafez al-Assad when studying at the military academy in Homs. The two officers were both stationed in Cairo during the 1958-61 United Arab Republic merger between Syria and Egypt: while ardent Pan Arab nationalists hey both worked to break up the union, which they viewed as unfairly balanced in Egypt's favor. When al-Assad was briefly imprisoned by Nasser at the breakup of the union, Tlass fled and rescued his wife and sons to Syria. Homs (Arabic: , transliteration: ) is a western city in Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Baath Party flag The Baath Parties (also spelled Baath or Bath; Arabic: اﻟﺒﻌﺚ) comprise political parties representing the political face of the Baath movement. ... Hafez al-Assad (Arabic: ) (October 6, 1930–June 10, 2000) was president of Syria for three decades. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Pan-Arabism is a movement for unification among the Arab peoples and nations of the Middle East. ... Gamal Abdel Nasser (Arabic: جمال عبد الناصر) Gamal Abdel Nasser (January 15, 1918 - September 28, 1970) was the second President of Egypt after Muhammad Naguib and is considered one of the most important Arab leaders in history. ...

During the 1960s al-Assad rose to prominence in the Syrian government through a 1963 coup d'êtat, backed by the Ba'th party. He then promoted Tlass (who had not been actively involved in the coup) to high-ranking military and party positions. A 1966 coup by an Alawite-dominated Ba'th faction further strengthened al-Assad, and by association Tlass. Tensions within the government soon became apparent, however, with al-Assad emerging as the prime proponent of a pragmatist, military-based faction opposed to the ideological radicalism of the dominant ultra-leftists. Syrian defeat in the 1967 Six Day War embarrassed the government, and in 1968 Assad managed to install Tlass as new Chief-of-Staff. After the debacle of an attempted Syrian intervention in the Black September conflict, the power struggle came to open conflict. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... A coup détat (pronounced kÅ« dā ta), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... For the Alaouite dynasty of Morocco see:Alaouite Dynasty, for the former state now in Yemen see: Alawi (sheikhdom) The Alawi, also known as Alawites, Nusayris or Ansaris, are a Middle Eastern sect of Shia Islam[1][2] prominent in Syria The terms AlawÄ« and Alevi, although they share... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The 1967 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Six-Day War or June War, was fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. ... Combatants PLO Jordan Commanders Yasser Arafat King Hussein Casualties Estimated 5,000 killed This article, Black September in Jordan, describes the events surrounding September, 1970 in Jordan. ...

Under cover of the 1970 "Corrective Revolution", al-Assad seized power and installed himself as President. Tlass was promoted to Minister of Defense in 1972, and became one of Assad's most trusted loyalists during the following 30 years of one-man rule in Syria. In 1984, Hafez al-Assads brother Rifaat attempted to seize power, but Tlass stayed loyal to the President. Rifaat was subsequently sent into exile. Tlass was especially valuable to the President, since he was one of the few Sunnis to take part in what was essentially an Alawite government. While he himself embraced secularism, as did the rest of the Ba'th, he also in a way acted as a fig leaf to cover for the sectarian policies of al-Assad. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... An expression used in Arab politics by several governments, to give a revolutionary touch to an internal political or bureaucratic power struggle, and also to indicate continued adherence to the ideals of an earlier revolution despite the overthrow of its previous leadership and/or major policy changes. ... This page lists presidents and other Heads of State of Syria. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image:Rifaat al-Assad. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Sectarianism is an adherence to a particular sect or party or denomination, it also usually involves a rejection of those not a member of ones sect. ...

Controversial statements

Book cover of the 8th edition of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion translated and edited by ‘Ajaj Nuwayhid, and published by Mustafa Tlass's Publishing House. Damascus, 1997

Tlass attempted to create a reputation for himself as a man of culture, and emerged as an important patron of Syrian literature. He published several books of his own, and started a publishing house, Tlass Books, which has been internationally criticized^[1] for publishing anti-Semitic materials. In 1983, Tlass wrote and published The Matzoh of Zion, a book that intends to prove the ancient "blood libel" myth, i.e. accusations that Jews use the blood of murdered non-Jews in religious rituals such as baking Matza bread. Tlass has re-printed the book several times, and stands by its conclusions. Image File history File links Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion_1997_Syria, Damascus edited by_Ajaj_Nuwayhid_ published_by_Mustafa_Tlasss_PubHse This image is a book cover. ... Image File history File links Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion_1997_Syria, Damascus edited by_Ajaj_Nuwayhid_ published_by_Mustafa_Tlasss_PubHse This image is a book cover. ... 1992 Russian language imprint, adapting Eliphas Levis portrayal of Baphomet image The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (Russian: , see also other titles) is a pamphlet that purports to describe a Jewish plot to achieve world domination. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Blood libels are unfounded allegations that a particular group eats people as a form of human sacrifice, often accompanied by the claim of using the blood of their victims in various rituals. ... Matza (also Matzoh, Matzah, Matzo, Hebrew מַצָּה maṣṣā), an unleavened bread, is the official food of Passover. ...

In 1998, Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass boasted to the Gulf al-Bayan newspaper that he was the one who gave the green light to the "resistance" to murder marines and French soldiers, but that he prevented attacks on the Italian soldiers of the multi-national force "because he was in love with the Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida." At the time, not a single foreign ministry nor self-righteous organization protested at this revelation. Certainly no one sought to bring him to trial in an international court.

Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass had also boasted to the National Assembly about atrocities committed against Israelis who fell captive in the Yom Kippur war. "I gave the Medal of the Republic's Hero, to a soldier from Aleppo, who killed 28 Jewish soldiers. He did not use the military weapon to kill them but utilized the ax to decapitate them. He then devoured the neck of one of them and ate it in front of the people. I am proud of his courage and bravery, for he actually killed by himself 28 Jews by count and cash."

There are three missing Israeli soldiers in the Bekaa valley since the June 1982 war in Lebanon. Syria's Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass, who bestowed the Medal of the Republic's Hero to a soldier from Aleppo who butchered 28 Israeli POWs in 1973, had told a Saudi newspaper: "We sent them the bones of dogs."

During his career, Tlass also became known for colorful language. In 1991, when Syria was participating on the American side in the Gulf War, Tlass stated that he felt "an overwhelming joy" when Saddam Hussein sent SCUD-missiles towards Israel. In 1999, Tlass caused a minor uproar in Arab political circles, when he denounced Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat as "the son of sixty thousand dogs and sixty thousand whores". Earlier, in 1986, he had called Arafat an "idiot" and a "puppet of the Americans".^{[citation needed]} The long-standing conflict between the Assad regime and the Palestinian Liberation Organization would not end until after Hafez al-Assad's death in 2000. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants UN Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf, Michel Roquejeoffre , Peter de la Billière, Khalid bin Sultan, Saleh Al-Muhaya, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 378 dead, 1,000 wounded see section below The Gulf War or the Persian Gulf War (2... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (Arabic: [1]; April 28, 1937[2] – December 30, 2006[3]), was the President of Iraq from July 16, 1979, until April 9, 2003. ... For other uses, see Scud (disambiguation). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (August 4 or August 24, 1929 – November 11, 2004), born Muhammad `Abd ar-Rauf al-Qudwa al-Husayni (Arabic محمد عبد الرؤوف القدوة الحسي&#1606... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Arabic Munazzamat al-Tahrir Filastiniyyah منظمة تحرير فلسطينية ) is a political and paramilitary organization of Palestinian Arabs dedicated to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to consist of the... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After Hafez Assad

The succession of Bashar al-Assad, Hafez's son, seems to have been secured by Tlass (for a while, it was rumoured that Tlass himself had assumed the Presidency, but this was not true), and his influence increased sharply as he came to head the "old guard" within the regime, sometimes at odds with the inexperienced young President. Whether true or not, Tlass and his supporters were viewed by many as opponents of the discreet liberalization pursued by the younger al-Assad, and to maintain Syria's hardline foreign policy stances; but also as fighting for established privileges, having been heavily involved in government corruption. As Bashar al-Assad struggled to establish control over the powerful state apparatus and military, Tlass resigned or was forced to resign from all positions in both the Ba'th central committee and the government 2004. Bashar al-Assad (Arabic: ‎, ) (born September 11, 1965) is the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Regional Secretary of the Baath Party, and the son of former President Hafez al-Assad. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

1. ^ UNISPAL. Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and All Forms of Discrimination. Question of Violation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in Any Part of the World. Written statement submitted by the Association for World Education. 10 February 2004