Amir al-Dandal (born 1980) in

Deir ez-Zor , population_urban = , population_density_urban_km2 = , population_density_urban_sq_mi = , population_blank1_title = Ethnicities , population_blank1 = , population_blank2_title = Religions , population_blank2 = ...

, also known as

Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

Amir al-Mushref al-Dandal, is one of the leaders of the

Al Uqaydat Al-Uqaydat ( ar, الْعُقَيْدَات, al-ʿUqaydāt) is a large Arab tribe which straddles Syria's eastern border with Iraq. It is the largest tribe in the Deir ez-Zor province and according to Max von Oppenheim, it is the largest tribe in a ...

(Aghedat) tribe of Eastern

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. He became known internationally as a political and civil society activist with the beginning of the Civil uprising phase of the Syrian Civil War. Dandal is the grandson of Sheikh Mushrif al-Dandal who led a tribal revolt against British forces along the banks of the Middle

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...

in 1919. His uncle Fahd Mushrif al-Dandal was an independent politician, elected to the Syrian Parliament in 1961.

Career and Activism

The Dandal family lived in the area of AlbouKamal and had been enjoying strong ties with several Syrian governments, including the rule of

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 1 ...

. Amir al-Dandal was among the first tribal leaders to publicly express discontent with the way the government of

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

was responding to the Civil uprising that led to the Syrian Civil War. He co-sponsored a declaration demanding "dignity and freedom" for Syrians with other Sheikhs. He participated in various opposition conferences and meetings such as the

Antalya Conference for Change in Syria The Conference for Change in Syria ( tr, Suriye'de Değişim Konferansı), or Antalya Opposition Conference, was a three-day conference of representatives of the Syrian opposition held from 31 May until 3 June 2011 in Antalya, Turkey. Since the ...

in 2011. When the so-called

Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ' ...

expanded into the territory of the Al Uqaydat in Eastern Syria, Dandal became an activist against ISIL and an acclaimed source of analysis and information from the tribal areas to international media. in 2018 his name appeared among the initiators of a civil society movement of Syrian

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

Alawite The Alawis, Alawites ( ar, علوية ''Alawīyah''), or pejoratively Nusayris ( ar, نصيرية ''Nuṣayrīyah'') are an ethnoreligious group that lives primarily in Levant and follows Alawism, a sect of Islam that originated from Shia Isl ...

and other notables that had, in several secret rounds of negotiations, adopted a "

Code of Conduct for Syrian Coexistence The Code of Conduct for Syrian Coexistence ( ar, مدونة سلوك لعيش سوري مشترك) is a document that stipulates eleven principles for the future of Syrian society. According to its authors and signatories these principles shall ser ...

". The document is intended to lay the principles of a new social contract for Syria. In 2020 Dandal was elected as one of the speakers of the " Council of the Syrian Charter", a Syrian civil society body that originated in this initiative. According to a BBC report from January 2020, Dandal co-authored a statement issued by the Council which rejects the idea of collective accountability or retribution among tribes and Syrian communities for crimes and violations committed during the war.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dandal, Amir 1980 births Living people Bedouin tribal chiefs Syrian politicians