Baltajiah (thugs)

Across the Middle East and North Africa, tribes often maintain loyalty and close ties to protect themselves from oppression. The state cunningly takes advantage of this defence-mechanism dynamic to transform blind loyalty into an instrument of oppression they can use for their own purposes.

Baltajiah, which is derived from the Arabic word balta meaning axe, is the name Egyptians give to pro-regime supporters used by the state to uphold its apparatus. In other countries they are called different names. In Syria: shabiha, which is derived from the word shabah, meaning ghost, because the thugs dress as normal civilians and emerge anonymously from within the crowd to cause a disruption. In Jordan and Palestine: sahijieh, from the root word sahja, or clapping, originating from a type of bedouin dance, and referring to the act of mindlessly applauding the regime despite its faults.

By understanding the motives of baltajiah and strategizing ways to engage their hearts and minds with our kindness and creativity, we might compel them to rethink their blind obedience, and neutralize their worst tendencies.

These groups can be manipulated to take advantage of the internal conflicts and social divisions among different ideologies, religions, and sects within a society. They are mostly unorganized and marginalized, and come together temporarily to disrupt people seeking change. In turn, they are supported and empowered by the state, and thus become its blind followers regardless of its merit or broader legitimacy.

In some countries, the state rewards such groups with monetary and non-monetary benefits in order to maintain their loyalty and to be able to mobilize them as they wish. The thugs are particularly useful to these governments, because it’s a way for them to use force and violence to disrupt change and deter activism without being held accountable by the broader society, the international community, human rights organizations, or other relevant bodies. (The crimes, after all, were committed by the baltajiah, not by anyone in a government uniform.)

The widespread use of these groups was starkly evident in the way states responded to the uprisings that swept the Arab world in 2011. Regime after regime used thugs to deter, or at least attempt to deter, people from joining the protests. But under the hot glare of media coverage (especially social media), the tactic backfired, instead increasing sympathy for the protesters and drawing yet more people into the streets. This was most true in Egypt and Tunisia. Unfortunately, however, things turned out quite differently in Syria, where the violence of the state proved stronger than the power of free speech, leading to civil war, or in Jordan, where the state successfully used thugs and other tactics to dissolve the popular movement.

Activists in the Middle East/North Africa region need to be aware of how the state uses thugs as an instrument of control; we need to better understand the risks, develop preemptive strategies to confront and disarm them (literally or figuratively), and learn how to spot thugs and avoid colliding with them. By understanding the motives of baltajiah and strategizing ways to engage their hearts and minds with our kindness and creativity, we might compel them to rethink their blind obedience, and neutralize their worst tendencies. Furthermore, if the tactic backfires on the state, we should be ready to take advantage of that moment by mobilizing people who share our principles but are not yet active in our campaign (see: METHODOLOGY: Spectrum of allies).

Originally published in Beautiful Rising.