Mustafa al-Haj - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Mustafa al-Haj

Mustafa al-Haj is a pseudonym for a Syrian journalist based in Syria.

Syrian charities battle corruption

Members of al Qaeda's Nusra Front gesture as they drive in a convoy touring villages, which they said they have seized control of from Syrian rebel factions, in the southern countryside of Idlib, December 2, 2014. Picture taken December 2, 2014.
REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR4GJ0L

Jabhat al-Nusra deals Syrian regime major blow in Idlib

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY SAMMY KETZ
A bar man serves drinks at a nightclub in downtown Damascus on September 12, 2013. When night falls in Damascus, gaggles of determined revellers still head out on the town seeking to drown out the thunder of outgoing artillery fire with the boom of music. AFP PHOTO / ANWAR AMRO (Photo credit should read ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images)

LGBT community finds Damascus more open

Amid war, Damascenes promote cycling with mass bike ride

Free Syrian Army fighters take positions in Deraa during what they said an offensive to liberate the checkpoint No. 41, a border point with Jordan, June 14, 2013. Picture taken June 14, 2013. REUTERS/Ali Abu Salah/Shaam News Network/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAM

Daraa province slowly falls into Syrian rebel hands

$Louay Hussein, a Syrian leading intellectual and the leader of the Syrian opposition movement of "Building the Syrian State Movement" addresses a press conference in Damascus on July 12, 2012. AFP PHOTO\LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/GettyImages)$

Syrian authorities arrest opposition leader

Security personnel loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad stand guard at a checkpoint in Damascus May 27, 2013. Picture taken May 27, 2013. REUTERS/ Alaa Al-Marjani (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) - RTX104TS

Syrian youth worry about draft

Syrian youth revive street performances

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Syrian women's group paints for peace

A soldier loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad smokes while resting on a tank in Adra al-Omalia, after taking control of the area from rebel fighters September 25, 2014. Syrian government forces overran rebels in the town northeast of Damascus on Thursday, strengthening al-Assad's grip on territory around the capital. The town - Adra al-Omalia - is about 30 km (19 miles) from central Damascus but far from parts of Syria where the United States has launched air strikes against Islamic State militants.

Syrian army closes in on Douma after Adra victory

Rebel fighters demonstrate their skill with their weapons during a military display as part of a graduation ceremony at a camp in eastern al-Ghouta, near Damascus September 4, 2014. The newly graduated rebel fighters, who went through military training, will join the "Al-Habib al-Mustafa" Brigades. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR44WPX

Syrian rebels' access blocked to key Damascus neighborhood

A mortar shell is seen among debris after six mortar bombs landed in the Jaramana district of southeast Damascus October 31, 2013, in this handout picture released by Syria's national news agency SANA. The mortar bombs killed at least two people and wounded fifteen on Thursday when they exploded on the edge of the Syrian capital Damascus, state media said. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ON

Clashes escalate around Damascus