Syria's minister of the interior is using language that is scarily similar to that used by the Assad regime when faced with peaceful demonstrations. The only missing word is ""mundasiin"" or "infiltrators".
The criminalization and threats against demonstrators asking for security and a measure of federalism - not even asking for the regime to go - is a bad sign for Syria's future.
Hard to believe that the government will issue the promised law legalizing party politics. The government is over a year old and still there is no sitting parliament even though only 6,000 Syrians were allowed to vote.
President Sharaa, in his anniversary address to the nation, began his speech by quoting Caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the first Rightly Guided Caliph of Islam, invoking a divine mandate & obedience by telling Syrians, "Obey me as long as I obey Allah" أطيعوني ما أطعت الله فيكم، فإن عصيته فلا طاعة لي عليكم. This was the same phrase used by Caliph Abu Baqr al-Baghdadi in 2014, when he announced the Islamic State Caliphate.
Sharaa's notion of sovereignty points in the direction of a Caliphate rather than a parliamentary democracy, where sovereignty lies with the people.
Jolani supporters stop and assault an Alawite child, telling him to convert to Islam and denounce the Alawites.
These are not isolated incidents, and this behavior isn't contrary to Jolani's government. His AQ ideology and overt hatred for Alawites caused this.
@RepBrianMast Never trust anyone who is a terrorist. The person who killed the American officers in Palmyra, Syria, was part of the close security circle of Al-Jolani.
The Syrian security element, @WaelEssam77 writes, who carried out the Palmyra operation belonged to the Islamic State organization in 2014 and worked in security at the Eye Hospital in Aleppo.
He moved to Raqqa and after its fall moved to the desert,
His name is Tariq Satouf al-Hamd from the countryside of Aleppo,
After the fall of the regime, he moved from the desert to Idlib with a group of organization members. He joined the General Security in Idlib, and was assigned to Palmyra.
The attacker tried to reach the meeting room in the headquarters of the General Security in Palmyra (formerly the Military Security headquarters) where senior officers are present, and in the corridor he clashed with the American guards and the translator and blew himself up.
Security sources confirmed to me that Syrian intelligence, along with the Coalition forces, arrested six elements from the General Security at the headquarters in Palmyra, accused of coordinating the operation with him, and it is said that they are from the group that moved with him from the desert to the General Security in Idlib.
Syrian security was unable to identify his previous affiliation with the organization, and there are hundreds like him, due to the large numbers who joined and which the security apparatus needed after the fall of the regime.
Here’s your “moderate” jihadist of the “new” Syria, Jolani:
Palestine “led me to the path of Jihad.”
You’re a fool if you think this guy all of a sudden changed. He wants foreign money, off the terror list and of course power, this way he can continue his jihad.
This is his true belief, what you hear him say nowadays on tv is for western consumption. Don’t be naive.
@SenateForeign Masscares against Druze, Alawites and Christians occurred over the last 10 months under the guidance of Ahmad Al-Sharaa, former Al-Qaeda leader.
Once a terrorist always a terrorist
@RepBrianMast Congressman, thanks for the update. Just hoping we don’t forget what’s happening in Homs, Syria these last two days. The sectarian violence there is terrible, and those minorities really need protection.
https://t.co/DrxLYoRaHM
@SenateForeign Once a terrorist, always a terrorist!
Shame on you for shaking hands with a terrorist who continues to kill innocents and civilians in the name of God.
@RepBrianMast Mr. Mast, I hope you understand that Al-Joulani will always be a terrorist!
Once a terrorist, always a terrorist!
Protect Syrian minorities from Al-Joulani’s militias and extremist Islamic groups before they grow and become a direct threat to the whole Middle East.