Jihadists' gruesome practices serve Assad more than allies: Editorial

By Editor in-chief; Translation by Yusra Ahmed

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Whoever you were, whatever your nationality was, if you immigrated to Syria to kill Syrians and beheading them, go to hell, that what you -the immigrant- will hear from every Syrian loves his country, and dreams of equality and justice, who does not use Islam to reach to power, like the way Assad’s regime used Palestine cause.

Beheading a Syrian soldier was taken by force to military service would not give any benefit to Syrians and their crisis. To behead dozens of “Damascene Salafi” considering them apostates is a proof that you did not come to help us, but to glorify yourself and you Emir.

When Obama decided to hit the Syrian regime, dozens of images and videos showing beheading acts covered the Internet, even some videos were professional and of high quality. The messages those images gave was in brief: “look at the Syrian revolution, rebels are more brutal than the Syrian regime”

Immigrant: do you know that you have helped the Syrian regime more than Russia, Iran and Hezbollah have, when you painted the independence flag with black; when you threatened of liberating Rome and Andalusia while you were sitting in Aleppo’s countryside; when you chased and threatened the Damascene Salafi, who we look up to, and you considered them atheists. Do you know that Salafi’s practices served Islam in difficult times of Regime’s suppression and threats in Eighties and Nineties, while you were enjoying luxurious life in the West and Gulf Countries.

The Damascene Salafi has worked on reshaping people’s social and religious practices to meet Islam’s soul and principles. Salafi Sheikhs used to be clean, nicely looked, close and compassionate, who respect women and did not think of captivating them.

“God is beautiful and loves beauty” that how we see God and Islam, how can I be a believer in God, while I neglect myself and leave my beard hideously long, and have offensive speech and violent practices.

Abdul Rahman al-Haj, an opposition writer, published a research on “Al Jazeera” in 2013, in which he explained the way Syrians understand the conception of “Salafi” and the way they act politically and socially, which is different from the killing and crucifying you “Immigrant” tried to found and show in Syria.

“Syrian Salafi has not stopped improving since its formation at the end of Nineteen century in Aleppo and Damascus, the two main centres” al-Haj said.

In the beginning, “Salafi” was similar to the reformative Salafi in Egypt formed by Sheikh Mohammed Abdo.

Syrian Salafi had had many prominent figures worked at religious and more prominently political aspects, like Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Kawakibi, Sheikh Jamal Eddin al-Qasimi, and Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Ridha

Many prominent political figures had affected by the Salafi’s principles, especially Jamal Eddin al-Qasimi’s, where his council used to be attended by Lotfi al-Haffar, Abdul Rahman al-Shahbandar, Faris al-Khori, Rafiq al-Azem, Mohammed Kurd Ali, Salim al-Jazairi, Abdul Hamid al-Zahrawi and others.

The reformative Salafi formed many associations played important roles in political field, like al-Ghorra’a Association (1924) founded by Sheikh Abdul Ghani al-Doqr, which tried to accommodate to the social changes brought by the western culture. Its activities had significant social effects, seduced politicians to join it in order to gain its votes. For example, Shukri al-Quwatli had won the parliament election in 1943 after gaining the association’s support.

Moreover, Association of Islamic Urbanisation Association formed by Ahmed Mazhar al-Azem, who became a minister, and Bahjat al-Bitar. The association runs a magazine under its name that can be considered a reference for the Damascene Salafi. Sadly the magazine stopped after Hama’s massacre in 1982.

Al-Haj carried on saying: “despite dissolving political parties in Syria after the unity with Egypt, the reformative Salafi continued loyality to their principles, however it started to get weaker after the 1963’s coup, where its associations turned into charitable bodies, and magazines became only educational. Furthermore, Salafi followers turned into doctrinal debates with their opponents, which reach the top in the end of Seventies of last century, besides transforming into the scientific Salafi. The debate between Sheikh Mohammed Said al-Boti and Seikh Naser al-Albani can be considered an ideal example.

In the end you "Immigrant": you need to be in the hearts of Syrians to be able to stay in their country, you have to protect not to kill them, which may be something missing of the Immigrants’ practices in 2013-14.

@fahibayoud / [email protected]