Jihadist Islam in Syria: A Renewed Threat to Minorities and Regional Security

Just as the former Syrian regime once did, the de facto government led by al-Sharaa is today repeating the same approach: whenever it feels weakened or threatened, it hastens to carry out attacks against minorities, sending a distorted message that its survival is the sole guarantor of their safety. But this is an old trick, and a transparent one.

We are no longer fooled by these performances. We have grown accustomed to those who "kill the victim and walk in his funeral procession."

This is the face of political jihadist Islam — it does not change. It may alter its slogans and media style, but it does not change its doctrine. The practices of killing, intimidation, kidnapping, and suppression of freedoms continue unabated, particularly against ethnic and religious minorities in Syria.

Despite all the repeated warnings we have issued, some Western policies — foremost among them American policy — continue to bet on al-Jolani and the jihadist current as a tool to fight ISIS or to counter what remains of Iranian influence in Syria.

But we say clearly: This is a wrong and dangerous bet.

Today's bombing of the Church of Mar Elias in Damascus, which claimed the lives of innocent civilians, is a clear and bloody message. It does not matter who claimed the attack — whether ISIS or others — the doctrinal background is one and the same, and the source is one and the same.

From the Western Syria Alliance, we address this message to the peoples of the West and American society, before we address it to policymakers:

• Do not bet on jihadist Islam to confront ISIS. ISIS is the full sibling of al-Qaeda, and al-Qaeda is the spiritual mother of al-Jolani. A mother does not kill her children — she disciplines them, deploys them across fronts, and recycles them as needed.