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Does this sound like ISIS to you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psg2MYoN1FU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psg2MYoN1FU Yes, we should be cautious and skepti

Does this sound like ISIS to you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psg2MYoN1FU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psg2MYoN1FU Yes, we should be cautious and skeptical, but the views currently being expressed by HTS are fairly moderate.

cm2187 2y ago
There is nothing in his wiki bio that suggests moderation.
- postingawayonhn 2y ago
  I provided the link to hear it from the horses mouth. I'm not saying he's some wonderful person, but HTS's current agenda and recent actions are generally positive.
  - cm2187 2y ago
    You mean what he tells CNN while he is trying to get US support? Reminds me of what we were told of the talibans when Biden was trying to hand them over the country. "They are not the same talibans", "they want to be a good world citizen", etc. Well that didn't age well.
    - postingawayonhn 2y ago
      I don't think you would be able to find anything as remotely moderate from the Taliban.
      - dralley 2y ago
        They're nationalist rather than international (like ISIS), which is frankly the aspect that Western governments would care most about.
    - aguaviva 2y ago
      When Biden was trying to hand them over the country. Effectively it was Trump who made that decision, via the Doha agreement. Biden's role was merely to fumble the actual delivery as spectacularly as possible.
- cnlevy 2y ago
  Well, you haven't read it properly then: [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Mohammad_al-Julani https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Mohammad_al-Julani] > When asked about al-Nusra's plans for a post-war Syria, al-Julani stated that after the war ended, all factions in the country would be consulted before anyone considered "establishing an Islamic state". He also mentioned that al-Nusra would not target the country's Alawite minority, despite their support for the Assad regime. Idlib governance > In response to the unrest, al-Julani made several concessions. He released hundreds of detainees from a previous summer's security operation, including his former deputy Abu Maria al-Qahtani, who had been arrested along with 300 others in a purge of his movement. He also promised local elections and increased employment opportunities for displaced persons, while warning protesters against what he termed treachery. [38]
  - cm2187 2y ago
    Not to go straight to the godwin's point but that's a "Hitler didn't hurt puppies" argument. This guy is former Al Quaeda and clearly a jihadist.
    - cnlevy 2y ago
      I see his experience as governor of Idlib matching his moderate rhetoric. He has clearly evolved his views from his younger years of international jihadist towards syrian nationalism, including tolerance of minorities that make part of the syrian people, and economic development (christmas trees and free mass, or a more reliable electricity supply than Damascus for example)
      - cm2187 2y ago
        Well, let's hope you are right
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - perihelions 2y ago
    I agree with the other commenter; I don't believe this language, which seems to be directed towards western audiences for self-serving reasons. - "He also mentioned that al-Nusra would not target the country's Alawite minority, despite their support for the Assad regime" In the past, al-Julani (or al-Golani) has explicitly demanded Alawites convert to Sunni Islam, - "But any Allawite considering taking advantage of Golami’s kind offer must meet certain conditions. They must not only stop supporting Assad, but they must convert to Nusra’s brand of extreme Sunni Islam or, in other words, stop being Allawites. Christians will be given a grace period before they have to start pay jizya, a special tax, and Golani takes for granted that Sharia will be implemented. “The basics remain the same,” says Lund, “and they’re extreme enough to be borderline genocidal even when sugar-coated by Al Jazeera.”" https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/syrian-civil-war-jabhat-alnusra-s-massacre-of-druze-villagers-shows-the-group-is-just-as-nasty-as-isis-10318348.html https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/syrian-civ... (2015) And the surrounding context of that quote is apropos, too: "They had earlier forcibly converted hundreds of Druze to their fundamentalist variant of Sunni Islam." These people have no intention of coexisting with different religious groups—they intend to violently convert them, and eradicate their religions.

cm2187 2y ago

There is nothing in his wiki bio that suggests moderation.

postingawayonhn 2y ago
I provided the link to hear it from the horses mouth. I'm not saying he's some wonderful person, but HTS's current agenda and recent actions are generally positive.
- cm2187 2y ago
  You mean what he tells CNN while he is trying to get US support? Reminds me of what we were told of the talibans when Biden was trying to hand them over the country. "They are not the same talibans", "they want to be a good world citizen", etc. Well that didn't age well.
  - postingawayonhn 2y ago
    I don't think you would be able to find anything as remotely moderate from the Taliban.
    - dralley 2y ago
      They're nationalist rather than international (like ISIS), which is frankly the aspect that Western governments would care most about.
  - aguaviva 2y ago
    When Biden was trying to hand them over the country. Effectively it was Trump who made that decision, via the Doha agreement. Biden's role was merely to fumble the actual delivery as spectacularly as possible.
cnlevy 2y ago
Well, you haven't read it properly then: [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Mohammad_al-Julani https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Mohammad_al-Julani] > When asked about al-Nusra's plans for a post-war Syria, al-Julani stated that after the war ended, all factions in the country would be consulted before anyone considered "establishing an Islamic state". He also mentioned that al-Nusra would not target the country's Alawite minority, despite their support for the Assad regime. Idlib governance > In response to the unrest, al-Julani made several concessions. He released hundreds of detainees from a previous summer's security operation, including his former deputy Abu Maria al-Qahtani, who had been arrested along with 300 others in a purge of his movement. He also promised local elections and increased employment opportunities for displaced persons, while warning protesters against what he termed treachery. [38]
- cm2187 2y ago
  Not to go straight to the godwin's point but that's a "Hitler didn't hurt puppies" argument. This guy is former Al Quaeda and clearly a jihadist.
  - cnlevy 2y ago
    I see his experience as governor of Idlib matching his moderate rhetoric. He has clearly evolved his views from his younger years of international jihadist towards syrian nationalism, including tolerance of minorities that make part of the syrian people, and economic development (christmas trees and free mass, or a more reliable electricity supply than Damascus for example)
    - cm2187 2y ago
      Well, let's hope you are right
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- perihelions 2y ago
  I agree with the other commenter; I don't believe this language, which seems to be directed towards western audiences for self-serving reasons. - "He also mentioned that al-Nusra would not target the country's Alawite minority, despite their support for the Assad regime" In the past, al-Julani (or al-Golani) has explicitly demanded Alawites convert to Sunni Islam, - "But any Allawite considering taking advantage of Golami’s kind offer must meet certain conditions. They must not only stop supporting Assad, but they must convert to Nusra’s brand of extreme Sunni Islam or, in other words, stop being Allawites. Christians will be given a grace period before they have to start pay jizya, a special tax, and Golani takes for granted that Sharia will be implemented. “The basics remain the same,” says Lund, “and they’re extreme enough to be borderline genocidal even when sugar-coated by Al Jazeera.”" https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/syrian-civil-war-jabhat-alnusra-s-massacre-of-druze-villagers-shows-the-group-is-just-as-nasty-as-isis-10318348.html https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/syrian-civ... (2015) And the surrounding context of that quote is apropos, too: "They had earlier forcibly converted hundreds of Druze to their fundamentalist variant of Sunni Islam." These people have no intention of coexisting with different religious groups—they intend to violently convert them, and eradicate their religions.