A Syrian rebel prays on a street in the northern city of Aleppo in January. Many Syrians are debating what role Islam should play in Syria if the current secular government is toppled. Muzaffar Salman/Reuters/Landov
Why Syria’s Islamists Are Gaining -- J. Malcolm Garcia, New York Times
A YOUNG fighter for the Free Syrian Army sat at a checkpoint on a couch taken from an abandoned house. He cradled his Kalashnikov and waited on the empty street for a car to inspect, or a pedestrian to pat down. If only the future of Syria would reveal itself to him as easily.
The rebels in the Free Syrian Army don’t doubt that they will drive President Bashar al-Assad from power — eventually — but they have no idea what will happen afterward: Democracy? An Islamic republic? An Islamic dictatorship? The fighters I met on a recent visit here were unable to articulate any long-term political vision.
While the young rebel sat at his checkpoint, and while Americans continue to debate whether to intervene in Syria or just look the other way, Islamist militants are exploiting the uncertainty here. They have a clear mission: imposing an Islamist state in place of Mr. Assad.
Read more ....
My Comment: Are the Islamists becoming the dominant opposition force in Syria .... when I read reports like this one everyday I will have to say yes. Should we be surprised by these developments .... no. The West has abandoned Syria .... there is simply no stomach to get involved in another Middle Eastern war .... but this is a sentiment that unfortunately many Syrians simply do not understand. In the meantime as the civil war continues and the body count skyrockets .... the population becomes more radical .... and in the end they will probably be the only ones left because everyone else is either dead or out of the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment