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In a series of posts in late December 2024, Canada-based pro-Al-Qaeda cleric Tariq Abdelhaleem called on the new Syrian government led by Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), and Syrian Sunnis, to establish "revolutionary courts" and "martial law" in Syria to safeguard the revolution, and to massacre Alawites.
In two posts on December 19, Abdelhaleem commented on photos purporting to show demonstration in Damascus in support of a democratic, secular government. He warned that "opposing forces… funded by Gulf money" are moving to stop "any attempt to embrace an Islamic character of whatever kind, even if it is that of the [Muslim] Brotherhood of [former Egyptian president Muhammad] Morsi's approach!"[1]
"The ruler of Damascus has fallen asleep on his ears and does not hear those screaming in his face: Take notice, your end is very close, as is that of the revolution…" Abdelhaleem urged the HTS-led government to take a series of steps to safeguard its control: "[Establish] revolutionary courts, [install] martial law, leave the door to jihad open, [do] not dissolve the Sunni factions, enforce justice quickly and severely, and stop the interviews and photos – now is not their time…"[2]
On December 25, the cleric published another post on the situation in Syria, inciting a massacre of Alawites in the country: "[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu kills whomever he likes, wherever he likes… The Nusayris [a pejorative term for Alawites] killed two million Sunnis… Isn't [killing] ten or fifteen thousand an appropriate response… as deterrence?!"[3]
On December 19, Syrian jihadi cleric Abu Yahya Al-Shami also responded to demonstrations calling for a secular state, urging the new Syrian government not to tolerate secularists and warning of a "counterrevolution."[4]
Some unverified reports have circulated of jihadi attacks against Alawites, as well as Alawite attacks on HTS fighters. Supporters of HTS, as well as of the Islamic State (ISIS), have incited violence against the sect's members.[5]
[1] Telegram, December 19, 2024.
[2] Telegram, December 19, 2024.
[3] Telegram, December 25, 2024.
[4] See JTTM Report: Syrian Jihadi Cleric Tells Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham Leadership Not To Tolerate Syrian Muslims Who Call For Secular Civil State, December 19, 2024.
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