Posted on 03/23/2012 1:36:50 PM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis
Following are excerpts from an interview with Syrian cleric Sheik Muhammad Badi' Moussa, which aired on Al-Hekma TV on March 14, 2012 :
Interviewer : Is it permissible to kill 'Alawites their women and their children in retaliation for their actions?
Muhammad Badi' Moussa : Yes, my brother. We have issued a communiqué to the 'Alawites, in which we gave them a strong warning, which may be the last. Our brothers in the Free Syrian Army sent queries to scholars in exile, asking whether they were allowed to raid 'Alawite villages, like the Zahra, Eqrima, and Nuzha suburbs of Homs.
[ ]
Our brothers in the Free Syrian Army asked several sheiks and scholars for a fatwa on whether they are allowed to kill ['Alawite] women and children, just as they are killing our women and children. The snipers are coming from the 'Alawite suburbs, and the free Muslim women who were raped and kidnapped are being held in 'Alawite suburbs.
All the scholars said: Have a little patience. They must be warned first. We don't want a civil, sectarian war to rage in Syria.
[ ]
[The 'Alawites] know that they are a minority in our country, and that all the sects hate them and want to get rid of them. It is not in their best interest to follow the regime.
[
]
Video at link
Ahhh, Islam is soooo peaceful and inclusive and multicultural...................
A better description from Daniel Pipes, a conservative expert on the Middle East:
http://www.danielpipes.org/191/the-alawi-capture-of-power-in-syria
Some ‘Alawi doctrines appear to derive from Phoenician paganism, Mazdakism and Manicheanism. But by far the greatest affinity is with Christianity. ‘Alawi religious ceremonies involve bread and wine; indeed, wine drinking has a sacred role in ‘Alawism, for it represents God. The religion holds ‘Ali, the fourth caliph, to be the (Jesus-like) incarnation of divinity. It has a holy trinity, consisting of Muhammad, ‘Ali, and Salman al-Farisi, a freed slave of Muhammad’s. ‘Alawis celebrate many Christian festivals, including Christmas, New Year’s, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, and Palm Sunday. They honor many Christian saints: St. Catherine, St. Barbara, St. George, St. John the Baptist, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Mary Magdalene. The Arabic equivalents of such Christian personal names as Gabriel, John, Matthew, Catherine, and Helen, are in common use. And ‘Alawis tend to show more friendliness to Christians than to Muslims.
For these reasons, many observers - missionaries especially - have suspected the ‘Alawis of a secret Christian proclivity. Even T. E. Lawrence described them as “those disciples of a cult of fertility, sheer pagan, antiforeign, distrustful of Islam, drawn at moments to Christianity by common persecution.” The Jesuit scholar Henri Lammens unequivocally concluded from his research that “the Nusayris were Christians” and their practices combine Christian with Shi’i elements.
The specifics of the ‘Alawi faith are hidden not just from outsiders but even from the majority of the ‘Alawis themselves. In contrast to Islam, which is premised on direct relations between God and the individual believer, ‘Alawism permits only males born of two ‘Alawi parents to learn the religious doctrines. When deemed trustworthy, these are initiated into some of the rites at 16-20 years of age ; other mysteries are revealed later and only gradually. Religious secrecy is strictly maintained, on pain of death and being incarnated into a vile animal. Whether the latter threat is made good, mortals cannot judge; but the first certainly is. Thus, the most renowned apostate from ‘Alawism, Sulayman Efendi al-Adhani, was assassinated for divulging the sect’s mysteries. Even more impressive, at a time of sectarian tension in the mid-1960s, the suggestion that the ‘Alawi officers who ran the country publish the secret books of their religion caused Salah Jadid to respond with horror, saying that, were this done, the religious leaders “would crush us.”
In the Syrian context it’s important to note that the Assad family, their followers, the heads of the military and their security services (secret police) are Alawi. This is a sanction for the massacre of entire towns and villages loyal to the Assad regime. But again, in the context of Syria and the brutal history of the Assad rule over the majority Sunni it would be pay back. The Christian community in Syria, which managed to survive and even thrive to a certain extent under Assad’s rule, are and will be targeted as well. There are plenty of innocents but there really aren’t any good guys in this mess.
>>>There are plenty of innocents but there really arent any good guys in this mess.
While what you say is true, the opposition is made up of extremist wahabbi Islamic followers, and include Al Qaeda supporters.
Syria has chemical and biological weapons. The Assad regime is interested in self-preservation, and is unlikely to use them. But there is fear that the extremists in the Syrian opposition would not hesitate to use those weapons.
Yep, you know you’re in trouble when the lesser of two evils is still evil to the core.
What a zoo!!
Assad just wants to bring the rebels to heel. He will kill if necessary. Sunni Arab rebels want to exterminate the Alawites. I'd say Assad is like Spain's General Franco, whereas the Sunni Arabs are Nazis at heart.
The only reason, and it's a good one, for hoping the minority Alawis might continue to prevail is that the Christian, Druze, Kurd, and other minority communities may continue to survive under their rule. But the other side of the coin is that the current Syrian government is a close ally of the Iranians and either side is a dedicated enemy of Israel and the West. It's like the choice between Nazis and Bolsheviks. Whichever side you back or who wins presents its own set of problems.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.