It has been printing books with extremist content by the factions loyal to the Turkish occupation and “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” in northern Syria

Qutaiba Al-Ali – Idlib / Aso News Network

In most areas of northern Syria, within the areas controlled by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) and the areas controlled by the factions loyal to the Turkish occupation, there are many bookstores that distribute books bearing in their content an extremist and sectarian character, inciting against many components of Syrian society. These books are prepared by jihadist people, and some printing presses, which belong to some of the factions, supervise their printing and distribution to libraries, mostly free of charge.

The authors of these books are hard-line jihadists who are independent of all factions, but they live within their areas of control. They belong to different nationalities: Syrian, Moroccan, Egyptian and Gulf, where they put their beliefs, orientations and opinions, especially with regard to religious components such as “Alawite”, Christian “and Druze”, and all of their books consist on the need to be atonement and disavow them and hostility.

The contents of some books include matters related to (jihad) and the terms and conditions it contains, among others, in which there is incitement to continue fighting and not to abandon it until the “Islamic Sharia” arbitration in Syria and the change of the current Syrian regime, which these books describe as a “Nusairi” regime, in reference to a sect The head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, and the published books focus on inviting young people to fight and excommunicate all those who do not convert to Islam, and not to go to countries abroad as refugees, considering them to escape from the imposition of “jihad” “according to the books in circulation.

The young university student, “Rakkad Al-Fawaz” who resides in Idlib, told Aso News Network, “In the beginning, the number of these books was much greater than it is now. With the outbreak of the Syrian events, many figures and institutions affiliated with the jihadist groups began to write down these books, initially print them and publish them. Through military checkpoints, and through meetings that were held with civilians.

He adds: “Now, their numbers are less than before, but they began to appear more regularly, and in more professional forms and printing, unlike before, as they were just brochures and paper publications only.” It shows that some prominent personalities with regard to jihadists and extremists worked on writing such books, such as Abdullah Al-Muhaisni, Musleh Al-Olayan, Abu Hammam Al-Masry, Abu Al-Yaqzan Al-Masry, Abdul Razzaq Al-Mahdi, and others. As for the authorities supervising the printing It is multiple, he says.

He points out that the printing of these books in the past was confined to the so-called “Shari’a Committee”, which includes hard-line jihadists of all factions, and it was printing these books at its expense and distributing them.

Al-Fawaz states that the situation has become different at the present time, as there are many printing houses in which these books are printed, and some factions sponsor such printing presses, such as the “Nur al-Din Zinki” faction, which is one of the factions most loyal to the Turkish occupation, interested in books, added to it “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra).

According to the previous source, one person in the areas under the control of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham”, a former leader of ISIS, manages all the libraries that distribute books to civilians.

As for the areas under the control of the Turkish-backed factions, there are many libraries that belong to some factions, most notably “Ahrar al-Sharqiya”, “Jayish al-Islam”, “Al-Hamzat” and “Al-Jabha al-Shamiya” factions, where these and other libraries publish books of a militant Islamic nature and atonement.

In this context, “Ahmed Al-Hammad” (pseudonym), a university student in the city of Azaz in the northern countryside of Aleppo, tells Aso News Network, “There are libraries that specialize only in publishing the books of Al-Banna and other symbols of the Muslim Brotherhood, and they belong exclusively to a leader and a legitimate Within the “Ahrar al-Sham” faction called “Abu Ahmed Dabash” and hails from the town of Malas in Idlib countryside, in addition to the presence of libraries that distribute books that talk about former jihadist figures such as “Khattab al-Shishani” and “Bin Laden”, and others.

He adds, “The phenomenon of books that talk about religious sects, jihad, fighting and extremist ideas in general has spread since 2014, when it first entered Turkey through officials and leaders of “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (formerly Jabhat Al-Nusra), and then there were dozens of printing presses and offices, Unfortunately, it only produces books of this kind, as we did not see anything useful and did not notice the existence of books with content worthy of the reader.

He reveals that the purpose of these books in the first place is to attract young boys and men to join the factions by charging them with ideas that call for the necessity of fighting against the Syrian regime, and for an Islamic regime to prevail in Syria.
He shows that despite the presence of a large percentage of conscious youth who do not hold these takfiri ideas, some of them are being dragged behind them due to the difficult living conditions that force many young people to join the factions, according to him.

In order to limit these books, which he describes as “poisons”, “Al-Hammad” suggests that there should be a state of confrontation with them by civil actors and youth, as he shows that they are no less dangerous than the ideas that the terrorist organization “ISIS” planted in the minds of many within the areas that they were controlling in Syria, calling for the need to work on raising awareness of the dangers of atonement of the components of the Syrian people because of its dire consequences that affect the coexistence of Syrians even after the regime change in Syria, as he put it.

As the journalistic activist “Laila Othman” residing in Turkey, believes that the seriousness of the issue is not limited to publishing books that carry extremist ideas, but rather to keep a group of well-known legal scholars, the majority of whom are not originally Syrians, at the fore in the religious fatwa scene of the street in northern Syria as a whole.

In her interview with Aso News Network, Othman said: “Unfortunately, there are many young Syrians in the northern Syrian regions listening to a number of extremist jihadi figures, in addition to some sheikhs known for their extremism outside Syria, and this reflected negatively on the street, where many concepts and customs have changed. They have, and I came across one of the stories that proves the extent to which a segment of the youth group is affected by these.

The journalistic activist states notifies that, “Parties, bodies and institutions have spread in northern Syria, many of which are no less dangerous than these books. It is necessary to put an end to the great penetration of some of those who want to spread these ideas and not to allow the region to turn into an yard of takfiris, who went out from the Syrian people against the regime in 2011, his goal was not to eliminate a component of the Syrian people, or even to turn Syria into a war zone, but rather demanded freedom and democracy for all components without exception.

She wonders why local activists inside Syria remain silent about these libraries that are supervised by the factions, and about their silence about the attempt to paint the whole north of Syria with religious extremism by some factions, institutions and personalities, such as the groups under the auspices of the factions loyal to the Turkish occupation, and the personalities who live within these areas Such as the defectors from the terrorist organization ISIS, the Guardians of Religion Organization and Al-Qaeda who fill the areas under the full hearing and sight of the Turkish occupier as well.

In turn, she calls on all residents of northern Syrian regions to stay away from the extremist ideas that these people seek to promote through their books, and to adopt principles, human values ​​and love; From respecting others and not harming and atonement.

While the extremist factions and groups continue to spread their poison through these books that are manufactured, issued and published under their full supervision, all those interviewed by Aso News Network confirm that their influence has become clear among a segment of adolescents and youth, as soon as the young man or child, especially within the formations of the factions, undergoes a course which they call it “legitimacy” and studies these books, he begins to apply his ideas that imbibe them, by “blaspheming” others and rejecting the Syrian components and other things that are evident in his condition.

Based on the extent of the seriousness of that influence, and the results of these takfiri books, Aso News Network calls for attention to this important angle and for the concerned organizations to take measures to limit the spread of these books in order to avoid the emergence of a whole generation of takfiris and carrying extremist ideas among the Syrian society, and it is necessary to Pointing out that all this is happening in the shadow of the silence of the Turkish occupier, who has influence in these areas.