{"id":20236,"date":"2013-12-15T21:20:33","date_gmt":"2013-12-16T02:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=20236"},"modified":"2016-01-10T07:54:51","modified_gmt":"2016-01-10T12:54:51","slug":"zahran-alloush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/zahran-alloush\/","title":{"rendered":"Zahran Alloush: His Ideology and Beliefs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Zahran Alloush<\/p><\/div>\n

Zahran `Alloush: His Ideology and Beliefs<\/strong>
\nBy Joshua Landis
\nDecember 15, 2013<\/p>\n

Zahran Alloush is the military chief of the Islamic Front (??????? ??????????, al-Jabhat al-Isl?miyyah), <\/i>the newly founded super militia that reportedly represents 45,000 fighters. As such, he could turn out to be the most powerful man in rebel held Syria.<\/p>\n

Hassan Hassan argues in his article, “Why Syria\u2019s Islamic Front is bad news for radical groups<\/a>,” that the Jihadist and radical Islamist rhetoric of the Front can be discounted as a positioning ploy, but that the new group is really bad news for al-Qaida groups in Syria because it will stem the slide toward radicalism in Syria and be able to face down militias on their right.<\/p>\n

It is too early to know if the Islamic Front will take on the formidable al-Qaida groups in Syria. Despite frequent tensions, the main groups that came together to form the Islamic Front have worked hand in glove with al-Qaida linked forces, particularly al-Nusra, on most battle fronts and recent offensives against the regime.<\/p>\n

Zahran Alloush’s rhetoric and propaganda videos provide much insight into his world view, attitude toward Syria’s religious minorities, and vision for Syria’s future. The difference between his ideology and that of al-Qaida groups is not profound. Rather, it is one of shades of grey.<\/div>\n
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Perhaps the most important video Alloush has produced is this one:
\n???? ????? ??????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ??????? Speech of the Mujahid Zahran Alloush to the Umma (Islamic Community) on the challenge of the “Raafida,” (rejectionists or Shiites).<\/div>\n

<\/object>
\nAlloush uses the great Umayyad desert palace of Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik as the backdrop for this dramatic video.<\/p>\n

Here is a useful excerpt of this video with English subtitles. This was added to the post on Jan. 10, 2016.<\/p>\n