Haytham Manna , 4/5/2025
Original : شريعة الغاب
Below is Chapter 3 of the forthcoming book “Manifesto Against Jihadist Fascism”. [chapter 1 chapter 2 ]
When we read a “message on the judgment of music” from the new Minister of Interior of Damascus, Anas Khattab, we realize that our problem in Syria today is not about returning to “the law of God,” but about triumphantly returning to the law of the jungle. Indeed, from the creator of the terms “Sunni jihad” and “cult of jihad,” we read:
“The musical instruments are the cause of earthquakes, transformations, and tremors... This consensus has been reported by Al-Qurtubi, Ibn Rajab, Ibn Salah, Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, and others... And the Sheikh of Islam Ibn Taymiyya, may God have mercy on him, said: “Whoever practices these amusements for a religious purpose and to draw closer to God, there is no doubt about his misguidance and ignorance.” “As for the one who does it for pleasure and entertainment, the schools of the four imams agree that all musical instruments are prohibited, for it has been established in Sahih al-Bukhari and elsewhere that the Prophet, peace be upon him, informed that there would be among his community those who would make permissible silk, alcohol, and musical instruments, and he mentioned that they would be transformed into monkeys and pigs.” “Musical instruments are amusements, as mentioned by the people of the language; the plural of instrument (ma'azifah) is the tool with which one plays: that is, with which one makes noise, and none of the followers of the imams has disputed the prohibition of musical instruments”...
I thank God that my believing mother, who was diligent in praying, fasting, performing pilgrimage, and giving zakat, played the lute for us when we returned from visiting my imprisoned father*, to lighten our sorrow, and that she taught mathematics and natural sciences to more than one generation. She left us before seeing and hearing what we see and read today, coming from those whom Hassan Aboud, the founder of the Ahrar al-Sham movement in Syria, called “newcomers, children of youth, devoid of wisdom, without knowledge of religion or legitimate politics.”

“All knowledge outside of the Quran is a distraction... Except for the teaching of hadiths and religious jurisprudence.”“Knowledge is what contains the narrative ‘We have heard’... Everything else is merely suggestions from demons.”Regarding political systems, there are constant criticisms of Muslim reformers such as:“We have seen them permit democracy in the name of consultation... They lie!Before that, they permitted socialism...And they allowed legislation outside of Allah and the creation of political parties under the pretext of applying sharia... They claim!And they permitted a woman and a Christian to govern Muslims...And they forbade rebellion against the ruler without what Allah has revealed...And they considered secularists, communists, liberals, socialists, and others to be believing Muslims!And they regarded Christians as brothers of Muslims...And they allowed the American occupation of Afghanistan!!!And some of them permitted attending the mass of infidel Christians and congratulating them on the appointment of their popes!!And some of them allowed men to shave their beards...And some of them allowed women to wear pants...And other innovations and misguidances that they spread among Muslims as certainties in the religion of Islam... And Allah is sufficient for us, and He is our best protector.”
Since the birth of “Jabhat al-Nusra” under the command of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the main slogans they have expressed are: "Democracy is a sin and disbelief," "Christians must be pursued in Beirut, and the Nusayris to their coffins." The jihad in Syria and for Syria is "against the Nusayris and their allies," "against the Nusayri regime and the Shiite militias," and in support of the people of the sunnah. Funds have flowed from all Gulf countries to this group, reaching "wasted" amounts of a billion dollars during its third year, according to Abu Mohammed al-Joulani. This was also an opportunity for Gulf countries to rid themselves of those they had failed to rehabilitate among the Guantanamo detainees and Al-Qaeda prisoners, with the Saudi intelligence director Bandar bin Sultan taking charge of eliminating them in the Syrian furnace. This also provided an opportunity to send Salafists from the Maghreb to the East! However, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the then head of Turkey's MIT (National Intelligence Organization), Hakan Fidan, viewed it as an opportunity to steer "Sunni Islam" and seize Gulf funds. The result was that what they had imagined as a one or two-year stroll turned into a nightmare with the arrival of the largest wave of Syrian refugees onto Turkish soil. Despite this, the Turkish government managed to make substantial economic and geopolitical investments in the Syrian tragedy, and this continues to this day.
The opening of Turkish borders to tens of thousands of non-Syrian fighters for jihad completely changed the map of forces opposed to the Syrian dictatorial regime. Democratic voices were marginalized, and mentioning the slogan of the Syrian revolution “The Syrian people are one” became blasphemy and heresy, to the point that words like "people," "freedom," "sovereignty," and "national state" are now fought against and provoke attacks from armed opposition factions.
With the takeover of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham over a significant part of Idlib province, serious work began to "cleanse" the city of anyone who differed from "Jabhat al-Nusra" in lifestyle and habits... Sanctions were imposed against "deviants and violations," leading to the exile of a third of the population. In some villages, jihadist complexes were established according to the fighters' country of origin, such as for the Uyghurs, Chechens, and Moroccans... Even French individuals settled where those who were expelled or forced to flee had lived. It is ironic that those who fled social reforms in Saudi Arabia brought with them the memories of the “Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” to Idlib, with generous funding from Wahhabi “charity” organizations in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, to propagate the wearing of the niqab, prohibit mixing in restaurants and offices, and prevent the presence of unaccompanied women in shops.
Additionally, it was also forbidden to sell women's clothing to men and to monitor wedding halls and festive events to prohibit “immoral behaviors,” as well as the public consumption of shisha in streets, shops, and restaurants. They also prohibited exaggerated haircuts and “inappropriate behaviors,” monitoring young girls and boys in educational institutes and public transport.
After the "jurists" and "jihadists" began wearing ties, the euphoria reached several disillusioned individuals who thought that people had forgotten them; however, they began to speak of "Sunni oppression" and sought the merits of those who "liberated and decided." They forgot that a snake changing its skin does not remove the venom from its bites. The attack on the coastal region revealed the instinctual nature of those who became the new power in Damascus. Nawar Jabour describes the tragedy of sectarian cleansing by saying: “The massacres that took place on the coast added a dimension where the Alawites became an explicit enemy, killed and filmed dead, their shops and lands set ablaze, and they were pursued even when fleeing to the forests or valleys. But what was even more cruel was the ritualized murder or inspired killings, where the murderers ensured that the massacres were executed according to what had been religiously prescribed against the 'Nusayris,' which consecrated the religious character of the violence, so that the message was not only directed at the victims, but their very bodies became a political and religious message. The murder was not merely an act of senseless violence; videos circulated documenting celebratory murders, where the goal was not just to physically eliminate the victims, but to boast about destroying their properties and stealing them. An open bragging about the looting of the homes of the slain, with fighters brandishing the belongings of the inhabitants as spoils, illustrating the pride in theft—just as Syrians had previously observed with the soldiers of the fallen regime and the national defence militias. The murdered victims became symbols of the victory of faith, wherein the sacred duty of purification manifested itself on the bodies left dead and abandoned for all to see, solidifying a long-term image that they are politically, religiously, and spiritually rejected.”
To this day, the authority of Ahmad al-Sharaa has not issued any clear decision to put an end to the aggressions affecting the lands, properties, and the right to security of the Alawites as such!
It is difficult to determine who fabricated an audio recording and attributed it to a Syrian from the Druze community, but it is easy to follow the reactions among those who are now officially defined as “undisciplined elements and factions.” With a stroke of genius, and in the name of defending the Prophet Muhammad, the Quranic verse “No one bears the burden of another” was modified in the minds of the crowds (without the “no”), and the Party of Mobilization and Hatred directed itself towards the miniature Syria (Jaramana) to take revenge on its inhabitants in an affair that did not concern them. The number of victims in this collective madness exceeded one hundred, with dozens of detainees and missing persons.
Is it not the party of the three “T’s” (takfir, tahreem, and tafjir, التكفير والتحريم والتفجير) that truly holds power over the security and military authorities today? Can Ahmad Al-Sharaa address criticisms or complaints to those he appointed to the National Security Council, an authority above all? Is there anyone among them, including the new head of intelligence, whose hands are not stained with the blood of Syrians?
Can a reasonable person today believe that the “transitional authority” in Damascus wants to build a Syria for all Syrians?
Transl. Note
*Yousef Alawdat, a lawyer, was imprisoned for 18 years under the Assad regime.
Transl. Note
* Yousef Alawdat, a lawyer, was imprisoned for 18 years under the Assad regime
Notes
[2] Anas Khattab, ibid, although this passage is plagiarized from several other texts without mentioning the other sources.
[3] https://t.ly/8g1_F (Sunni jihad and the paths of deviation).
[4] See Yaqout al-Hamawi, Lexicon of Countries, 3/117; also see: The Phenomenon of Fanaticism Throughout Islamic History, Muhammad Amjad Abdul Razzaq al-Bayat, 2018, Dar al-Maymana, Medina.