PHOTO: Saudi cleric Abdullah al-Mohaisany talks to a Syrian journalist about the implementation of Sharia law in Idlib Province
A Syrian journalist travels from Switzerland to opposition-held Idlib Province in northwest Syria, finding out what life is like after the rebel takeover of almost all of the area this spring.
Accompanying the prominent Saudi cleric Abdullah al-Mohaisany, the journalist learns about the prohibition of alcohol — but not cigarettes — and Sharia law, and he then observes the administration of justice in courts. He speaks to volunteers about the organization of civil defense amid continued bombardment by Syrian and Russian warplanes, and he goes to the frontline of the fight against the Islamic State.
The journalist speaks to residents, including a boy about the 15 victims whom he knows, and concludes, “It is astonishing how a [large] part of society keeps resisting and tries to go on living a normal life as much as possible.”
See also Syria Daily, Dec 21: Another Sunday, Another Mass Killing by Russia’s Warplanes
An Islamic system has to be built with and on the support of society. This support you can win through the hearts and not be putting a knife at the throat.
Furthermore I have realized: whatever is discussed about Syria in Western media or at conferences doesn’t have any impact on what is going on here — just that some more bombs are being dropped.
