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Robert Spencer in PJ Media: 6 Reasons Why the U.S. Should Not Arm the Syrian ‘Moderates’

Sep 21, 2014 4:07 pm By Robert Spencer

icons desecratedIn PJ Media I explain why this plan that both Democrats and Republicans is a recipe for disaster:

Demonstrating yet again that we do not have an effective opposition party in the United States right now, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted Wednesday in favor of Barack Obama’s plan to arm and train “vetted” members of the Free Syrian Army. As expected, the Senate went along on Thursday. The Hill noted about the House vote that “vocal opposition” came from “both war-weary liberals and defense hawks who feel the Syria plan should include more robust steps.” No one, however, seems to have mentioned the main reason why this is a bad idea: the Free Syrian Army is on the wrong side.

Obama made big promises last Sunday on Meet the Press: “What I want people to understand is that over the course of months,” he asserted, “we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum” of the Islamic State. “We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities; we’re going to shrink the territory that they control; and, ultimately, we’re going to defeat them.” He was using the term “we” loosely: “This is not going to be an announcement about U.S. ground troops. This is not the equivalent of the Iraq war.” But if American troops were not going to perform this herculean task, then who would do it?

“In the interview on Sunday,” said the New York Times, “Mr. Obama said he envisioned the Free Syrian Army’s providing the ground presence needed to confront ISIS in Syria.”

But will the Free Syrian Army actually do this job, or do it effectively? Here are some reasons why not:

6. The Free Syrian Army terrorized the Christians of the Syrian village of Oum Sharshouh.

In July 2013, Free Syrian Army fighters entered the Christian village of Oum Sharshouh and began burning down houses and terrorizing the population, forcing 250 Christian families to flee the area.

Terrible things happen in wars, of course, and the FSA’s terrorizing of a Christian village doesn’t necessarily mean that it wouldn’t be effective against the Islamic State. But given this behavior, what kind of a society might the Free Syrian Army establish in Syria, were they to come to power? Apparently not one that would secure the rights of religious minorities, for the terror attack at Oum Sharshouh was not an isolated incident…

5. The Free Syrian Army murdered Christians in the Syrian town of al-Duwayr.

Worthy News reported that just two days after the attack on Oum Sharshouh, Free Syrian Army rebels,

targeted the residents of al-Duwayr/Douar, a Christian village close to the city of Homs and near Syria’s border with Lebanon….Around 350 armed militants forcefully entered the homes of Christian families who were all rounded-up in the main square of the village and then summarily executed.

4. The Free Syrian Army is proud of its attacks on Christians.

In September 2013, a day after Secretary of State John Kerry praised the Free Syrian Army as “a real moderate opposition,” the FSA took to the Internet to post videos of its attack on the ancient Syrian Christian city of Maaloula, one of the few places where Aramaic, the language of Jesus, is still spoken.

3. The Free Syrian Army attacked the Lebanese border town of Arsal in conjunction with the Islamic State and the jihadist Nusra Front.

Investigative journalist Patrick Poole reported in PJ Media that “multiple media reports indicate that the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) is operating openly with ISIS and other designated terrorist groups.”

Indeed. The New York Times reported in August that, according to Abu Osama, a member of a Nusra Front brigade that participated in the attack, the Arsal assault was “a combined operation involving fighters from the Free Syrian Army, the Nusra Front and ISIS.” The Times was skeptical:

Abu Osama’s remarks could not be immediately verified, and such cooperation between the F.S.A., the Nusra Front and ISIS would be unusual; the groups have clashed in bouts of rebel infighting in Syria.

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Filed Under: Barack Obama, Moderate Muslims, Syria Tagged With: featured


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Comments

  1. Daniel Triplett says

    Sep 21, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    A partnership with the Devil.

    I may get some shit for this, but maybe on the relative scale of evil, Bashar al-Assad is less evil than many of the other players here.

    What I mean by this is that ultimately WWIII will be Muslims v non-Muslims. We want Russia to be on our side, and Putin has great influence over al-Assad. If we could form an alliance w Russia, China, India and others, maybe we could use Putin to help with the ultimate end-game, Worldwide criminalization of Islam.

    Al-Assad seems somewhat Westernized already, and if we forced him into a situation where he could keep power over Syria as long as he criminalized Islam, he may resist much less to this idea than the devout Ayatollah imam type leaders.

    Look, Stalin was arguably the most evil man who ever lived, but as we know from history, sometimes allying with Russia is necessary to achieve the greater good. I’m not saying Putin is a swell guy, I’m saying we want him on our side in WWIII when the nukes start flying. He also has way more influence over Iran and Syria than we do.

    • Jay Boo says

      Sep 21, 2014 at 4:53 pm

      The US, Germany, and Turkey are telling Russia to back off by instigating ‘mischief’ in Ukraine.

      • Daniel Triplett says

        Sep 21, 2014 at 5:52 pm

        The Ukraine situation is certainly difficult, and Putin’s power grab is disturbing. And I certainly don’t want to be a Neville Chamberlin here. But the World faces a much greater threat right now with Islam, rather than the local dispute between Russia and Ukraine that’s been going on for ages. Let’s keep our eye on the ball.

        I think most of us agree we’re on the doorstep of a massive World War. Regarding the Ukraine problem, maybe if we could gain Putin’s trust and friendship, we could talk him into settling for the Crimea, the most strategic part of Ukraine anyway, and leave the rest of Ukraine alone.

        The Muslims will lose WWIII if the nuclear Allies are willing to use offensive nuke weapons. People who seek our annihilation, and lose the conflict they began, lose the right to control the oil reserves the rest of us depend on to survive. The Middle Eastern oil fields ought to belong to the victors in WWIII, not to the losers.

        So perhaps when the borders get re-drawn, Post WWIII, we can let Putin have control of some of that when we sit down at the Winners’ Table to divvy up the oil rich spoils. If he knows this up front, maybe we can convince him to keep his hands off of his non-Muslim neighbors, and pick up some resource rich real estate from our common enemy later.

        Putin is very popular w Russians and will likely hold power for another 20 – 25 years. Russia has a lot of nukes. We’re much better off having Putin as a partner, on board with our objectives, rather than piss him off and make him our enemy for this upcoming War against Islam.

        We need a different post-Cold War set of alliances that reflect the current World threat: Islam. All non-Muslim countries, especially the nuclear armed ones, must ally to extinguish the Islamic ideology. [The ideology, not the people.]

        • TH says

          Sep 21, 2014 at 6:54 pm

          Once jihad becomes stonger thanks to Obama & Co, Putin will have a bigger yihad problem in his own country, as has already been the case in Chechnia. The islamic population of Russia is 15%, so it is inevitable that they will have problems. So, it is important to fix up the Ukraine mess and make agreements with them. While Obama is in the White House expect nothing good.

        • Jay Boo says

          Sep 22, 2014 at 12:40 pm

          Good points
          Thank you, Thank you, Thank you TH

          Daniel Triplett said
          Let’s keep our eye on the ball. (meaning Islam)
          Then he goes on in length about irrelevant non-Islam stuff

          Let’s remember the Beslan massacre (near Crimea & Ukraine)

        • kikorikid says

          Sep 22, 2014 at 7:01 pm

          Putin does not care a bit if we bomb Islamist anywhere and
          everywhere BUT TARTUS!

        • Daniel Triplett says

          Sep 22, 2014 at 7:38 pm

          @TH

          Yes, with 15% Muslims, Putin has some problems. He’s not inherently a PC/MC type guy, and has a history with Muslims which demonstrates he has no problem dropping the hammer on them if necessary.

          He may go along with the idea to form an alliance that forces criminalization of Islam domestically and Worldwide. I can see him outlawing it in Russia, then getting brutal with dissenters, especially if he knew he had the support of the rest of the non-Muslim World.

          Agreed that this won’t happen as long as Obama & Co hold the Executive Branch.

          Sad that we have a POTUS so complicit in this Apocalypse.

        • Daniel Triplett says

          Sep 22, 2014 at 7:49 pm

          @Jay Boo

          “Daniel Triplett said
          Let’s keep our eye on the ball. (meaning Islam)
          Then he goes on in length about irrelevant non-Islam stuff”

          I by keeping our eye on the ball, I was talking about focussing on Islam rather than Crimea.

          How is developing a coalition of Allies to confront Islam and force apostasy irrelevant non-Islam stuff?

    • Bonnie Loranger says

      Sep 22, 2014 at 8:41 am

      You are totally right. But when I advance these notion with some friends they gave me hell. I do not care. I believe Assad is a better and safer guy.

    • Max says

      Sep 22, 2014 at 11:40 am

      You will get no s**t by anyone who has a fair understanding of the ME and its history, particularly regarding the Hussein-McMahon agreement and the Sykes-Picot agreement back in the early 20th century.

      Actually, Christians fared somewhat OK under Assad’s control Not so well under the rebel militancy.

  2. mortimer says

    Sep 21, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    Obama’s lies must be confronted by a conscientious member of the House of Representatives.

    There is no “free” opposition. They are all jihadists.

    • Shane says

      Sep 22, 2014 at 9:45 am

      Obama does not give a damn about protecting Christians from Muslim savages. He will do anything not to have American combat troops fighting in Iraq or Syria.

  3. duh_swami says

    Sep 21, 2014 at 6:36 pm

    No pious jihadist will want to die fighting for kuffar causes.
    The whole idea of arming them and training them is nuts.

    • SallyA says

      Sep 22, 2014 at 12:19 am

      Don’t thinking Americans have to ask ourselves why our Congress would be complicit with Obama in arming Syrians who’ll defect to IS or whatever other Salafi Islamist terrorist cabal replaces IS? If Congress despite aides, researchers, briefings, etc. paid for w/ our taxes is too ignorant to know what we who read JW (or any news) can tell is obvious about this bad idea to arm Syrian Muslims for the IS agenda, then they’re incompetent. If Congress knows, it is complicit with arming our “blood will run in American streets” enemies.

      How did this happen in the US? Did the dark money funding allowed by Citizens United (SCOTUS decision) buy for the globalist oligarchs, including petrodollar-billionaire Muslims as undisclosed donors, the congressional votes of red and blue sides of the aisle? When did House and Senate Republicans become so hypocritical, craven and ineffectual on national defense and the military? Have the rich Muslims paid off our elected leaders, Democrats and Republicans, so that they will have warning and can escape to private bunkers and faraway islands w/ mega-$ in offshore accounts when the jihadists come for us (or EMP us, or bomb us, or whatever) in our own country and weed many of us out, leaving many fewer millions of people on the North American land mass? Or, when the jihadists come to impose Sharia and various forms of slavery against non-Muslims?

      I am a seasoned grownup who has weathered decades of political change but I cannot understand how our Congress became so traitorous, and that includes the ineffectual Republicans who insult intelligent people with pointless posturing as well as the ridiculous Democrats of 2014. Obama’s easier to explain, and his executive branch, as quisling Islamist sympathizers if not outright Muslims, brainwashed and/or otherwise dangerous, products of PC MC run amok. But the entire Congress, red and blue sides? How can this be?

      • ca supe says

        Sep 22, 2014 at 3:37 pm

        sally, you nailed it! it’s the question i’ve been asking since the rampant voter fraud made all the more easy via untold amounts of money pouring into campaigns thru those “undisclosed donors” you described and who by design put this fraud into the white house in 2008 and again in 2012. (could this also be the reason that the last two republican candidates gave up and rolled over during their campaign for the white house?)you’ve done an excellent job at describing what is FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG with the “picture”….. i wish i had an answer, i wish i felt safe in my own country………

        • SallyA says

          Sep 22, 2014 at 7:42 pm

          @ ca supe – Thank you for the validation! Your kind words, appreciated very much. It helps to know we’re not alone in our awareness of what’s wrong with the political picture in the US.

          I just keep doing what’s in front of me to do, but I do pray in a non-churchianity way (including for national defenders and against evil), I don’t go to stadium public events or big movie theaters on holidays, I’m more careful when out and about to avoid wherever possible those who profile as likely Muslims by their religious appearance — given the published plotting for IS abductions in the US by lone-wolf Islamic terrorist operatives

          Also I don’t expect any part of the U.S. govt. to be on the side of the majority any more. If those expectations prove at any time to be erroneous, I’ll be grateful (and it’ll be an answer to past prayers).

          I’m planning when financially feasible at the end of 2015 to leave the city where I live that’s within a day’s drive of one of the top-5 US cities for suspected Muslim terrorists, and relocate to one of several optional rural parts of the US near friends and/or family where Muslims have not yet migrated (and where people know everybody coming in or out), and where grow-your-own food security might be achievable. I love cities, so to be planning this rural shift you can know I see a huge threat to the US and worse times coming.

          I don’t see it getting better at all in the US or the rest of the West, only worse. It’s a relief at least to be able to face it. 99% of the people in the US I know are still wringing their hands over red state/blue state and thinking another election will fix this. It won’t. But you get it, and I appreciate you being here.

  4. Mahendra Singh says

    Sep 22, 2014 at 12:54 am

    The phrase “Moderate Muslim” is an oxymoron. Get it?

  5. Andrew Brown says

    Sep 22, 2014 at 1:24 am

    Why does anyone need six reasons?

    There’s only one reason that counts – and this is it:

    ITS THE DUMBEST FKIN THING ANYONE IN THE WEST (OR ANYWHERE ELSE) COULD POSSIBLY DO!

    I don’t normally shout like this, but really, this particular situation requires some common sense and sometimes you have to shout out loud over all the normal people who still think the Emperor is wearing a beautiful set of duds…

    • paddy says

      Sep 22, 2014 at 12:14 pm

      Agreed. It doesn’t take a muslim nut with a gun too long to convince a reasonable muslim whose side to be on.

  6. pumbar says

    Sep 22, 2014 at 2:05 am

    I can’t believe you are arming and training these creatures.

  7. missizbeasley says

    Sep 22, 2014 at 7:56 am

    There are no good guys at all. They are ALL BAD.
    When I decide that one group is, maybe ok in a pinch; what happens? I read an article (case in point) and that’s dashed.
    Solution: put troops and boots you know where and get the hellacious party started.

  8. Angemon says

    Sep 22, 2014 at 12:22 pm

    Why wouldn’t they train and arm jihadis? It’s not like the jihadis will end up shooting them in the back as soon as they can. I mean, just look at the example set in Afghanistan… oh, wait…

  9. eric says

    Sep 22, 2014 at 2:04 pm

    Where are the other reasons? It counts down from 6 to 3 and there is no reference to a ‘next page’. Am I Just not seeing the #s 2 & 1 reasons?

  10. TH says

    Sep 23, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    Christy:
    Please tell us where this is happening: “There are many Christians suffering around the world and most of it has absolutely nothing to do with Islam”.

    As for Buddists in Sri Lanka and other places, they are trying to defend themselves from Mahomedan terrorists.

    As for the Cruzades, they were defensive campaigns. What right did the Mahomedans have to conquer and kill Christians in Palestine, Syria, Egypt and ther rest of the Middle East when the came out of Arabia to attack and attempt to force them to convert to Mahomedanism? Were they invited into those countries by a majority of the population? Can you mention one country where Mahomedanism is prominent or totally in control which it did not conquer by the sword and in the process kill millions of people and submit the rest (Islam is sumbission) to humiliating sharia and jizia?

    • eric says

      Sep 24, 2014 at 6:56 pm

      Yeah yeah, Christians are persecuted by other than Islamists, BUT, radical Muslims are responsible for the great majority of Christians persecuted in the entire world. Did I say greatist? How about we start with Muslim persecution of Christians and reassess once THAT issue is handled. What? Then there is no other threat to Christians? WOW. WHAT A FRICKING SHOCK?

  11. Angemon says

    Sep 23, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    Christy posted:

    “Just because a few extremists do something bad, does NOT give you the right to generalize and demonize 1.6 billion people.”

    No one is demonizing anyone here. As for the generalizing, islam is an ideology with a defined set of rules. If one claims to be a muslim then non-muslims can assume they stand by those rules – it’s not non-muslims who need to assume that muslims are not after their heads like the quran and ahadith mandate, it’s muslims who must prove that they reject such commandments and wish to live in peace in a Westernized, secular society where everyone is equal in front of the law.

    “That would be like condemning ALL Christians for the Crusades and the Inquisition.”

    The crusades were a small-scale, delayed action against centuries of unprovoked islamic aggression by muslims adhering to islamic orthodoxy. The inquisition could only pass judgment on christians.

    “hen why do you not speak out against Hindu terrorists in India who did a terrible pogrom against the Christians in Orissa? Why don’t you speak out against Buddhist terrorists of Sri Lanka, Thailand and Burma? Why do you not speak out against the communist regimes of China and North Korea? Why do you not speak out against the drug cartels terrorizing Latin America?”

    This is Jihad Watch. Not Hinduism Watch, not Buddhism Watch, not Communism Watch, not Drug cartel watch. Jihad Watch.

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