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Source: http://www.hudson-ny.org/2562/syria-fundamentalists
Syria's Choice: Murderous Secular Regime or Islamic Fundamentalists
(Hudson Institute-New York) Khaled Abu Toameh - As Syrian dictator Bashar Assad continues to slaughter his people, the Muslim Brotherhood is clearly seeking to hijack the anti-Assad protests. In the past few months, there have been many signs of a "return to Islam" in Syrian society. Large banners urging women to wear the hijab have appeared in Damascus and other main cities and many restaurants and hotels have stopped serving alcohol in keeping with Islamic law. In addition, many of the daily anti-Assad demonstrations are being launched from mosques, especially after Friday prayers. The Muslim Brotherhood is by no means a "moderate" organization. Its motto leaves no room for questions about its true intentions: "Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Koran is our law. Jihad [holy war] is our way. Dying for the sake of Allah is our highest hope." According to reports in the Arab media, Islamic fundamentalist groups have been smuggling weapons into Syria from Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. The main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, was formed in Istanbul last September with support from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and the U.S. Out of the 19 members of the council's general secretariat, four belong to the Muslim Brotherhood and six are "independent" Islamists.