Can you get a "moderate Islamist" out of jihadist terrorists?

Of course not.

We had already seen this movie back in 2011.

Just as they tried to polish and package the Muslim Brotherhood during the Arab Spring, selling them as "tolerant Muslims compatible with democracy," it is now clear that they are trying to push the remnants of al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, and ISIS—those who embrace the Umayyad mentality that considers beheading and raping women as a badge of honor—on us as "moderate Islamists."

On state-fed news channels, self-proclaimed experts and reporters—who consider it a skill to pose on social media with their Botox-inflated lips—are making gleeful posts about how no one in Damascus asked them to cover their heads!

And the people of my country, watching these broadcasts filled with trivial nonsense on their screens, will applaud, saying, "How wonderful, look, the infidel Assad is gone, and such tolerant Muslims have taken his place."

That is the government's plan at home!

Whether it will work out in practice, we shall see in due time.

Since we all have the memory of a goldfish, we have likely forgotten how ISIS wreaked terror in Syria and Iraq 10 years ago.

But if anyone is curious, a quick search on Saint Google is enough. 

It is impossible not to be horrified by the photos found there.

The details of how they slaughtered anyone who was not a Salafist in every place they occupied are all there.

They even burned our own soldiers alive without blinking an eye.

And now, they are trying to feed these certified terrorists to us as "moderate Islamists," much like cunning car dealers who change the headlights, tires, and chrome mirrors of a vehicle to sell an older model to a naive buyer as a "refurbished" car.

But let us give credit where it is due; they have been blowing a different wind since day one.

It is clear they have received help from a professional "image maker."

He has changed his name—whether it was pronounced Julani, Golani, or whatever. Now, he is using his real name, Ahmed al-Shara. 

He has tidied up his appearance and attire. 

He has trimmed his Salafist, jihadist typology; he has shortened his beard that used to reach his stomach, and for now, he is appearing not in a suit, perhaps, but in a khaki uniform.

As if he were Fidel Castro entering Havana!

Yet, at one time, America had even put a bounty on his head.

On May 15, 2017, they published his photo on their official social media accounts, writing underneath, "$10 million will be given to anyone who provides information leading to his capture."

It was not hidden; it was on their website until just yesterday. Once he became an acceptable opposition figure after November 27, they took it down.

What is interesting is that his breaking away from al-Nusra to form the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham organization also coincides with these dates.

It is certainly not a matter of turning a new page or making a fresh start. He likely thought that a brand-new organization would be more useful when he needs to practice taqiyya (dissimulation) tomorrow or the day after.

Let us look not just at the envelope, but at the contents.

He said on CNN, "We will not touch other religions and sects." For a takfiri terrorist to make such a statement has political significance.

By winking at Western countries, he means to say, "Do not see us as radical Islamist terrorists. We want to continue our path as political Islamists."

Let us not say "if you eat it, there is stuffed vine leaves in the fridge," because most are already eager to eat the stuffing voluntarily!

But as people of this unfortunate geography, we have learned more than enough over the last 22 years that Islamists—regardless of whether they are labeled radical, soft, moderate, immoderate, green, or red—will not respect democracy, human rights, the rule of law, or freedoms.

We know very well that anyone who has not benefited from modernity and views the world and life solely through the lens of religion will revert to their true nature the moment conditions change.

For us, this is proven by experience.

It is also unknown whether those who have seized power in Damascus will keep the "moderate Islamist" shirt on, or for how long they will keep it on.

Since they have "leveled up" in pragmatism, no one is attaching much political meaning to their actions.

To better understand and interpret the issue, it is enough to know what the interests of their masters on the other side of the Atlantic are.

Assad is gone in Syria, the Baath regime has been toppled, but the movie is just beginning.

Who will grab whom by the throat and when?

The issue has not yet come to sitting at the table and dividing the spoils. 

Syria will be torn to pieces, but how?

That is where the crux of the matter lies.

Neither the jihadist terrorists nor the US-backed SDF have as much popular support behind them as they have power in their hands.

The vast majority of them have been imported into the Syrian geography from outside!

The images reflected on social media, in particular, and the posts being made show that the pot has started to boil over.

Whether you call it hell or Pandora's box, what has been opened has been opened, and the Middle East has perhaps reached the threshold of one of the darkest periods in its history. 

And what about Turkey...

For now, we are content to watch from afar as a whole crowd. 

Let us put aside those who are shouting with joy because Assad was toppled and applauding, thinking that democracy and freedom have come to Syria; if the government does not adopt an approach where reason prevails, let us end our article by saying, "all is lost."