The Syrian Coalition accused Islamic extremists of smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary inside one of the churches in al Yaqoubiya, Idlib. An expert in Islamism told the Syrian Coalition “The man named Omar Ghurabaa’, who appeared in a video, is the commander of one of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham’s battalions (ISIS). A photo posted on social media sites confirmed his relationship with the organization. The Syrian Coalition in a statement today, stated that this “conduct was detrimental to the sanctity of religions and holy places”. The statement added that “It is no secret that such actions only serve to enhance the Assad regime’s policy and its supporters”, and that the Assad regime continually seeks to “attribute such disruptive acts to the revolution and its components.” The expert, who declined to reveal his name, added that “ISIS, unlike other extremist organizations, transgress the blood and money of Christians and regards them as crusaders.” The statement added that such acts are “a policy of seeking to sow division between Syrians and fabricating conflicts among them, and to put pressure on the social incubator of the revolution.” The Syrian Coalition called on all Syrians to exercise caution and stand firmly in the face of such practices and to strongly reject these divisive attitudes “and not to allow the regime’s thugs to create a rift between the spectra and components of the revolution and the Syrian people.” (Source: Syrian Coalition)
