Western Media's New Controversy: "Gay Jihadis"
The Telegraph is featuring a piece on the terrorists taking an aggressive stance in Aleppo, who are said to have moved away from their Al-Qaeda affiliations in favor of promoting diversity. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Terrorists in Aleppo are attempting to revamp their image, seemingly embracing diversity in a surprising move.
Al-Qaeda is once again becoming active in Syria, now sounding as if they have shifted from military training to social justice education.
What have they been up to? A headline from Britain’s Telegraph reads, “How Syria’s ‘diversity-friendly’ jihadists plan on building a state.” The article also mentions “torture” documented by human rights organizations in Idlib, an area controlled for several years by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the successor to Al-Qaeda. This could possibly reflect the administrative sessions needed to draft diversity initiatives.
The rebranded Al-Qaeda in Syria appears to have adopted a new vocabulary that aligns with modern social justice themes. “Diversity is a strength,” remarked the group’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, after seizing control of Aleppo.
One has to wonder whether the CIA now demands that proxy groups vying for billion-dollar contracts for regime change overseas – akin to the much-covered “moderate Syrian rebels,” many of whom defected to Al-Qaeda – provide proof of diversity quotas and inclusion policies.
Concerns about presentation seem like an unwelcome distraction for those engaged in terrorism. It suggests a narrative crafted purely by the Western national security apparatus.
It’s worth noting that those “moderate rebels,” who left their US-supplied weapons with this group during previous failed attempts at regime change, were not particularly successful when they just focused on their mission. Now it seems they would also need to ensure everyone's pronouns are correct.
Moreover, they prefer not to be labeled as terrorists. Such a designation is seen as “unfair,” as stated by the group’s leader in a recent Telegraph article. While this perspective makes sense on some level, it’s reminiscent of showering someone with gifts and then labeling them a “crazy stalker” when the relationship is scrutinized.
This new image seems to cast off the negative perceptions associated with the group, including their infamous history linked to the September 11 attacks. Instead, a renewed image might encourage Western support for regime change efforts, especially if they are led by individuals who appear ready to promote progressive values in Damascus.
Perhaps locals will also respond favorably to individuals attempting to overthrow President Bashar Assad’s government if they offer a “looser regime than, for example, the Taliban in Afghanistan,” as suggested by the Telegraph. It sets an oddly low bar for acceptance.
Despite efforts to sound more open-minded, al-Jolani still comes across like someone struggling to relax on a dance floor. Reports indicate they are allowing smoking and dropping the hijab while insisting that fighters “not scare children.” Yet, images of him and his followers evoke memories of Hollywood portrayals of terrorism.
Conversely, their ambition to overthrow a government while wielding machine guns certainly complicates their desired image transformation, even as recent coverage has labeled them “allies” of ISIS.
Maybe I am simply lacking in understanding of his transformation into a social justice advocate, hindered by the fact that Washington has a $10 million bounty on his head for terrorism.
Since 2013, he has been under a United Nations arms embargo due to ties with Al-Qaeda and ISIS, though the US has allowed him to advance his agenda in Syria while criticizing him. Al-Jolani spent years in US military custody after serving in Iraq, ultimately moving to Syria in 2011 to begin his Al-Qaeda involvement – a pivotal time when Western funding and CIA assistance in training “Syrian rebels” came into play.
Now, he’s orchestrating the delivery of 65,000 loaves of bread to the local population in Aleppo, branding the initiative “Together We Return.” Given his new self-identified role as a statesman, this sounds reminiscent of a hearts-and-minds strategy from military playbooks.
Additionally, the Pentagon allocates millions annually to transgender individuals supporting US interests, leading one to wonder when we might see the first Al-Qaeda gender reassignment initiatives.
“Aleppo is a meeting place of civilization with culture and religious diversity for all Syrians,” he stated. He seems eager to portray a shift from earlier days in ISIS, during which the group targeted Christians.
All these efforts appear aimed at demonstrating readiness to govern as well as to fight, as noted by the Telegraph. If Al-Qaeda is truly embracing Western-style governance, then one can only imagine when the first Aleppo Pride Parade featuring jihadists in flamboyant attire might take place.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
Al-Qaeda is once again becoming active in Syria, now sounding as if they have shifted from military training to social justice education.
What have they been up to? A headline from Britain’s Telegraph reads, “How Syria’s ‘diversity-friendly’ jihadists plan on building a state.” The article also mentions “torture” documented by human rights organizations in Idlib, an area controlled for several years by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the successor to Al-Qaeda. This could possibly reflect the administrative sessions needed to draft diversity initiatives.
The rebranded Al-Qaeda in Syria appears to have adopted a new vocabulary that aligns with modern social justice themes. “Diversity is a strength,” remarked the group’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, after seizing control of Aleppo.
One has to wonder whether the CIA now demands that proxy groups vying for billion-dollar contracts for regime change overseas – akin to the much-covered “moderate Syrian rebels,” many of whom defected to Al-Qaeda – provide proof of diversity quotas and inclusion policies.
Concerns about presentation seem like an unwelcome distraction for those engaged in terrorism. It suggests a narrative crafted purely by the Western national security apparatus.
It’s worth noting that those “moderate rebels,” who left their US-supplied weapons with this group during previous failed attempts at regime change, were not particularly successful when they just focused on their mission. Now it seems they would also need to ensure everyone's pronouns are correct.
Moreover, they prefer not to be labeled as terrorists. Such a designation is seen as “unfair,” as stated by the group’s leader in a recent Telegraph article. While this perspective makes sense on some level, it’s reminiscent of showering someone with gifts and then labeling them a “crazy stalker” when the relationship is scrutinized.
This new image seems to cast off the negative perceptions associated with the group, including their infamous history linked to the September 11 attacks. Instead, a renewed image might encourage Western support for regime change efforts, especially if they are led by individuals who appear ready to promote progressive values in Damascus.
Perhaps locals will also respond favorably to individuals attempting to overthrow President Bashar Assad’s government if they offer a “looser regime than, for example, the Taliban in Afghanistan,” as suggested by the Telegraph. It sets an oddly low bar for acceptance.
Despite efforts to sound more open-minded, al-Jolani still comes across like someone struggling to relax on a dance floor. Reports indicate they are allowing smoking and dropping the hijab while insisting that fighters “not scare children.” Yet, images of him and his followers evoke memories of Hollywood portrayals of terrorism.
Conversely, their ambition to overthrow a government while wielding machine guns certainly complicates their desired image transformation, even as recent coverage has labeled them “allies” of ISIS.
Maybe I am simply lacking in understanding of his transformation into a social justice advocate, hindered by the fact that Washington has a $10 million bounty on his head for terrorism.
Since 2013, he has been under a United Nations arms embargo due to ties with Al-Qaeda and ISIS, though the US has allowed him to advance his agenda in Syria while criticizing him. Al-Jolani spent years in US military custody after serving in Iraq, ultimately moving to Syria in 2011 to begin his Al-Qaeda involvement – a pivotal time when Western funding and CIA assistance in training “Syrian rebels” came into play.
Now, he’s orchestrating the delivery of 65,000 loaves of bread to the local population in Aleppo, branding the initiative “Together We Return.” Given his new self-identified role as a statesman, this sounds reminiscent of a hearts-and-minds strategy from military playbooks.
Additionally, the Pentagon allocates millions annually to transgender individuals supporting US interests, leading one to wonder when we might see the first Al-Qaeda gender reassignment initiatives.
“Aleppo is a meeting place of civilization with culture and religious diversity for all Syrians,” he stated. He seems eager to portray a shift from earlier days in ISIS, during which the group targeted Christians.
All these efforts appear aimed at demonstrating readiness to govern as well as to fight, as noted by the Telegraph. If Al-Qaeda is truly embracing Western-style governance, then one can only imagine when the first Aleppo Pride Parade featuring jihadists in flamboyant attire might take place.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
