Media distortion of the Syrian revolution
Introduction
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. Dear beloved, the media has circulated an incident of a boy being killed in Syria under the pretext that he insulted the Prophet, peace be upon him. We would like to clarify in this statement the way the media has handled this incident, and the legal stance on dealing with the media and actions attributed to jihad and jihadists.
Firstly, brothers, for the sake of emphasis, we say: What appears from the interviews with the boy's family is that this incident did indeed happen, and that people wearing distinctive clothing and claiming to be jihadists killed him because he said, "If Muhammad, peace be upon him, came down, I would not care about the religion."
We will not discuss the authenticity of the story, nor will we divert our efforts to criticizing the media's focus on the incident more than the crimes of Bashar's regime, as we do not see this comparison as an appropriate response. Nor is this the place to discuss the ruling on those who insult the Prophet, peace be upon him, for such a discussion seems to be an acknowledgment of the attribution of the killing to the jihadists from the outset.
Media Handling of the Boy's Killing
Media Distortion in Reporting the Incident
What will we discuss then? Firstly: the media distortion in reporting the incident. The Syrian Observatory did not attribute the incident to any specific party on the first day, yet the most widely spread channel in the Arab region published the news on its website with a picture of soldiers from the Nusra Front raising their flags, striking a psychological chord to associate the Nusra with repulsive acts.
Then, the Nusra Front in Aleppo issued a statement denying any connection to this killing, clarifying that it was an unlawful act. However, this channel did not bother to publish this statement on the same day it published on its website the operations of the Islamic Movement of Free Men of the Levant in liberating battalions in Raqqa, attributing them to others in a clearly intentional manner. The movement's media have reviewed this channel and others repeatedly for correction purposes, but these channels did not respond nor correct.
Thus, the achievements of the Islamic factions are stolen media-wise, while acts they are innocent of are attributed to them without evidence. All of this is part of a systematic defamation campaign after the Security Council listed a jihadist faction on the terrorism list.
The Role of Media in Misleading Public Opinion
As an example of the media's role in inciting public opinion, in a poll conducted after the events of September 11 (9/11) on 9/6/2003, the percentage of those convinced that the Iraqi regime had a role in the events reached around seventy percent, from three percent to seventy percent! It is the media.
At the same time, the state security courts in Muslim countries criminalize those who participate in a jihadi forum under the name of "cybercrimes," punishing them with imprisonment for years, so that you only hear the narrative from one side, and you are not allowed to hear the jihadists defend themselves and the good they do.
Reasons for Publishing Positive News About the Factions
Nevertheless, it is not surprising that the channels in our region or their websites sometimes publish positive facts about the jihadist factions, as this achieves credibility with the people to enable them to insert what they want in the details. Also, large institutions of this type contain diverse intellectual currents, but the general trend is what matters. It is futile to think that the country where the largest American bases exist will enjoy free media.
The Islamic factions have known over the past two years their success and the people's acceptance of them in the legal system, as in the clips broadcast on the internet, where they listened to the witnesses and reviewed the evidence in cases without killing, and they ran the affairs of the liberated areas with justice as the existing systems did not. Can it be imagined that after that, individuals from them would kill a boy in the field thus without considering the age of majority and the obligation or not, without investigating whether his speech was an insult or not, without the presence of witnesses, without the convening of the court, without considering the state of war and the inability, and the great harms resulting from such a killing?
Why was the incident not put in the context of the success of the Islamic factions in the past period in dealing with violations and their precision in the legal system, so that it is known that they do not proceed with such an act?
The Legal Stance on the Incident and the Media
Dealing with News: Allah Commands Verification
Brothers, Allah the Almighty has guided us to the correct way of dealing with news, as He said, "O you who have believed, if a wicked person comes to you with information, verify it, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and then become regretful for what you have done."
By Allah, if we accuse the jihadists of ignorance and surrender them, would the believers not think well of themselves when they hear it and say this is a clear slander. They are from us and from ourselves, rather, our best. The original rule in any news against them is to say: this is a clear slander. If Allah the Almighty has revealed this verse on the occasion of accusing a believer and a believer, then how about accusing all the jihadists at this difficult time?
Good Opinion of the Jihadists
We always recite the verses and hadiths that explain the virtue of jihad and the honor of the jihadist with Allah. What have we benefited from them if they do not call us to do good by our brothers and defend them? They are not infallible, but they are the most deserving people that we love them and trust that most of them are on good, and that we defend them.
Who is the Perpetrator?
So who is the perpetrator? Who killed the boy? We cannot be certain of anything, but we mention a very important issue, which is the infiltration of elements from Bashar's army and others trained in neighboring countries into the ranks of the revolution, pretending to have an Islamic appearance in order to tarnish the reputation of the jihadists. The Syrian Support Association and the jihadist factions have identified many of these individuals. There is no doubt that the conspirators against the Syrian revolution have learned from the lesson of Algeria that this is the strongest way to fight the jihadists and turn people against them: throwing in bearded infiltrators who kill people and commit crimes while boasting.
All right, assume that those who did it are people who claim to be jihadists. In that case, their sin is upon themselves, "and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another." Does this justify us to disassociate ourselves from all the jihadists? Why do we generalize with the jihadists in particular, while we do not see it as justice with anyone else?
The Struggle is the Soul of the Nation
Allah the Almighty says: "O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life." The scholars have explained this verse to mean jihad, for without it, the nation dies. Our nation, which has been lost in the alleys of Ba'athism, nationalism, and democracy for many generations, what does it have left for its revival, liberation, honor, dignity, and the betterment of its worldly and hereafter life, except to embrace the jihadi project and make it the project of a nation that rises up and stands tall against servitude to anyone other than Allah the Almighty?
Therefore, when we defend jihad, this is not a defense of a strange agenda belonging to a particular group. This is a defense of the soul of the nation. We have no choice but to uphold it. Can anyone do without their soul, which gives them life? If you, servants of Allah, forsake what Allah has described as that which gives you life, then you will live a life of humiliation. And if you abandon jihad in the path of Allah, Allah will subject you to humiliation that will not be lifted from you. Where is the slogan "Death rather than humiliation," O servants of Allah?
Conclusion and Recommendations
Our duty, dear brothers, is to purify jihad from what has been attached to it and from those who infiltrate it and tarnish its reputation. If we abandon it and prefer the world over Allah, His Messenger, and jihad in His path, then {wait until Allah brings His command}. We will expose ourselves to the wrath of Allah the Almighty if we wrong the mujahideen, generalize their mistakes, abandon them, and hand them over to our enemies and their enemies. They are not the losers; we are. They are promised one of the two good outcomes: victory or martyrdom. As for us, at that time, {wait until Allah brings His command}, and Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.
Therefore, my brother and sister in Allah, let us deal with the news justly, as Allah has commanded: with clarity and good assumptions about the Muslims, especially the mujahideen. Do not bear the burden of another's sin, and know that abandoning the jihadi project is not an option at all. It is our soul. The jihadi project is our soul. Let us focus on these divine rules in our hearts, otherwise, even if you are convinced by my words now, you will return to confusion and believe the media with every doubt they cast, and in doing so, you will waste your energies instead of directing them towards supporting the oppressed and repelling the conspirators.
I ask Allah to make us righteous, to have mercy on the nation of Muhammad, and to make us His tools in supporting His religion. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.