On the attack and vandalism of the Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation in the city of Raqqa

Syrian Future Movement…
The actions carried out by ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which are misguided and outright unacceptable—both religiously and socially—are the strongest proof of what we have expressed in our recent statements: that it is a product of the Syrian regime and, in fact, one of its tools used to gain international support by presenting itself as the sole savior, after the country has witnessed increasing ideological violence and religious extremism. This extremism has reached the point of burning churches and non-Muslim places of worship, and threatening to burn shops selling tobacco, among other acts.

Syrian Future Movement…
Our Syrian revolution did not arise to destroy architectural structures, including places of worship! The martyrs did not fall for the disintegration of human relationships that we have enjoyed—and will continue to enjoy—as brothers in Syria. Those who commit such heinous acts in Syria today, under any guise, are enemies of the revolution and adversaries of the revolutionaries. Measures must be taken to curb their transgressions on the ground and bring them to justice. For this reason, we have called for the leadership of the Free Syrian Army to take the initiative on the ground for months now, and to act swiftly to contain these groups falsely attributed to Islam, while enabling Free Syrian Army battalions to establish their presence in the areas liberated entirely or partially from the regime’s control. This is to prevent the vacuum in some areas from being filled in a manner that is incompatible with the social, cultural, and religious fabric of those regions, and to stop these extremist groups from stealing the minds of our sons and daughters under the guise of a false Islam.

Syrian Future Movement…
We condemn the vandalism and burning of the Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation in the city of Raqqa by extremists, as well as the destruction of any non-Muslim places of worship throughout Syria’s geographic area. We pledge that in the Syrian Future Movement, one of our top priorities within Syria will be the reconstruction of all houses of God, to make them sanctuaries for loving hearts, kind spirits, unity of purpose, and collective harmony, calling for dignified, shared living. We are all brothers in the homeland, and it is to strengthen this call that our blessed Syrian revolution arose.