Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's Abu Abdullah al-Shami on Wala' and Bara'

The insurgent group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham- the dominant faction in northwest Syria- positions itself as a third-way to al-Qa’ida and the Islamic State in the global spectrum of jihadism. This positioning, however, does not mean that the group has completely disavowed all the key concepts and ideas in jihadism. For example, one theme in jihadism is that of wala’ and bara’ (‘loyalty and disavowal’), referring to loyalty to the believers and Islam and disavowal of the disbelievers and disbelief, thereby emphasising the dichotomy between the two. For example, here is a new post by leading Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham official Abu Abdullah al-Shami (Abd al-Raheem Atoun) on the subject of wala’ and bara’.