Islamist groups sign ‘Revolutionary Covenant’ denouncing extremism

MESOP 19.5.2014 – Five Syrian Islamist coalitions signed a “Revolutionary Covenant” on Saturday articulating a list of 11 principles seemingly intended to reassure both Syrian and Western audiences that the groups aim to establish a moderate, inclusive and unified Syrian state.

“The statement seeks to demonstrate that the signatories are a powerful political entity that has principles and respects its promises,” Walid Faris, a Homs-based political activist who follows the Islamic Front, told Syria Direct Monday.

The statement—signed by the Islamic Front, Jaysh al-Mujahideen, the Islamic Union for Soldiers of the Levant, Feilaq a-Sham and Alweiat al-Furqan—emphasizes the groups’ rejection of “fundamentalism and radicalism” as well as “any type of affiliation to foreign entities,” apparent references to the Islamic State in Iraq and a-Sham, with whom rebel fighters have clashed since the start of this year. The statement also notes the signatories’ determination to preserve “Syrian territorial integrity” and protect human rights.

The five signatories are Islamist coalitions ranging from more moderate groups with ties to the Free Syrian Army, such as Feilaq a-Sham, to hardline Salafi groups such as the Islamic Front’s Ahrar a-Sham. The absence of al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat a-Nusra from the signatories is noteworthy, as the group has cooperated closely with the Islamic Front and other Islamist coalitions but has lately clashed with the FSA in southern Syria.